Driny

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Driny
Interior of the cave, May 2007
Driny
Driny
location in Slovakia
LocationSmolenice, Slovakia
Coordinates48°30′2″N 17°24′14″E / 48.50056°N 17.40389°E / 48.50056; 17.40389
Length636 m (2,087 ft)
GeologyKarst
Accesswith guide

Driny is a limestone cave in West Slovakia in the Little Carpathians Mountains. It is located around 2 km southwest of the village of Smolenice.

The cave's entrance altitude is 399 m.

The first attempt to enter the cave was made by Prussian soldiers, who were camping nearby during the Austro-Prussian War. It was finally explored in 1929, and in 1934 the first 175-metre route was opened. In 1950 other parts of the cave were explored and in 1959, the cave was reopened. The cave was declared a nature monument in 1968 and became part of the newly designated Little Carpathians Protected Landscape Area in 1976.

Today, of the total explored length of 636 m, 550 m are open to the public.

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