Hidden within the Budai-hegys\u00e9g, lies a fascinating geological formation. I am talking about the T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly.
T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly is a cave located in the Budai-hegys\u00e9g. The cave resides within the Duna\u2013Ipoly National Park.
Let’s delve into the T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly. It is situated in the outer area of Remetesz\u0151l\u0151s. You can find it north of the settlement’s center. Specifically, it’s on the southwestern side of Remete Mountain. The T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly entrance sits among a group of rocks. It’s about 350 meters above sea level. The opening is funnel-shaped and naturally formed.
Finding T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly can be a challenge. A landmark to guide you is the rear fence line. Look for a garage protruding from the fence and an ochre-yellow house. From there, the cave entrance is roughly 60 meters away. It is located in a sparse wooded area.
The T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly extends 30 meters in length. Its vertical span is nearly 20 meters deep. Horizontally, it stretches about 5 meters. The cave formed in Upper Triassic Dachstein limestone. This occurred along a tectonic fissure due to strong dissolving activity. Freeze-thaw weathering near the entrance also played a role.
This cave features a pipe-like shape. It has a vertical slope. Its cross-sectional profile is characterized by both pipe and fissure shapes.
The T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly is essentially a vertical fissure. A narrower section divides it at five meters depth. Small spherical niches have formed at several points. Weakly developed finger-like shapes are near the entrance. The deepest point marks its end.
Entering the freely accessible T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly requires equipment. Roughly 25 meters of rope and rope-technical tools are needed.
The Anubisz Cave Research Group discovered T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly in December 1995. They found a 0.5 to 1-meter diameter cavity in a rock outcrop. This cavity sparked their interest because its opening started with a complete cross-section of spar stone.
The researchers dug a research shaft. They went through a humus layer. Later, they removed rocks that had fallen from the main body. The cavity walls sloped inward. The team thought the passage’s cross-section would decrease if it continued vertically.
At one meter deep, a 70-centimeter diameter passage began. It was filled with large rocks. Removing the last big rock at 1.5 meters revealed the final passage. A walkable shaft became visible. They estimated a 15 to 20-meter deep shaft based on falling rock times.
The first 5 to 6 meters seemed traversable. They descended to the narrow point of the shaft. Below this point, the shaft walls widened like a bell. Further progress required rope techniques.
The team continued down the shaft. At 17 meters, they reached the cave’s debris-filled bottom. The final section is a chamber. It is 9 to 10 meters in diameter. Beautiful stalactite flows adorn the walls. Heavily dissolved calcite crystal crusts are visible. In some areas, montmilch covers the wall. Fox and small mammal bones were in the clay fill. Further exploration from the bottom chamber is possible only with difficult excavation work.
A description and map sketch were included in the group’s 1995 report. In 2005, Zsolt Polacsek surveyed the cave. Based on this, he drew a 1:100 scale plan map. That same year, J\u00e1nos Magyar\u00f3si, Antal Handl, and Zsolt Polacsek surveyed it and created a longitudinal section map.
Interestingly, the planned route of the M0 highway’s western sector directly impacts the T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly. This information comes from the Duna\u2013Ipoly National Park Directorate.
The first literary mention of the cave as T\u00f6lcs\u00e9r-zsomboly was in 2005.