Proteus Vivarium

What it is

The Vivarium is the small zoo of cave animals in Postojna park. It is inside the rock itself, in the New Signatures Passage, about 50 m from the entrance to Postojna Cave. It has two parts: a laboratory where research is carried out and an exhibition explaining what the karst is, what life underground is like and which animals live there. More than 150 species live in Postojna Cave, and here you see some of them up close, at ease and without the pace of the guided visit.

The visit is not guided: you go in and walk round the room at your own pace. It is a good complement to the cave, above all with children, who see hardly any animals on the train or among the groups.

The olm, the cave's animal

The star is the olm (Proteus anguinus), an amphibian of 25 to 30 cm, the largest cave animal and the only vertebrate in Europe that lives only in caves. It is fully adapted to darkness, eats small crustaceans, worms and snails, can live a hundred years and go for years without eating. Legend took them for baby dragons, and the park still calls them that. In 2016 a female in the cave laid eggs that went on to hatch and drew attention from all over the world.

You will also see Leptodirus hochenwartii, a small brown beetle with a very slender neck. It was found by Luka Čeč in September 1831 under the Great Mountain of the cave, and his discovery proved that there was life in caves: it is considered the birth of biospeleology.

Opening hours

Open every day of the year and its hours are tied to those of the cave. According to the park's official timetable, from November to March it opens from 10:00 to 15:00; in April and October, until 16:00; in May, June and September, from 9:00 to 17:00; and in July and August, until 18:00. Confirm for your date on the park's website.

Tickets and price

The single ticket costs €12.80 and is bought at the park ticket office, next to the Expo's black pavilion, about 150 m from the cave. It is better value as a package: the cave with the Vivarium, for example, is sold online for €39.90. With a package, everything except the cave can be used whenever you like in the 30 days after collecting the tickets. See the options under tickets and packages.

How long

It is a room, not a big museum: a short time is enough, at your own pace, before or after the cave. It fits well while you wait for your train time.

How to get there and park

It is inside the Postojna Cave park, 2 km from exit 41 of the A1 motorway. The park car park costs €6 a day. From Postojna railway station it is about 25 minutes' walk or a local bus.

Accessibility, children and dogs

It can be visited in a wheelchair and with a pushchair. It is a visit designed for the whole family and works just as well in rain or heat. Dogs cannot enter the park's attractions, but they wait free of charge in the kennels in the shade, next to the Expo, subject to availability. For a bite to eat with children, the self-service Briljant is next to the cave entrance.

If you are interested in understanding how a cave forms, the Cave and Karst Expo is a few steps away.