Description of the attraction
Karst cave Atlantis deserves its name, it - like a mystery, like a secret that you want to open - and beckons to itself.
The cave is located in the valley of the Zbruch river, not far from the village of Zavalye (Kamyanets-Podilsky district of Khmelnitsky region). For a long time, no one knew anything about the cave, until in the 50s they began to develop a gypsum quarry here. Since the quarry turned out to be unpromising, it was soon abandoned, however, during the development, cave holes were exposed, which were examined by Kiev cavers in 1968. True, for this it was necessary to clear the passages inside from clay, and this required several expeditions, and this approach justified itself. Already in 1969, cavers discovered a hall that opened a whole cave system.
The very first survey was enough to understand that this cave is unique. Relatively small - 2525 m in length and 4440 square meters in area, Atlantis Cave is literally lined with a large number of beautiful crystals of gypsum of many shapes and colors. At the same time, the cave is perfectly preserved, its numerous labyrinths, passages and galleries are practically untouched by time. Of particular interest to researchers and tourists are gypsum crystals that have grown right on the ceilings and walls of the cave. These are both thin needles that have intertwined into small and dense thickets, and huge (up to one and a half meters) crystal giants.
The colors of the crystalline formations and mineralogical forms amaze even the most experienced speleologist. It is not surprising that the grottoes and halls of the Atlantis cave received such poetic names as Golden Autumn, Tenderness of Flowers, Snow Queen, Red Poppies, Temple of the Gods and other equally remarkable names.
