Adelsberg

Adelsberg, a market-town in Carniola, 22 miles NE. of Trieste, with a pop. of 1800. Near it are numerous caves, the most famous being a large stalactite cavern, the Adelsberg Grotto. This cavern, the largest in Europe, is divided into the old and the new grotto, the latter discovered in 1816. The old grotto is 858 feet in length; the new, 8550 feet. The various chambers, called by names such as the Dome, the Dancing-hall, the Belvedere, contain stalactites and stalagmites of great size and grotesque forms. The river Poik runs through a part of the grotto, and then disappears below the ground. In its waters the Proteus (q.v.) is found.