- Landmarks
- Bears' Cave
Bears' Cave
The Cave of the Bears was discovered in 1975, during a dynamiting of the marble quarry in the area. It is one of the main tourist attractions of the Apuseni Mountains, it is located in Bihor county, in the immediate vicinity of Chișcau, Pietroasa commune, at an altitude of 482 m.
The interior is distinguished by the diversity of existing stalactite and stalagmite formations, as well as by the impressive amount of traces and fossils of the cave bear - Ursus spelaeus - which became extinct 15,000 years ago. Besides this, fossils of black goat, ibex, lion and cave hyena were also discovered.
The name of the cave is due to the numerous fossils of 'cave bears' (Ursus spelaeus) discovered here. The cave was a shelter for these animals 15,000 years ago. In old age, like many other mammals (eg the African elephant) the cave bear retired to die in the same place as its ancestors or predecessors.