Županova jama
Seven halls of dripstone under a wooded hill, discovered by a village mayor in 1926 and half an hour from Ljubljana.
The mayor and the hole in the hill
Local people had long known a shallow, icy pit on the hillside. In 1926 Josip Perme, mayor of the nearby village, pushed through a gap at the bottom of it and found a string of large chambers beyond. He spent years building paths and stairs, and the cave has carried his office in its name ever since.
Županova jama at a glance
- English name
- Mayor's Cave
- Also called
- Taborska jama
- Location
- near Grosuplje, about 25 km from Ljubljana
- Length
- about 700 m
- Depth
- about 120 m
- Discovered
- 1926
- Opened to visitors
- 1927
- Temperature
- about 8 °C
Seven halls, one staircase after another
The route links seven halls on different levels, joined by hundreds of steps. The Great Hall is the showpiece, with tall stalagmites and flowstone cascades; a formation called Matjaž's Throne recalls the sleeping king of Slovene legend.
The lowest chamber, the Ice Hall, once kept ice through the summer.
A fortress against the Ottomans
A few minutes' walk from the entrance stands Tabor Cerovo, a small church ringed by a defensive wall. Villagers took refuge in it during Ottoman raids in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The surrounding Radensko polje is a small karst plain with sinking streams and seasonal flooding, a miniature of Cerknica.
Županova jama in figures
Inside and around Županova jama
Select a photograph to enlarge it. All images are freely licensed; authors are listed in the photo credits.
Before you go
Getting there
Leave the A2 motorway at Grosuplje and follow signs towards Tabor and Cerovo. Trains from Ljubljana stop at Grosuplje, from where it is about 6 km.
On the tour
A guided tour lasts about an hour. There are many steps, some steep and damp.
Good to know
Regular tours run at weekends and on holidays in the main season; groups can book other times.
Opening times, tour schedules and prices change with the season. Always confirm them with the operator before you travel: zupanovajama.si.