Macocha Abyss

About this place

The Macocha Abyss is a deep karst sinkhole in the Moravian Karst cave system of Czechia, in the municipality of Vilémovice in the South Moravian Region, about 22 km north of Brno in a straight line. It is part of the Punkva Caves, and the underground Punkva river flows through it. It is 138.5 metres deep to the surface of the lower lake, the deepest of its kind in Central Europe, 174 metres long and 76 metres wide, with further spaces explored below the lake to a depth of 187.5 metres. It is wide enough for daylight to reach the bottom, so it is classed as a «light hole» abyss. The waters of the Sloupský stream helped carve an extensive system of underground passages, domes and abysses. Nearly vertical grey limestone walls covered in moss and forest drop to a green floor where a small lake glints. Two viewing bridges at the top look into the chasm, and from the bottom the sky appears as a narrow opening between the walls. Visitors look into the abyss from the upper and lower bridges, or see it from the bottom on the Punkva Caves tour, which includes a boat ride on the underground river, and a cable car runs between the entrance and the rim. It is cold inside the caves.