The first International Congress of Speleology in Artificial Cavities; HYPOGEA 2015 was held in Rome, Italy. The second, HYPOGEA 2017, took place in Ürgüp, Cappadocia, Turkey. The 3-rd edition of HYPOGEA congress will be held in Bulgaria from 20 to 25 May 2019.
This event will be organized by the Bulgarian Caving Society in collaboration with different Bulgarian regional museums of history and scientific institutions and under the patronages of the International Union of Speleology, Commission of Artificial Cavities, the Balkan Speleological Union , HYPOGEA Federation, Italy and the Municipality of Dorbrich City, Bulgaria. This speleological congress is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of organized speleology in Bulgaria.
The main object of the HYPOGEA 2019 Congress is to continue the tradition to gather the explorers of artificial cavities all over the world. The second goal of the congress is to increase dialogue and encourage the collaboration among the nonprofessional and professional explorers of artificial cavities and to provide an opportunity for members of the community to share their experiences under exploration and study of underground cavities and to promote the preservation of subterranean historical and cultural heritage.