Bat cave
History and Naming The first mentions of the cave are linked to the name of Gyula Czárán, who is credited with the discovery and exploration of the cavity, known at the time as “Citramontán B…
Fișă Tehnică, Parametri Speologici și Informații de Acces
- Alternative Names
- Bat Cave / Citramontán Barlang / Hoanca Coului Cave
- National Archaeological Record (RAN)
- Code 11487.01
- Access Trail
- Blue Stripe marker — 1.3 km (~1 hour, low–medium difficulty)
- Surveyed Length
- 103 m (Gábor Halasi, 1974) / ~150 m (Speowest Arad Association, 2011)
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History and Naming
The first mentions of the cave are linked to the name of Gyula Czárán, who is credited with the discovery and exploration of the cavity, known at the time as “Citramontán Barlang”.
Later, the cave also appeared under the name Hoanca Coului or Cohului. “Hoancă” is a local term used by residents for a cave, while “Coului/Cohului” refers to the old iron smelting furnace (called kohó in Hungarian) that once stood at the foot of the hill.
Today, the cavity is known as the Bats’ Cave (Peștera Liliecilor) and is registered in the National Archaeological Record (RAN) under no. 11487.01 as “The Moneasa Cave Complex – Hoanca Coului”, classified as a cave settlement with vestiges from the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras.
Moneasa. Citramontán Barlang (Bats’ Cave) – postcard from the early 1900s
The Pioneer of Mountain Tourism
Gyula Czárán made a decisive contribution to discovering and promoting the natural beauties of the Moneasa area. Passionate about nature and exploring wild places, he was a true pioneer of mountain tourism and speological exploration in Romania.
He contributed to developing a network of paths and tourist trails around the Moneasa resort, facilitating access to remarkable sites and natural or historical landmarks, including the Bats’ Cave and Dezna Fortress.
His legacy lives on today through the trails and tourist objectives that invite visitors to discover the breathtaking beauty of the Codru-Moma Mountains.
Gyula Czárán (1847–1906)
Speleological Research
With the development of speleology in the Arad region, the cave was investigated by several generations of speleologists.
The first map, created in 1974 by Gábor Halasi (from the “Liliacul” Arad Amateur Speleologists Club), indicated a total length/development of 103 meters. The map was published in 1978 in the first issue of Aragonit – the Bulletin of the “Liliacul” Arad Amateur Speleologists Club.
In 2011, the cave was re-mapped by members of A.S. Speowest Arad, and the results (150 meters) were published in the Systematic Catalogue of Caves in Arad County ( Catalogul sistematic al peșterilor din județul Arad ).
Archaeological and Paleontological Research
Archaeological excavations, initiated by geologistDr. Károly Papp in 1904 and continued by Arad professor László Dömötör (1910), archaeologist Márton Roska (1925), and Vasile Boroneanț (1965), revealed evidence of prehistoric human occupation (stone tools, Eneolithic remains, and Bronze Age pottery), as well as fossil fauna remains, including the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus).
A significant milestone occurred in 1987, when a group of students from Arad discovered a previously unknown gallery. Investigations conducted by speleologists from the “Aragonit” Arad Subterranean Exploration Group, in collaboration with the Arad County Museum, led to the recovery of seven incomplete cave bear skeletons, which are now part of the museum’s heritage collection.
Ursus spelaeus
This species appeared approximately 1.6 million years ago and went extinct around 22,000 years ago. The causes of the cave bear’s disappearance, along with other species typical of that era, are linked to climate change and the arrival of modern humans.
Rhinolophus ferrumequinum. Photo: Sebastian Sbîrcea – A.S. Speowest Arad
