Top 8 Caves around Mark

The "Jungferla Spring" originates in this 85-meter-long, multi-branched sandstone cellar. In the 1960s, the entrance to the sandstone cellar was bricked up and overgrown for safety reasons. It was thus no longer visible, but it wasn't entirely forgotten by the residents of Baiersdorf. In 2006, the water in the renovated Jungferla Fountain dried up shortly before its inauguration. This prompted the decision to search for the spring's source in the buried sandstone cellar. After extensive excavation, the former cellar entrance was found bricked up. On December 5, 2006, the cellar was entered again for the first time. Its condition was so good that the local history society, with the support of sponsors and local businesses, renovated and restored it, redesigning the entrance area. On May 25, 2008, the cellar was reopened to the public with the first "Jungferla Cellar Festival." Due to popular demand, a "cellar festival" is now held every year on Ascension Day. Sandstone or rock cellars have a long tradition in Franconia. They were used primarily for storing beer, wine, and agricultural products. Without additional cooling, the cellars maintain a constant temperature of around 8°C year-round. Because beer was stored in the cellars, a tavern was often built nearby, usually above or in front of them – which is why even today in Franconia people still go "to the cellar" rather than to a beer garden. The cellars consist of passages of varying lengths and sizes, hewn into hillsides. The cellar is closed off with a gate. {Source: Information panel on site]

This path is actually called “Beer Path”.

Interesting sandstone formations, small cave

The map says Blueberry Cave! Consists of sandstone.

This is a very nice section of the Aurach Valley Cycle Path. Below the A3 bridge there is an old cellar that is closed with a grate and a sign indicating bats. The sacristan from Frauenraurach told me that the Nazis stored wine in the cellar and that the barrels were smashed by the Americans when the US army invaded. The population is said to have run to the cellar with all available scoops to collect the remains.

Unfortunately, the former Sauer Keller is no longer in use. An unusual feature of the 65 meter long cellar is a centrally located, eight meter high ice cellar. Ice floes used to be fetched from nearby ponds with wagons and thrown down through the air shafts into the cellar, where they were spread and piled up. These then slowly melted and the water seeped away. In this way, temperatures of around 8 degrees, which are ideal for storing bottom-fermented beer, could be guaranteed in the entire cellar even during the summer.

Small caves in the sandstone. Gorgeous place, has something mystical about it. 😉

On the left side of the St 2243 road from Neunkirchen am Brand to Effeltrich (Forchheim district), hidden in a small group of trees, is the entrance to this former ice cellar. The group of trees is the natural monument 154 04 "Linde mit Arkazien am Felsenkeller" Fl. No. 782. Before the invention of refrigerators and cold stores, ice cellars were used to keep food fresh. They were either driven into sandstone rocks or built up with stones in holes in the ground and covered with a layer of earth. They usually consisted of an entrance area as an anteroom or (cold) lock and the actual cold room and therefore also had two doors. In winter, blocks of ice were extracted (sawed) from nearby ponds or lakes and taken to the ice cellar. The cooling effect could be used well into late summer with almost constant low temperatures. The ice cellars had a drainage system on the floor leading to the outside, in order to let the melt water and the condensation water forming on the walls and the ceiling run off to the outside.