Pestera Liliecilor - Gura Dobrogei

Gura Dobrogei Cave, or Pestera Liliecilor, is a speleological nature monument covering an area of 5 hectares, located in the north-east of the village of Gura Dobrogei, within the Gura Dobrogei Nature Reserve, Constanța County. The cave's existence was first recorded in 1926 by the historian and archaeologist Vasile Pârvan. Geologist E. Jekelius estimated that it formed at the beginning of the Quaternary or the end of the Pliocene, and that it was carved out at the boundary between two categories of limestone — some more compact and others softer — representing a plane of minimum resistance rich in fissures. The cave consists of two main fossil galleries: the Ceramics Gallery and the Fossils Gallery, which branch off at right angles from the main opening, which has three entrances, two of which are less accessible. The total length of the galleries exceeds 480 m. Numerous traces of human activity have been documented inside the cave: Palaeolithic and Neolithic flint tools, Neolithic pottery fragments, and Iron Age artefacts. Thanks to its optimal climatic conditions — a constant temperature of 12–13°C and high humidity — the cave shelters colonies of bats belonging to the Mediterranean species Rhinolophus mehelyi and Myotis mistacinus, which hibernate there in winter and take refuge in the galleries during summer. The Ceramics Gallery contains cave crystals and is locally associated with the legend of the Dacian Dapyx, the king said to have been pursued by the Romans in this area. The cave is visited with appropriate equipment and in organised groups, as it is not fitted with permanent lighting. Nearby lies Pestera La Adam, the second major speleological site in the reserve, along with more than 10 other smaller caves.