Why Fewer People Visit the Punkva Caves Than in 1989

In 1989, 326,043 people passed through the Punkva Caves (Punkevní jeskyně). Four years later the figure was 183,931, and today it hovers around 200,000 a year. Interest hasn’t waned. In 1993 the Protected Landscape Area (CHKO) Administration introduced visitor limits because the caves had been so badly damaged that in some places up to 75% of the stalactite and stalagmite formations had been lost. That is why you now tour the caves in smaller guided groups, and why summer weekends are often sold out. Book your tickets in advance.

QUICK LINKS 📊 The numbers · 🔦 What damaged the caves · 📋 The 1993 limits · 🏛️ Who ran the caves · 🎟️ What it means for you · ❓ FAQ

Anyone queuing for a ticket to the Punkva Caves today would struggle to believe that in 1989 almost twice as many people came through as now. How can that be? The CHKO Administration’s figures explain it, along with the reasons the problem had to be tackled.

The numbers

The CHKO Moravian Karst Administration has tracked visitor numbers for the show caves since 1989. Here are a few selected years:

A few things you can read from the table:

• Between 1989 and 1993, the combined number of visitors to all the caves fell from 566,000 to 343,000. It was a time of huge change across the country, and in 1993 the new limits were added to the mix.
• The Sloup-Šošůvka Caves were closed for reconstruction from 1997 to 2000. After reopening, they welcomed a record 62,643 visitors in 2000.
• The Balcarka Cave was closed for the whole of 2008 for a major overhaul.
• The Výpustek Cave only appears in the table from 2010, as it had opened to the public not long before.

I haven’t been able to find more recent per-cave figures in the official overviews. According to guides, though, the Punkva Caves still draw around 200,000 visitors a year and remain the most visited caves in the Czech Republic. In 2025, all of the country’s show caves together attracted around 700,000 people.

What damaged the caves

The CHKO Administration is blunt about it in its analyses of the area. The caves were permanently damaged simply by being opened to the public in the early 20th century: tunnels were blasted, the caves were adapted for boat trips on the Punkva, underground watercourses were altered, and cave sediments were shifted. The Punkva Caves suffered most, but every show cave bears irreversible scars.

Then came the lighting. Powerful halogen lamps, cables strung along the rock walls, lights tucked in among the formations. The circuits were wired so that most of a cave could not be switched off during a tour.

And then came the visitors. By comparing photographs from the time of discovery with the caves’ present state, experts found that in some places up to 75% of the formations had been lost. Stalactites and stalagmites were broken off as souvenirs and ruined by being touched. They grow extremely slowly, so what has gone will not come back.

Another problem is lampenflora: the algae and mosses that grow around the lights. They are removed with a sodium hypochlorite solution, a harsh chemical that also harms the caves’ native wildlife.

The 1993 limits

Until the end of 1992, no show cave in the Czech Republic had binding operating conditions set by the nature conservation authorities. That changed in 1993:

• The CHKO Administration issued its first operating decision for the Sloup-Šošůvka Caves and the Balcarka Cave. The conditions for the Punkva and Kateřinská caves were set by the management plan for the Punkva Springs National Nature Reserve (Vývěry Punkvy).
• The rules set the number of people per group, the maximum number of groups per day, and restrictions to protect hibernating bats.
• A new decision followed in 1996. It fixed the number of guides per group, set different limits for summer and winter, and laid down rules for lighting.
• Between 1995 and 2000, the lighting was replaced in all the major caves: Balcarka and Kateřinská in 1995, Punkva in 1995–1996 and Sloup-Šošůvka by 2000. Halogens gave way to more economical lighting, cables disappeared into floor ducts, and the lights can be controlled section by section, so a whole cave no longer has to be lit at once.

Today, the formations are also protected by guard nets or an electronic warning system.

Who ran the caves

Most of the discoveries and alterations of the early 20th century were funded by the joint-stock company Moravský kras, provoz a výzkum jeskyň (Moravian Karst, Cave Operation and Research). After the Second World War the caves were taken over by the national administration and then by a succession of state organisations, the best known of which was Moravský kras, provoz jeskyní under the Blansko District National Committee. In 1991 the Administration of Czech and Moravian Caves was founded, and since 2006 the caves have been run by the independent Caves Administration of the Czech Republic.

That the caves were not privatised in the 1990s is thanks to the geologist Ladislav Slezák. You can read his story in our article The Man Who Saved Moravia’s Caves from Privatisation.

What it means for you

• Book your tickets in advance. Group capacity is limited, and on summer weekends the Punkva Caves sell out around midday. For how to book, see our article Tickets and Reservations.
• Don’t touch anything. Not even a formation that looks indestructible. Grease from your hands halts its growth and leaves a dark stain.
• Respect the winter restrictions. The Kateřinská Cave is closed in winter to protect the bats, and the others run shorter hours. More in our article The Moravian Karst in Winter.
• If you want some peace and quiet, travel outside the high season. We have tips in our article The Moravian Karst Without the Crowds.

FAQ

How many people visit the Punkva Caves each year? Around 200,000. In 1989 the figure was 326,043, and in 2015 exactly 174,000.

Why are there visitor limits in the caves? The caves had been seriously damaged by tourism, with up to 75% of the formations lost in some places. The CHKO Moravian Karst Administration introduced the limits in 1993.

Which cave in the Moravian Karst is the most visited? The Punkva Caves, with their boat trip along the Punkva. They are the most visited caves in the whole of the Czech Republic.

Why mustn’t you touch the formations in the caves? Grease from your skin halts their growth and leaves a stain. And because they grow so slowly, the damage is effectively permanent.

Information verified as of 10 October 2026. Sources: AOPK ČR, Analyses of the CHKO Moravian Karst (2017), chap. 4.11, table no. 32 Visitor numbers for the show caves and the text on cave operation; Treking.cz: Cave visitor numbers in 2025; Punkva Caves (Wikipedia).

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