CAVE OF CRIVA OR EMIL RACOVITA

In 1959, following an explosion triggered for the extraction of gypsum, this huge cave was discovered. Situated on the outskirts of the village of Criva, it is one of the largest gypsum caves in the world, which the locals call "Cenusareasa" (The Cinderella). It is 91 km long and has a vertical drop of 50 metres. In 1969, a group of geographers from the Moldavian Academy of Sciences entered it for the first time, and in 1977 a map and the architecture of the complex were determined.

The cavers discovered several rooms, the largest of which are called "the 100-metre room" and "the waiting room". In most of them, the ceiling is vaulted, the height can reach 11 m, the width of the tunnels 30 to 40 m, their length 60 to 100 m. In the "waiting room", eleven columns support the ceiling. In some rooms, there are gigantic stones or crystals in animal-like shapes ("the penguin room", "the dinosaur cemetery"). The empty spaces inside the cave have three to four levels, the most accessible being the two intermediate levels. The upper level is in places inaccessible and the lower level is still wet, and toxic underground gas vapours persist. The karst lakes discovered inside the cave also have their names ("green lake", "blue lake", "transparent lake"). The water of these lakes is very rich in minerals and has healing properties.