Velika klisura (Gryka e Madhe) in Kosovo - the discovery and exploration of one of the biggest cave systems at Balkan Ján Šmoll – Branislav Šmída Slovak Speleological Society (SSS), Hodžova 11, 031 01 Liptovský Mikuláš, smoll@alconet.sk, sandia@nextra.sk
INTRODUCTION
At the border of Kosovo, Crna Gora and Albania there is a huge massif Prokletije (Damned Hills) with area about 3 500 km2. By the geological structure it is a part of the internal Dinarides, while this is not a continuous ridge, but a structure of huge plateaus (Brada, Maja Rosit, Djeravica, Nedžinat and so on), localy with the relative altitude up to 2000 m. Same big portion of the coverformation of Prokletie is built by limestone sequences (mainly of Triassic and Jurassic age) in the nappe position. which are locally altered by the metamorphosis (penetrations of younger volcanic rocks). The highest peak of these hostile mountains, rarely inhabited by shepherds, intersected by steep valleys in Albania is the mount Maja e Jezerce (2694). The plateaus are meadowy in the upper positions, and some groups of peaks and ridges come aut of them, locally with high-mountain holokarst of alpine type.
Directly behind the pleasant Kosovian town Pejë (or Peč, 525 m) which by it‘s beautiful position at the edge of the hills very much reminds the city of Salzburg under the hills Tennegebirge, there starts a unique canyon: The mountain river Bistrica formed the canyon in the length of 25 km, while the valley is one of the wildest and maybe one of the most fascinating at Balcan, it is called also Rugovska Klisura, it has a character of a huge canyon, with walls up to 800 meters high, locally almost vertical and with towers even 400 m high. Approximately in the middle of this path, where the river cuts the block of the limestones with steps and rapids, there comes out at the Lumbard plateau (cca 70 km2) significant autochthonous hydrological vein, in the form of abundant lifted spring, which is in fact the beginning of unique cave system. It is today called as Velika Klisura (in Albanian Gryka e Madhe, or Great Canyon) after eight Slovak expeditions of the members of the Slovak Speleological Society. It reaches the lengtlt almost 10 kilometers, which makes it one of the longest at Balcan. Which is more interesting, is that this cave is practically from the entrance above the spring of the underground river continuously leading up. By the difficult climbing proceedings in the chimneys and in the higher levels the relative surpass is for now 310 m. (+ 296 m, -14 m). And this makes this unique cave also the highest at Balcan.
EXPLORATIONS The entrance to the cave Velika Klisura was localized in fact in May 1992. (Of course, it‘s visible spring area was known to the local settlers since ever. Group of five Slovak cavers (J. Šmoll, Ľ. Očkaik, P. Holúbek, J. Kleskeň and J. Vykoupil) in that time headed to introductory recognition journey to Macedonia, while at the way back they passed also through the canyon Rugovska Klisura and they noticed evident abundant offspring. It is situated in the left side of the canyon, about 50-60 m above the river, at the heel of surprising rock tower, which is about 350 m high. Up at the plateaus there was still enough snow at that time, which was melting, and the flow of the spring was about 6001/s. The higher water level in that time probably discouraged the explorers from entering to the tract... Though, little bit above, about 5 meters above the offspring, there was found a serious cave corridor, in which
the explorers came to lake deepens after some 100 meters. Here they ended the exploration, it is hard to say why. Perhaps from the reason, that they were thinking, that the corridor which was necessary to pass by traverse above the deeper water at some places, would eventually end by siphon (Šmoll, 1995, 1996). Else in the summer of the same year, on the way to the Republic of Black Mount (Crna Gora), the duo J. Šmoll and J. Vajs with their wives visited the location, but also, though the offspring was this time almost completely dry, they passed through the cave approximately to the same places as in May (Vajs, 1992; Šmoll, 2004). The breakthrough in the view on the location, which was attractive by it‘s appearance in sub-con-science of the cavers, happened three years later. On the 29th of October 1995, the group of four cavers, P. Herich, J. Poliak, J. Šmoll and J. Vykoupil 19
