Пермский край. Кунгурская ледяная пещера

Kungur Ice Cave is one of the biggest gypsum caves in Russia. This outstanding karst object takes the fifth place in the world on extent (among the gypsum caves). The cave is situated in the north-eastern part of the town Kungur, on the right bank of the river Sylva, in the depth of the Ice hill. The Ice hill covers nearly ten square kilometers. In its structure the cave is as like as a fairytale labyrinth. Nowadays the length of known routs is nearly 5700 meters. The symphony of ice and stone reconstructs 48 grottos of different size. Every grotto in the cave has its own name. The biggest grotto is Geographs. The Giant grotto is the biggest grotto on the tourists route. There are 146 “organ pipes”. It is a vertical canals, filled with sand and clay. Lakes are the most beautiful places in the cave. In the ice kingdom there are more than 70 lakes. The biggest lake on the tourists way is a big underground lake (1460 square metes). Mirror-like surface of the lake is very clear. It paints different reflections of fantastic landscapes. Scientists think that the cave appeared on the place of the Perm Sea in connection with a raising of the Ural ridge approximately 10-12 thousand years ago.