Visit on 11 March 1857 by Emperor Franz Joseph (1830-1916) and Empress Elisabeth (1837-1898).
Both were still quite young, Elisabeth being still 19 at the time and the Emperor himself only 26.

Empress Elisabeth	Emperor Franz Joseph I.

Although Anton Globočnik (1825-1918), who later was to record the details of many imperial visits to the cave in his manuscript Errinnerungen (1863-85), was not yet its director, a lot is known about the 1857 one from the published commemorative book of E. H. Costa (1857) and from newspaper reports. It was also recorded on a black marble monument which formerly stood at the Belvedere at the beginning of Spodnji Tartarus near Koncertna dvorana.It had been intended originally that the Emperor and Empress would visit the cave when they came to Postojna on 20 November 1856, and the front cover of the Gedenk-Buch accordingly bears the year 1856. In the end the cave was omitted from their final programme as they had to go on to another ceremonial visit at Senožeče on the same day. The Emperor promised to see the cave the next year, and he and Elisabeth were there again on 11 March 1857 on their way back from Italy.

On the previous day they had come from Gorizia to Prestranek where they spent night in the castle, near the Emperors' second stable for Lippizaner horses. Then on March 11 they visited the cave with a large retinue. A crowd of people came to Postojna from near and far, wishing to be at the cave with the imperial couple. Flags fluttered at the entrance and the arrival of the Emperor and Empress was signalled by the firing of mortars on the hill Sovič. At the cave entrance they were welcomed by the provincial governor Count Chorinsky, court councillor Count Hohenwart and Postojna district governor Mr Murnik. The cave had been opened at 07.00 for those who were to await Franz Joseph and Elisabeth in groups in the cave. The place for each group was precisely planned; 2539 named tickets were distributed and no other visitors were admitted. As they approached Veliki dom (Der grosse Dom) the imperial couple was welcomed by an illuminated inscription "Further than the sun's rays the love of the people accompanies Franz Joseph and Elisabeth. " In the brightly lit and decorated Veliki dom the national anthem was played by a military band. As they continued on their way, some 40 speleothems ("the waterfall", "the bears' head", "the organ", etc.) were lit so that the likeness was easily recognised. When the Emperor and Empress walked past Die Capelle ("the Chapel") a choir sang "Rose von Baierland", the song that had welcomed Elisabeth on her first arrival in Wien. The band from Idrija was playing in Kongresna dvorana (Tanzsaal). An illuminated inscription marked the entrance into the Male jame, first opened right through by Schmidl's discovery the year before. When the party reached the Belvedere Count Chorinsky asked the imperial couple if this new part could be named after them. At the moment they gave their consent the inscription "Franz Joseph und Elisabeth Grotte" was lit up on the wall. Here they both signed the Gedenk-Buch, and Count Chorinsky gave them as a memento of the cave a small box in which Ferdinand Schmidt the entomologist had collected specimens of prominent cave animals from Postojnska jama (4 beetles, a grasshopper, water flea and millipede). As the imperial couple approached Kalvarija 20 theological students, conducted by G. Rihar, started singing. Along their route back to the exit, all the most important speleothems were tastefully illuminated. It is said that for this visit the cave was illuminated by 16000 lights. The entire pathway had been restored and covered with white sand; according to an article in the newspaper Novice several thousand cart-loads of sand had been driven into the cave. Due to heavy rain in the days before the visit, part of the Male jame passage had become flooded and the water had been carried out of the cave in buckets the night before. Count Hohenwart was in charge of the preparations in the cave, which were done under the direction of the Postojna district assistant, Johann Arko.

A special poem was written to celebrate the occasion by E.H. Costa author of the cave guide book published in the following year . Copies were given to all the invited guests, and other celebratory poems were published in the Ljubljana newspapers.

Three sedan chairs had been made in preparation for the visit, so that the Empress and her ladies-in-waiting could be carried if they wished. The one for the Empress was covered in velvet. They were not used much for she preferred to walk most of the way. She herself was evidently happy and spoke to everyone in a friendly manner.These sedan chairs were afterwards made available for visitors to hire at a price of 6 gulden and in 1872 an American doctor's wife was carried in one as she had an injured ankle. Four porters were provided who carried here in turns, two and two. As will be seen, the chairs were still available in 1904 when Queen Sophie of Sweden was carried in one. Despite this continued use in the age of photography, no picture is known.

The German inscription on the stone monument commemorating the visit reads:

After returning from a triumphal procession the route of which is now indelibly marked by the grace and gentleness of the country's father, Franz Joseph I and Elisabeth visited the cave bearing their exalted names on March 11, 1857