The purpose of this paper is to address the issue of the role played by caves and rock shelters in the Polish Jura Chain in the Post-medieval times. I suggest that the functions performed by caves in this period may be represented by five functional models: 1) domestic occupation; 2) storage; 3) workshop occupation; 4) hideout, and 5) shelter from the weather. The examples to be discussed are based on archaeological, ethnographical and written sources.