Location: Koněpruské jeskyně Koněprusy
Open: 8am- 4pm Apr-
June
8am- 5pm July- Aug
8am- 4pm Sept
8:30am- 3pm Oct
Closed: Nov- March
Tel. (311) 622- 405
The Koněprusy Caves (Czech: Koněpruské jeskyně), also known as
the Zlatý kůň (Golden Horse) Caves, form the largest and most
significant cave system in Bohemia (the western part of the Czech
Republic). Located in the protected Bohemian Karst (Český kras)
landscape of the Central Bohemian Region, they lie near the village
of Koněprusy, about 25–30 km southwest of Prague and 6–7 km south of
Beroun, close to historic castles like Karlštejn and Křivoklát.
The caves sit inside Zlatý kůň Hill (adjacent to Kobyla Hill), part
of a dramatic karst terrain of cliffs, canyons, and precipices. They
were carved from 400-million-year-old Devonian limestone in a
globally notable Lower Devonian cliff formation. The system spans
roughly 2 km in total length with a 70 m vertical range across three
distinct levels (lower, middle, and upper), connected by passages,
domed chambers, and shafts. Only about 620 m of the middle and upper
levels are accessible to the public via guided tours.
These are classic limestone karst caves, shaped primarily by water
dissolving soluble rock over millions of years. A small underground
stream at the end of the Tertiary period, combined with percolating
rainwater through limestone cracks, created the passages and rich
speleothem (dripstone) formations. The morphology reflects the
polycyclic (multi-stage) development of the Bohemian Massif. The three
levels represent different stages of karst evolution tied to changing
water tables and tectonic shifts.
The caves contain the most complete
series of karst decorations in the entire Bohemian Karst. Highlights
include sinter falls, eccentric stalactites (which grow sideways or
branch unusually), stalagmites, stalactites, flowstones, and small
sinter lakes. A standout feature is the Koněprusy “roses” — delicate,
rose-like formations over a million years old, among the oldest
decorations here. These arise from gradual precipitation of calcium
carbonate (and macroscopically visible opal) on underground lake walls
or in specific conditions; opal appears alongside gypsum and aragonite
in the oldest generation, sometimes with apatite coatings. This
opal-bearing decoration spans nearly the full height range of the
system, making it mineralogically unique.
Deep Time: Geological and Paleontological Foundations
The
limestone massif dates to the Devonian period (~400 million years ago).
Karst processes—rainwater dissolving fissures over millions of
years—created the three-level system (total length ~2 km, vertical span
~70 m). The main cave development occurred 25–30 million years ago, with
younger dripstone decorations forming later. The upper level was
occasionally accessible via natural openings in antiquity.
During the
Pleistocene (Ice Age), the caves served as a natural trap and shelter.
Animal bones accumulated from ~600,000 to 13,000 years ago, including
cave bears, hyenas, mammoths, and other megafauna. A particularly
spectacular find came in 2007 in the Petrbokova jeskyně: skeletal
remains of a cave bear dated to ~800,000 years old. These fossils made
Zlatý kůň Hill a known paleontological site long before the caves
themselves were entered; quarrying in the 19th and early 20th centuries
exposed bones on the surface.
The First Humans: Upper Paleolithic
Occupation (~45,000 and ~13,000 years ago)
The caves’ most profound
human story begins with the Zlatý kůň woman, one of the earliest
anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) in Europe whose genome has
been fully sequenced. Her partial skeleton—primarily skull fragments—was
discovered in the Prošek Dome (Proškův dóm) during initial explorations.
She lived approximately 45,000 years ago (constrained by associated
finds and genetic links to similar-aged individuals at Ilsenhöhle,
Germany). At death she was around 45 years old. The remains were found
with stone and bone tools of the Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP)
technocomplex—the earliest modern human culture in Europe following the
Out-of-Africa migration.
Her DNA (published 2021) reveals she
belonged to an early-diverging Eurasian population that split before the
main European–East Asian divergence. She carried 2–9 % Neanderthal
ancestry from an admixture event 45,000–60,000 years ago in the Middle
East and was closely related (fifth- or sixth-degree) to people at
Ilsenhöhle, living just a few generations apart. She is not ancestral to
later European hunter-gatherers, representing a population that later
vanished. This makes her the oldest modern human genome sequenced to
date and a key piece in understanding the earliest waves of modern
humans into Europe.
A second, younger human presence is recorded from
the Magdalenian period (~13,000 years ago): skeletal remains of another
woman, also found in the caves.
