Matjaževe kamre (Matjaž's chambers) are a 500 m long cave system with open windows above the river Sovra (in the cadastre of Slovenian caves 300 m/ year 1990), located above the river Sovra on the road Žiri-Rovte (Logatec), 6 km from the direction of Žiri.
Matjaževe kamre is the remain of a once active water cave, which was hollowed out by the upstream branch of the Poljanska Sora, the stream Sovra. Six entrances to the cave are open in the rock wall above its left bank, between Žiri and Rovte, in the area of Zavratec. The Sovra is a non-karst river, but in the river's meandering, it entered the middle Triassic limestone belt and hollowed out a network of tunnels laterally. As the river cut deeper into the gorge, the originally watery cave trenches became dry. There is also the possibility that the sinkholes were created mainly by corrosion in tectonic lines. The lowest cave floor is a good ten meters above the river bed of the Sovra and opens into several windows in the middle of the wall. Stalactites are modestly developed in the cave, and in the upper part traces of frost action are visible.
The cave is a natural attraction, and archaeologists have found traces of Neanderthals in them, dating back to 50,000 years ago. According to the results of archaeological research, the Neanderthals used the caves as hunting posts. During archaeological research in the 70s of the 20th century, the bones of the Alpine marmot, cave bear, bison, wolves and other animals of that period were found. Stone tools used in the Stone Age were also found. The archaeological finds in the area of Matjaž's chambers are the oldest archaeological finds in the Gorenj region to this day.
In the period 12000 BC n. no. the cave was used by the Epigravettians, who were among the last Stone Age cultures. The Epigravettiens were the last stage of the Upper Paleolithic culture, which after 10,000 BC. n. no. succeeded by Mesolithic cultures.
Access: 6 km by road from Žiri-Logatec. Location WGS84: φ 46.00254 s.g.latitude, λ 14.14571 s.g.long. Parking is possible in front of the location on the right side of the road. There is a guardrail next to the road, on the outside of which we walk about 50 m to a visible path that starts from the right bank where the road is in the Sovre riverbed. When the water is high, the passage is a safety risk, as the rapids jump a few meters lower, but in the summer and when the water level is low, crossing the river ridge is easy. There is a steep two-meter climb along the left bank, and after a few tens of meters we are in front of the entrance to the cave. Above us is also a climbing area with nailed belays.
Sources:
Cadastre of Slovenian caves, URL: https://www.katasterjam.si (August 4, 2022),
Mihevc, A. 1987: Matjaž's chambers. Žirovski occasional journal, 13. Jury,
Mihevac, Andrej. (1989). Naše jame 31, 66-72, Matjaževe kamre,
Skoberne, P., Peterlin, S. 1991: Inventory of the most important natural heritage of Slovenia, part 2: central Slovenia. Ljubljana.,
Osole, Franc. (1976). Archeological Journal 27, Matjaževe Kamre, Paleolithic cave site,
Goblet, Vida. Kotnik, Jože. (1993). Geologija 36, 95-118, Alpine marmot from Matjaž's cameras.
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