The Škocjan Caves have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1986.
Among all the karst caves in the world, which represent valuable natural heritage, the Škocjan Caves are something special. Not only the largest underground canyon in the world, which amazes every visitor, there are many more reasons for the exceptional recognition of the Škocjan Caves Regional Park. Here, visitors can get to know the characteristic and globally unique karst landscape, where the largest concentration of natural values or natural heritage in the form of karst or other phenomena and attractions is concentrated in one place. The park is also given special value by the unique and very diverse representation of flora and fauna in a relatively small area.
The Škocjan Caves Park is located in the extreme southeastern part of the main karst, near Divača. The Škocjan Caves complex consists of numerous caves and tunnels, sinkholes, natural bridges and sinkholes. It was created by the Reka River, which, after a 50 km long surface flow, disappears into the karst underground here and reappears on the surface in springs along the Gulf of Trieste. Its underground gorge of extraordinary dimensions represents the most recognizable part of the Škocjan Caves.
This mysterious world has attracted people since ancient times. The Regional Park contains numerous important archaeological sites, which indicate that this area was inhabited several thousand years before our era. Numerous and valuable finds from various historical periods testify to spiritual rituals and the use of the caves as sanctuaries.
The Škocjan Caves and the entire Regional Park enjoy the highest level of protection, which allows the preservation of this invaluable natural wealth in its intact form. Since 1986, the Škocjan Caves have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. In 1999, they were inscribed on the Ramsar Convention List of Wetlands of International Importance as a subterranean wetland. The entire park area was accepted into the UNESCO MAB - Man and the Biosphere Program in 2004 as the Karst Biosphere Reserve.