Medieval Intrigue: The Secret
Forgery Workshop (c. 1469–1472)
In the upper level—today called the
Mincovna (“Mint”)—a short-lived but highly organized counterfeiting
operation ran during the Hussite Wars era. Between roughly 1469 and 1472
(second half of the 15th century), a group of forgers produced fake
silver Haller coins bearing the Czech lion emblem. They used copper
blanks coated with silver amalgam, lived underground (evidenced by
hearths, tools, and personal items), and deliberately concealed their
workshop. A secret entrance was hidden behind a flattened round stone.
The workshop operated only briefly before being abandoned. Its discovery
during 1953–1956 archaeological excavations (led by Radoměrský and
Hejna) provided the first concrete evidence of medieval human use. The
site is now part of the guided tour, with a reconstructed display
showing tools and coin molds. Local legends of hidden treasure almost
certainly stem from folk memory of this illicit mint.
Folklore:
Legends of Greed and Hidden Treasure
Two enduring folktales explain
the hill’s name and the caves’ mystique:
The Golden Horse: A greedy
noblewoman from a nearby castle sought underground treasure guarded by a
spirit who demanded “golden hair and an iron hand.” She commissioned a
golden wig and iron glove, rode into a storm, and vanished. Her maid
(with real golden hair) and strong-handed lover found her petrified into
gold with her horse. The spirit rewarded the couple and named the hill
Zlatý kůň.
The Shepherd Boy: A young shepherd discovered a bearded
man sitting on a pile of money inside a smoking hole on the hill. He
took coins but broke his secrecy vow; villagers beat him and seized the
money. The tale’s “secret entrance” motif aligns eerily with the
medieval mint’s hidden doorway.
The 1950 discovery of the forgery
workshop lent historical credence to these stories.
Modern
Discovery and Exploration (1950)
Until the mid-20th century the full
cave system was unknown despite centuries of quarrying. On 14 September
1950, a controlled blast in the Houbův lom (quarry) on the southeastern
side of Zlatý kůň Hill—intended to supply a cement factory—created a
collapse and revealed a strong air draft. Quarry master Mareš and
colleagues crawled through the narrow opening in October 1950,
discovering the Kuklův dóm, Marešova síň, and the 27-metre-deep
Letošníkova propast (where speleologist Vlastimil Letošník fell 12 m and
broke his leg). Thirteen-year-old Petr Batík joined early explorations.
By November–December 1950 a commission led by National Museum
speleologist Jaroslav Petrbok launched systematic mapping. Explorers
widened passages “meter by meter,” revealing the three-level system,
magnificent dripstone chambers, and the upper-level mint.
Archaeological Surveys and Protection (1950s onward)
1953–1956: Full
excavation of the medieval forgery workshop.
1959: Caves opened to
the public after safety work (620 m illuminated route with 533 stairs
covering middle and upper levels).
1972 onward: Protected within the
Český kras Protected Landscape Area; later declared a national cultural
monument (including all archaeological traces).
21st-Century
Science and Legacy
In 2021, a landmark paper by Kay Prüfer, Cosimo
Posth et al. published the Zlatý kůň woman’s genome—the oldest complete
modern human genome at the time—transforming our understanding of
Europe’s first Homo sapiens arrivals. A hyper-realistic facial
approximation (2023) brought her to life. The caves celebrated their
75th anniversary in 2025, welcoming nearly 100,000 visitors annually.
In essence, the Koněprusy Caves are a time capsule: a
400-million-year-old geological wonder that briefly sheltered Ice Age
humans, hid medieval counterfeiters, inspired legends of golden
treasure, and only revealed its secrets when 20th-century dynamite
cracked open the hill. Today they stand as both a natural monument and
one of the most significant Paleolithic and medieval archaeological
sites in Central Europe.
Today, the caves host 10 bat species. In winter, the most numerous colony of Lesser Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros) in the Bohemian Karst hibernates here, drawn by the stable microclimate.
Guided tours (about 50–60 minutes, ~620 m route with 533 stairs)
start on the middle level and cover parts of the middle and upper
floors, passing the Lazzero Spallanzani Cave (introductory stop),
dramatic chambers, abysses, the forgery workshop site, and spectacular
decorations including the Koněprusy roses and Jezírko lásky. Foreign
visitors receive English text guides or use a free mobile app for audio.
The experience feels intimate and otherworldly, with dramatic lighting
highlighting the golden-brown limestone and intricate forms.
The
surrounding Bohemian Karst Protected Landscape Area offers hiking trails
with views of the white limestone cliffs and quarry where the caves were
found. Roughly 100,000 visitors explore annually, drawn by the blend of
natural wonder, deep-time geology, and human stories.