The Vjetrenica Cave, located 12 km from the Adriatic Sea, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2024. This event may have attracted increased tourist interest. The number of visitors to the underground site has now reached a record level. This was announced by Davor Baković, director of the public institution "Vjetrenica". According to him, 18,000 people visited the attraction in the first ten months of the year.
Vjetrenica has been known since ancient times: Pliny the Elder mentioned it at the beginning of the Common Era. In local folklore, the cave is considered the abode of nymphs. It is "inhabited" by Oblakinja, who brings moisture to the cave, Brodarica, who is responsible for underground lakes, Bilarica, who restores people's hearing and sight, Vidarica, who heals wounds, Prorocija, who prophesies the future, and Vjetrenica, who controls the winds. The presence of the latter is felt by every visitor to the cave. The wind blows constantly here, and in winter it is directed into the underground, while in summer it is directed outward.
Speleologists have explored the cave to a depth of 7,000 meters. Underground lakes and rivers, waterfalls and channels, as well as beautiful stalactites and stalagmites have been discovered here. At the entrance to Vjetrenica, tourists are greeted by an ancient relief depicting a hunting scene. Its origin is unknown. It is assumed that this place was a sanctuary for various spiritual communities for centuries.
Today, visitors can descend to a depth of 700 meters. About two hundred animals live here, a quarter of which are endemic. In terms of the number of such inhabitants, Vjetrenica occupies a leading position in Europe. The most unusual among the unique inhabitants of the cave is the European olm (Proteus anguinus) or the human fish, as it is called here. This graceful translucent creature lives up to a hundred years.
The cave is part of the protected landscape "Vjetrenica - Popovo polje". It is open to visitors year-round. After being included in the UNESCO World Heritage List this year, the number of local and foreign tourists has equalized. "This motivates us to continue working on promoting the value of the protected area on the foreign market," said Davor Baković, director of the Vjetrenica institution.
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