Zeicului Cave

Peștera Zeicului se află în Parcul Național Retezat, din bazinul Jiului de Vest, la o altitudine de 1.260 de metri și este o zonă protejată datorită varietății de formațiuni stalagmitice și a bogatului material paleontologic existent aici. A fost declarată rezervație naturală speologică de categoria a III-a.

Aici se află una dintre cele mai mari stalactite din țară, cu o înălțime de peste 12 metri. Tot aici au fost descoperite și fosile de urs de cavernă. Peștera se întinde pe o suprafață de aproximativ un hectar, având hornuri și puțuri.

Este important să știți că, în această peșteră, accesul vizitatorilor este interzis.

Location and access

Zeicului Cave is located at the confluence of Scocului Mare with Scorotei Valley. Here is the last place where you can purchase drinking water and reserves for carbide lamps. From the confluence you cross a wide path, on the edge of the Scorotei Valley, which slips through the steep and wooded slopes. After about 15 minutes of walking, a distance of about 500 meters,you pass thourgh a short passage of canyons. Then follows a widening on the left slope, more precisely an elbow to the left where a path starts which is initially slightly visible, but which after 20-30 meters becomes very clear. You have to cross a few serpentines, over a distance of almost 80 meters, and then the path starts on the level curve, to the north, crossing over some limestone terraces. Only from this place, the entrance to the cave can be observed. This entire route takes about 40 minutes.

Description of the cave

The cave of Zeic was formed by the connection of a vertical hollow, like the ditches, which are common in this area, with a slope cave, in a first phase they existed independently, a sub-horizontal gallery corresponding to the entrance hall and two cavities with vertical development - a chimney and a well - towards its end. By collapse, the upper hall was born and the access to the lower hall was opened. The entrance to the cave is quite large and then continues with a slope that can be walked without problems, which that leads to a room of impressive size. The entrance to the cave is quite large and continues with a slope that can be easily walked. In the vestibule Hall, which is of an impressive size, trace of human habitation have been found, which have been attributed to the outlaw Zeicu. Next comes a 12-meter-high chimney, which is quite demanding for those who want to see the continuation of the cave, especially due to the montmilch (as a white substance, which, depending on the water content, is liquid or pasty, with the consistency of soft cheese) on the wall. After passing this chimney, you reach a room with processes of incision, ie collapse of the ceiling, but also with many concretions. Here are also relics, bones of Ursus Spelaeus (from here was collected a huge specimen of Ursus Spelaeus skull), the cave being of special paleontological importance from this point of view. From here, you reach the edge of a well that has a depth of 48 meters during the descent you can admire a beautiful stalactite which is over 12 meters high, listed as one of the largest in the country. The morphology of the galleries shows that, in fact, there were two cavities joined later: one descending, with drainage towards the entrance and one descending and drained towards the base of the well, that clogged later.

The legend of the outlaw Zeicu

The cave of the Zeicu was known in its first part, by the locals, as a shelter for herds. It is said that it was also used as a hiding place for Zeicu's outlaws, hence the name of the cave, a fact reinforced by the discovery in the cave of some rusty shotguns by the forest brigadier from Câmpu lui Neag. The legend of the place reminds of the outlaw Zeicu from Zeicani and his crowd of outlaws, who hid in these mountains after robbing the counts from Ţara Haţegului and were driven from power, and together they hid in this cave. It is said that one of the reasons that drove Zeicu to become an outlaw in his youth is the fact that he was recognized as a one-piece man, hardworking and just, who did not "bow his head to anyone." Authorities at the time allegedly sent a group of 10 soldiers who severely beat him until Zeicu, in a fit of despair, rose and rushed at his torturers, whom he defeated without appeal, humiliating them in front of the entire village, he took their weapons and shoes and chased them. After such an act, Zeicu was forced to abandon his family and flee to the mountains, he took refuge in the Retezat mountains where, together with several peasants tormented by the authorities from Ţara Haţegului and from Valea Jiului, he organized a gang of outlaws. He was loved by the inhabitants of the two areas due to the fact that he was fair, he helped and shared his prey with them.

In the entrance hall there is still a gutter carved into the trunk of a fir tree, now completely rotten, in which the outlaws collected drops of water dripping from the ceiling to water their horses. It is said by the locals that part of the stolen and collected gold was hidden in the cave deep in the hearth, as evidenced by several pits dug by individuals who believe in the legend of gold.

Photo source: Costantin Cretescu