Peştera Urşilor (Bears' Cave)

Peştera Urşilor (Bears' Cave)  a fost descoperită în 1975, cu ocazia unei dinamitări executate la cariera de marmură din zonă. Este unul dintre principalele obiective turistice ale Muntilor Apuseni, ea aflându-se în  judetul Bihor, în imediata apropiere a localităţii Chiscau, comuna Pietroasa, la o altitudine de 482 m.

  Known as one of the spectacular touristic objectives of Apuseni Mountains, Bears Cave lies in the vicinity of the location called Chiscau, in Pietroasa Commune, Bihor District, at an altitude of 482 meters.
The name of the cave is due to the numerous bear fossils, which were found there, so therefore it represented a favorable place for shelter for the animals that used to live there 15000 years ago. Owing to the falling of a huge rock, the mouth of the cave was blocked and more than 140 bears were trapped inside. Being hungry, the bears attacked one another until they all died.
 

The cave was discovered in 1975 during the limestone exploitation works in the quarry from Chiscau. Until 17th September 1975 the cave was closed and in this time the subterranean pit was artificially opened through the dynamiting of the entrance gate.
The first man who went down the open pit was the miner Traian Curte from the same location. The way that he covered was from the access gallery to the Great Hall. At 20th September 1975, a group of amateur speleologists called “Speodora” accomplished the first exploitation of the cave and five years later the cave entered the touristic circuit of the country, being considered the first subterranean cavity arranged after the level of the world technique.
 

At the entrance of the cave, one may see a pavilion which consists of a waiting hall, a booking office, a speleological museum and a counter with artisan items. Being more than 1500m long, the cave presents galleries situated on two levels: the upper gallery is 488 meters long and is intended to tourists and the lower gallery  (521m in length) is destined to the scientific research.
The subterranean line can be covered in 45 minutes.
The temperature is near 10 C degrees in every season of the year.
Visiting programme at the Women’s Cave:
Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday: closed