A visit to Postojna Cave without seeing its most remarkable inhabitant is almost unimaginable. After two years, the olm returned to the cave in February and received a new home on 8 February, Slovenia’s cultural holiday. It was previously kept in the old aquariums, but now a completely new and modern aquarium awaits it.
The new underground aquarium for the olm allows visitors to encounter it in Postojna Cave, its original natural habitat.
The olm, also known as the human fish or scientifically as Proteus anguinus, is found in underground karst waters. It is an amphibian and the only cave-dwelling vertebrate in Europe. The olm is endemic to the Dinaric Karst, meaning that its distribution is limited exclusively to this region. It is also a relict species, a remnant of fauna from a past era that once inhabited a much wider area but is now rare.
It is regarded as a symbol of Slovenia’s natural heritage and one of the country’s greatest attractions. Since its discovery, fascination with this underground creature has continued, as many remarkable and still unexplained features have been attributed to it. Among the most fascinating is its ability to survive without food for up to twelve years. Together with numerous other cave animals, the olm contributed to the development of speleobiology, the study of living organisms in underground karst caves. Research into the olm plays an important role in promoting sustainable tourism, especially in Postojna, which is world-famous for its karst landscapes, while also increasing recognition of the beauty of the karst world. Postojna Cave is also home to Vivarium Proteus, a speleobiological exhibition where visitors can discover various aspects of cave life. You are warmly invited to visit Postojna Cave and its greatest symbol, where, from 8 February onwards, our olm will once again be BACK HOME!
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