Jaskinia Raj — Paradise Cave — was discovered by a group of geology students in 1963 and opened to the public in 1972. It is small by international standards, only about 240 metres of accessible passages on a horizontal route, but the density of stalactites and stalagmites is extraordinary: the central Stalactite Chamber alone holds more than two hundred thousand individual formations, including a forest of needle-thin "straws" and a number of joined columns rising from floor to ceiling.
The cave is on the southwestern edge of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, about 10 kilometres from central Kielce and easily reached by car or by the regular suburban bus. Entry is by guided tour only, in groups of about fifteen, lasting around forty minutes. Numbers per day are strictly limited to protect the formations — book a ticket in advance, especially in summer. The temperature inside is a constant 9 °C, so bring a layer.