ABSTRACT –The Institute of Speleology** founded by EG Racovitza in Romania, arrived in 2020 at its centennial anniversary. We recount the way in which the idea of an institution dealing with diverse research aspects of the subterranean domain, at the time accessible mainly through the exploration of the caves, became a reality. The favorable cultural atmosphere of the Laboratoire Arago, at Banyuls-sur-Mer, during the time when EG Racovitza worked there, played an important role for the creation of the first institute of speleology in the world. The history of the scientific activity of this institution, founded in 1920 at Cluj under the leadership of Racovitza is briefly recounted. The second part of the essay stresses the existential difficulties of this institute after the death of Racovitza in 1947 and the successes obtained after its reorganization in 1956 as a national centre of speleological research in Romania, nowadays widely recognized within the international scientific community. The long-term functioning of the institute is metaphorically compared to a “dynamical and multifunctional house”. The reasons for such a long existence depend on the personalities of the “house’s inhabitants” and their capacity for active production and communication of innovative research.