Katafyki (Greek: Σπήλαιο Καταφύκι) is a cave located in Dryopida on the island of Kythnos in the Cyclades. It has been named "Katafiki" as it has served as a shelter in various time periods. It also bears the name "Giorgos Martinos Cave" in honor of the geologist who studied it.[1]
Katafyki cave is located in Fires of Dryopida.[2] More than 600 meters of the natural cave have been mapped, which, having served as a mine, has a 2000-metre-long man-made gallery. Long tunnels have been formed in the cave due to the flow of water from a torrent. It is estimated that the cave's passageways cover an area of 3500 square meters.[1][3]
At the entrance there is a plateau called the 'small plateau' and further on lies the 'large plateau' or piazza. In the 'large piazza' people of Dryopida used to hold religious festivals after the Resurrection during Easter. Further to the right there are corridors, two of which lead to the 'stalactite hall', of an area of 25x17 meters, where one can find stalactites and stalagmites.
The stalactites in the hall are of various colours and shapes and have names such as 'jellyfish', 'octopus', 'teddy bear', etc. A large stalagmite is called 'Tower of Babel'. To the right of the room are sheets of limestone and iron ore. In another area of the cave, there is a "trough" formation as water accumulates there between the stalactites and stalagmites. Blasting has destroyed much of the general stalactite and stalagmite decoration in the cave, as have, to a lesser extent, fires from rituals within the cave. The rocks of the cave are stratified vertically into shale, marble and slate. The cave operated as an iron mine and the main mineral extracted was hematite.[4]
Access to the cave is easy as it is located within the settlement of Dryopida. Because of its use as a mine, it contains ravines that in the past made it dangerous to visit. It is illuminated and its temperature is 17°C, and can visited through a circular path. In several places there are visible remnants of the cave's previous use as a mine, such as rails, wagons, etc.
Mineedit
The cave may have been used as a mine since antiquity, as there are references to metal mines in Kythnos in the literature. Iron mining in modern times lasted from 1835 to 1940, while after 1910 exploitation was carried out by foreign companies.[4]
Management and restorationedit
The cave is managed by the Municipality of Kythnos. In July 2015, it was made accessible again to the public after a two-year period in which the Ministry of Culture had suspended public access due to safety concerns.[3]
Galleryedit
Interior view
"Jellyfish"
View from the inside
Referencesedit
^ ab"Περιφέρεια Ν. Αιγαίου: Χρηματοδότηση για την ανάδειξη & λειτουργία του Σπηλαίου «Καταφύκι» στον οικισμό Δρυοπίδας Κύθνου". Κατασκευές Κτιρίων (in Greek). 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
^ ab"Ανοικτό για τους επισκέπτες το σπήλαιο "Καταφύκι" στην Κύθνο". Κοινή Γνώμη (in Greek). Retrieved 2022-07-13.
^ ab(PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-12-29. Retrieved 2022-07-13. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
March 17, 2024
katafyki, cave, katafyki, greek, Σπήλαιο, Καταφύκι, cave, located, dryopida, island, kythnos, cyclades, been, named, katafiki, served, shelter, various, time, periods, also, bears, name, giorgos, martinos, cave, honor, geologist, studied, coordinates37, 38176,. Katafyki Greek Sphlaio Katafyki is a cave located in Dryopida on the island of Kythnos in the Cyclades It has been named Katafiki as it has served as a shelter in various time periods It also bears the name Giorgos Martinos Cave in honor of the geologist who studied it 1 Katafyki CaveCoordinates37 22 54 N 24 25 49 E 37 38176 N 24 43017 E 37 38176 24 43017 Contents 1 Description 2 Mine 3 Management and restoration 4 Gallery 5 ReferencesDescription editKatafyki cave is located in Fires of Dryopida 2 More than 600 meters of the natural cave have been mapped which having served as a mine has a 2000 metre long man made gallery Long tunnels have been formed in the cave due to the flow of water from a torrent It is estimated that the cave s passageways cover an area of 3500 square meters 1 3 At the entrance there is a plateau called the small plateau and further on lies the large plateau or piazza In the large piazza people of Dryopida used to hold religious festivals after the Resurrection during Easter Further to the right there are corridors two of which lead to the stalactite hall of an area of 25x17 meters where one can find stalactites and stalagmites The stalactites in the hall are of various colours and shapes and have names such as jellyfish octopus teddy bear etc A large stalagmite is called Tower of Babel To the right of the room are sheets of limestone and iron ore In another area of the cave there is a trough formation as water accumulates there between the stalactites and stalagmites Blasting has destroyed much of the general stalactite and stalagmite decoration in the cave as have to a lesser extent fires from rituals within the cave The rocks of the cave are stratified vertically into shale marble and slate The cave operated as an iron mine and the main mineral extracted was hematite 4 Access to the cave is easy as it is located within the settlement of Dryopida Because of its use as a mine it contains ravines that in the past made it dangerous to visit It is illuminated and its temperature is 17 C and can visited through a circular path In several places there are visible remnants of the cave s previous use as a mine such as rails wagons etc Mine editThe cave may have been used as a mine since antiquity as there are references to metal mines in Kythnos in the literature Iron mining in modern times lasted from 1835 to 1940 while after 1910 exploitation was carried out by foreign companies 4 Management and restoration editThe cave is managed by the Municipality of Kythnos In July 2015 it was made accessible again to the public after a two year period in which the Ministry of Culture had suspended public access due to safety concerns 3 Gallery edit nbsp Interior view nbsp Jellyfish nbsp View from the insideReferences edit a b Perifereia N Aigaioy Xrhmatodothsh gia thn anadei3h amp leitoyrgia toy Sphlaioy Katafyki ston oikismo Dryopidas Ky8noy Kataskeyes Ktiriwn in Greek 2019 02 15 Retrieved 2022 07 13 admin Katafyki Cave Ky8nos Retrieved 2022 07 13 a b Anoikto gia toys episkeptes to sphlaio Katafyki sthn Ky8no Koinh Gnwmh in Greek Retrieved 2022 07 13 a b PDF https web archive org web 20211229151237 https www kythnos gr wp content uploads 2018 07 CE A3 CE A0 CE 97 CE 9B CE 91 CE 99 CE 9F CE 9A CE 91 CE A4 CE 91 CE A6 CE A5 CE 9A CE 99 pdf Archived from the original PDF on 2021 12 29 Retrieved 2022 07 13 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Katafyki Cave amp oldid 1179376246, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
