Govieshtitsa ( Serb. Govjeshtitsa ) is a large karst cave located in the canyon of Pracha at the left tributary of the Drina River in the Romania mountain range. Administratively, it belongs to the municipality of Rogatitsa , Republika Srpska , Bosnia and Herzegovina , located at a distance of twenty-one kilometers from the city.
| Beef | |
|---|---|
| Serb. Govsteshtitsa | |
 | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 9682 m |
| Opening year | 1906 |
| Type of | karst |
| Location | |
| A country |
|
| Region | Romania |
Research History
Govieshtitsa for a long time remained unknown and was first discovered only at the beginning of the 20th century, when in 1906, as a result of the construction of the Sarajevo - Visegrad railway line, part of the rock collapsed and the entrance to the cave opened. The first mention of the study of the cave dates back to 1911, however, the researchers managed to go only 100 meters deep - further advancement was too dangerous and required special equipment. Since then, the cave has become quite popular among tourists, although no one was seriously studying it at that time. In the biological and paleontological literature of the 1960s - 1970s, Goviesstica is mentioned only casually without any scientific evidence.
A serious shift in the study of the cave occurred only in 2010, when a group of Italian cavers from Bologna and Novara came here - in collaboration with local scientists from Bosnia and Herzegovina with the assistance of the Karst Center and Speleology of Sarajevo, they achieved some success in the study: they compiled a detailed map of the tunnels, documented new branches with which the total length of the cave was about 1200 meters. In total, several scientific expeditions were undertaken between 2010 and 2013, a small research camp appeared near the entrance, and many experts from other cities joined the study process. Over time, the researchers moved farther and farther, for example, in 2011 the length of the studied part of the cave was 3800 meters, in 2012 - already 7715 meters, and finally, in 2013, the researchers called the final length at the moment - 9682 meters. Thus, Govieshtitsa is the largest cave on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of the length of the previous leaders Pechina Izvor Mokranske Milyack (7200 m) and Vietrenitsa (6700 m).
During the expeditions, biological studies of the cave halls were carried out, samples of mineral and organic materials were collected. A colony of bats was discovered in the cave, numerous fragments of skulls and bones of a cave bear , a prehistoric species that was believed to have died out about 15 thousand years ago, were found. In addition, inside the scientists found rare insects of the family of leiodides .
Govieshtitsa is one of the objects to be protected according to the classification of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature .