A hole – Janjur’s hole near Sabinov. Not far from the former spa is the Stavenec peak at an altitude of 510 m above sea level. It is also a place which hides an interesting natural formation – an old underground mining shaft, a deep hole in the ground, known as the Janjur’s hole. The name of the hole has probably been misspelled over the years. Ján Korabinský in his work Geographisch-Historisches und Produkten Lexikon von Ungarn from 1786 on page 851 recorded the name Geschurloch – the Geschur’s hole named after the spa owner / administrator Mr. Geschur. Names such as Janjur, Ganjur, Genjur, Bandjur and other names are just local derivates of the German surname Geschur, the former owner of the Švabľovka spa.
The hole was formed by the action of tectonic plates and human activity, and may be the reason for the presence of sulphur mineral water in the area. It has the shape of a bottle – it is 8 m deep and the upper opening is 2.5 x 6 m wide. Locals can tell you several legends on how the hole came to be. It is said that it served as an underground escape passage in times of danger. Others say it was a warehouse belonging to Mr. Geschur (wine, grain, food, valuables storage) or an ammunition warehouse with gunpowder production owned by the city. Some sources say it served as a headquarters and a military lookout tower of the Šaris County’s mayor Francis II Rákoczi, later the leader of the anti-Habsburg uprising. According to some, the place served as a haven of bandits who threatened the town of Sabinov and demanded high fees for “protection”. One legend even claims the hole was connected with an underground corridor leading to the Šariš Castle and the town of Prešov. Which legend will you choose to believe?
