Top 9 Caves around Rhönblick

A beautiful piece of nature. Highly recommended.

The sandstone and fairytale cave is first and foremost a mine where sand was extracted. It is one of the largest caves of its kind and has 2500 columns. Mining in the cave began around the year 1800. The work was very arduous and not lucrative. Often all family members, including children, worked in the cave and yet sand people lived in poor conditions and lived to a maximum age of 40. Huge information boards hang on the cave that tell of the history of the cave, but also of individual fates. Today, visitors can enjoy the sandstone cave and explore it at their own pace. The labyrinth-like path leads up to 50 m below the surface and you do lose your bearings after a while, but the path is well marked off with walls. While in the first third you can still feel the seriousness of this work thanks to some representations and figures, in the last third the diagrams are replaced by lovingly prepared fairytale pictures. Magnificent backdrops have been created underground that you can look at at your leisure. Nevertheless, you will always come across the geological peculiarities and the work of the miners. A brilliant mix for the whole family. You mostly walk bent over, as the ceiling height is only 1.50 m. However, you can often stand upright at the various stations. A jacket is also recommended, as it is only 8 degrees in the cave. The cave visit is rounded off by a mini amusement park, which you can go through for free. The rides are paid for with coins. There are also a few animal enclosures. With homemade cakes and a large selection of food, you can also eat very cheaply and very well here! There is something to eat both directly at the cave and in the mini amusement park below. The selection there is similar. You should plan at least 2 hours for the visit, but longer with children.

The merchant Götz actually only wanted to set up a beautiful mountain garden when he came across this cave. He and his friends investigated the discovered fissure cave and later employed miners from the Ruhr area to develop it further and to cut passages between the crevices and to secure the cracks in the rock. He did not live to see the full expansion, but his widow continued it. The cave is now open to visitors and can be explored on a 40-minute guided tour. Although the cave does not have any outstanding features such as stalactites, it is still worth seeing. The narrow and very high cracks in the rock were created by rock slides towards the Werra valley. The cave is therefore simply an impressive natural spectacle with an interestingly designed guided tour. Unfortunately, the cave has not been able to be explored in the usual way for 3 years now. A landslide in the upper area meant that the upper exit can no longer be used. Instead, you have to struggle up all the stairs and then go back down again straight away. This feels quite bumpy and pointless on the tour... If you decide to visit, you should bring a jacket with you. The temperature in the cave is a constant 8 degrees. The waiting time until the tour is perfect to while away on the terrace, where there are warm dishes and various drinks - all with a wonderful view of Meiningen.

Transcript of the information board. The Women's Cave When the old Hildenburg Castle was devastated and set on fire, the Lord of Hildenburg and all his servants and men perished in a cruel manner. The young lady and her maids, however, fled with great treasures into a walled underground passage. The end of the passage is the women's cave in the ice ditch, which was also called Klefalls or Klefallsloch. However, the lady from Hillenberg and her ladies did not reach this exit. They all died in the underground passage. To this day they guard their treasures. Every seven years they are allowed to emerge from their underground kingdom and show themselves to people. They sit on a pile of wood or on a heap of brushwood and sing such beautiful tunes that the hearts of those who hear them tremble. Many people have already tried to get through the Klefallsloch into the underground passage and to the great treasures. But no one has managed it so far. After just a few steps you come to an iron door or plate. It is also said to be very dangerous to look for the treasure down there. The women's cave, one of the rare natural caves in the basalt. It is also protected by law as a natural monument. Its name is partly explained by the fact that women used this cave to hide from the cruelty of the Mercenaries were hiding there. Others said that the Women's Cave was the end of the underground passage that leads from Hildenburg. The legend, which has often been laughed at by "enlightened" contemporaries and dismissed with a pitying shrug, was confirmed when Hermann Happel from Mühlbach discovered a new entrance in 1965 next to the previously known eight-meter-deep cave that ended in a six-cubic-meter-large room. The cave, also called "Klefallsloch", was examined and measured by speleologists from Düsseldorf in 1972. They discovered a cave system 50 cm long and 20 m deep. The cave consists of narrow crevices, collapsed passages and two small rooms. In the lower part there is a canyon about 5 m long and 1.5 m deep. No traces of human hands were discovered. The entrance to the Women's Cave is walled up. It is strongly advised to exercise caution in the area, as deep crevices in the rocks are dangerous and there is a risk of collapse in some places. Bavarian Rhön Nature Park Association

www.biosphaere-rhoen.de Information from panel no. 2 Eisgraben - cold wind, natural forests The water of the Aschelbach, which flows over and between the basalt blocks of the Eisgraben, comes from the Black Moor on top of the Hohe Rhön - one of the last intact raised bogs in Germany. Cold air also flows from there down the valley channel. The Eisgraben owes its name to this, because it ensures that the frost lasts here well into spring. Large areas of the Eisgraben are designated as a natural forest reserve and enjoy special protection as a core zone of the UNESCO Rhön Biosphere Reserve. Leaving the moor, the Aschelbach initially meanders quietly through the landscape and finally plunges down a 4-meter-high waterfall. When it enters the forest, the stream is then called Eisgraben. It meanders between the trees and in places drops steeply by up to 10 meters on the side. Every spring, the floods of melting snow transform the narrow summer stream into a raging torrent that cuts ever deeper into the ground. An extreme storm on July 26, 1834 gave the Eisgraben its current appearance. Torrential rain caused a massive landslide that buried the town of Hausen. The catastrophe washed out brown coal in some places, which was then mined. A considerable system of tunnels was created. However, the brown coal was still quite young and therefore of poor quality, so mining was soon stopped. The women's cave is located in the lower part of the Eisgraben. At this point, the water has dug a 50-meter-long and 20-meter-deep cave into the rock. According to legend, this cave was a refuge for the women from the hamlet of Hillenberg in times of trouble. Today, the cave is no longer accessible. Also nearby are a hunter's hut and the ruins of Hildenburg.

Great for children and adults. On a short circular route (approx. 25-30 minutes) you can take in the beautiful shapes and colors and the children can enjoy the fairy tales shown. It's always 8-10 degrees inside, so don't dress too lightly. The paths have no steps and are easy to walk on. Sometimes it's time to duck your head. Parking is free, entry family ticket (2+2) 20,- Afterwards you can spend time in the restaurant or use the paid play equipment (50 cent coins required). Money exchange machine is on site.

One of the few known caves in the Rhön

It was still closed but I'll stop by again to take a closer look.