Iserlohn - Dechenhöhle Kaiserhalle
The Dechen Cave (Dechenhöhle) at Iserlohn in Germany is one of the most beautiful and most visited show caves in Germany, seen here the Vault of emperor . It is located in the northern part of the Sauerland at Iserlohn. 360 metres of the 870-metre long cave have been laid out for visitors, beginning at the spot where, in 1868, the cave was discovered by two railway workers. The workers dropped a hammer into a rock crevice which turned out to be the entrance to a dripstone cave when they were searching for the lost tool.
The cave is named after Oberberghauptmann Heinrich von Dechen (1800–1889), in recognition of his contribution to researching the geology of the Rhineland and Westphalia.
The Dechen Cave (Dechenhöhle) at Iserlohn in Germany is one of the most beautiful and most visited show caves in Germany, It is located in the northern part of the Sauerland at Iserlohn. 360 metres of the 870-metre long cave have been laid out for visitors, beginning at the spot where, in 1868, the cave was discovered by two railway workers. The workers dropped a hammer into a rock crevice which turned out to be the entrance to a dripstone cave when they were searching for the lost tool.
The cave is named after Oberberghauptmann Heinrich von Dechen (1800–1889), in recognition of his contribution to researching the geology of the Rhineland and Westphalia.
It is a karst cave which moves in large turns through the calcareous rock and whose usually barrel-shaped spacious aisle profile is lined with a multiplicity of different sinter forms (stalactites, stalagmites, wall sinter cascades, sinter basins, etc.).
This wealth of crystalline deposits makes it particularly worth seeing, so that it was expanded for visitor traffic immediately after its discovery. Due to its relatively high position above the Grüner Tal, water has not flowed through it for thousands of years, instead powerful clay deposits form the cave floor under the bottom sinter. The inhabitants of the cave include the Great Cave Spider (Meta menardi) and bats.
Next to the cave is the newly opened German Cave Museum in 2006. In addition to a documentary on worldwide cave science, important finds from the Dechenhöhle will be presented, such as the skeleton of a cave bear baby excavated here in 2000 and the skull of a forest rhino discovered in 1993. These finds were recovered from the mighty clay deposits of the cave floor. An archaeological excavation site that illustrates the find situation to visitors to the cave can be visited during a cave tour.
Iserlohn - Dechenhöhle Kaiserhalle
The Dechen Cave (Dechenhöhle) at Iserlohn in Germany is one of the most beautiful and most visited show caves in Germany, seen here the Vault of emperor . It is located in the northern part of the Sauerland at Iserlohn. 360 metres of the 870-metre long cave have been laid out for visitors, beginning at the spot where, in 1868, the cave was discovered by two railway workers. The workers dropped a hammer into a rock crevice which turned out to be the entrance to a dripstone cave when they were searching for the lost tool.
The cave is named after Oberberghauptmann Heinrich von Dechen (1800–1889), in recognition of his contribution to researching the geology of the Rhineland and Westphalia.
The Dechen Cave (Dechenhöhle) at Iserlohn in Germany is one of the most beautiful and most visited show caves in Germany, It is located in the northern part of the Sauerland at Iserlohn. 360 metres of the 870-metre long cave have been laid out for visitors, beginning at the spot where, in 1868, the cave was discovered by two railway workers. The workers dropped a hammer into a rock crevice which turned out to be the entrance to a dripstone cave when they were searching for the lost tool.
The cave is named after Oberberghauptmann Heinrich von Dechen (1800–1889), in recognition of his contribution to researching the geology of the Rhineland and Westphalia.
It is a karst cave which moves in large turns through the calcareous rock and whose usually barrel-shaped spacious aisle profile is lined with a multiplicity of different sinter forms (stalactites, stalagmites, wall sinter cascades, sinter basins, etc.).
This wealth of crystalline deposits makes it particularly worth seeing, so that it was expanded for visitor traffic immediately after its discovery. Due to its relatively high position above the Grüner Tal, water has not flowed through it for thousands of years, instead powerful clay deposits form the cave floor under the bottom sinter. The inhabitants of the cave include the Great Cave Spider (Meta menardi) and bats.
Next to the cave is the newly opened German Cave Museum in 2006. In addition to a documentary on worldwide cave science, important finds from the Dechenhöhle will be presented, such as the skeleton of a cave bear baby excavated here in 2000 and the skull of a forest rhino discovered in 1993. These finds were recovered from the mighty clay deposits of the cave floor. An archaeological excavation site that illustrates the find situation to visitors to the cave can be visited during a cave tour.