The Mladeč Caves near Litovel combine a compact show-cave route with an archaeological record important to the study of early modern humans in Europe. Water dissolved Devonian limestone beneath Třesín hill, creating chambers, narrow passages and mineral formations. Sediments later preserved human remains, stone and bone artefacts and Ice Age animal material.
Scientific excavations began after the cave was opened in the nineteenth century. Human fossils from Mladeč are associated with the early Upper Palaeolithic and have been dated to roughly 31,000 years ago. Their research history is complicated: early digging disturbed parts of the deposit and some collections were lost during the Second World War. Modern claims must therefore distinguish securely documented material from old speculation.
