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| In Deutsch |
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| Image: The entrance to the Unicorn Cave. |
| Location: | 2km northeast Scharzfeld, 15km southeast Osterode. A7 exit Seesen(Harz), B243 34km to exit Scharzfeld. Through Scharzfeld, turn left after the city center, paved single lane road 2km to parking lot, signposted. 300m walk to the cave. (37,Lc39) |
| Open: |
JAN to MAR Sat, Sun 11-16. APR to OCT Tue-Sun 10-17. During Christmas School Holidays of Niedersachsen daily 11-15. [2007] |
| Fee: |
Adults EUR 5, Children (6-12) EUR 3, Children (0-6) EUR 1. Groups: only after appointment. [2006] |
| Classification: |
 Karst cave,
horizontal cave, Zechstein-Dolomit
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| Light: | electric |
| Dimension: | L=610m, H=25m. GR: L=30m, H=12m. |
| Guided tours: | L=492m, D=50min., St=60, V=15,000/a [2005]. |
| Bibliography: |
Fritz Reinboth (2001):
Über das "vermeynte bey Quedlinburg gefundene Einhorn",
Mitt. Verb. dt. Höhlen- u. Karstforsch. 47, H. 4, S. 106 - 107, München
( )
Ralf Nielbock (1990): Die Einhornhöhle-ein quartärwissenschaftliches Kleinod im Südharz , Mitt.Verb. dt. Höhlen- & Karstforscher, H.36 (2): S. 24-27, 2 Abb.; München 1990. ( )
Erich Thenius (1997): Neues vom Einhorn - Fabelwesen oder reale Existenz? Sage oder Wirklichkeit?, Natur und Museum, 127 (1), Frankfurt a.M., 1.1.1997, S. 1-10, 9 Abb. ( )
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| Address: |
Gesellschaft Unicornu fossile e.V., Geschäftsstelle Einhornhöhle, Dr. Ralf-D. Nielbock, Im Strange 12, 37520 Osterode am Harz, Tel: +49-5522-31593-85, Fax: +49-5522-31593-86, Handy +49-160-96753324.
E-mail: |
| Last update: | $Date: 2007/11/19 21:30:43 $ |
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| Image: the interesting ceiling of a chamber. |
| 1541 | first mentioned in a land register, called Zwergenlöcher. | |
| 1583 | elaborate description by the chronist Letzner. | |
| 1686 | scientific excavation, description and trip report by Leibniz. | |
| 1729 | construction of a staircase for the expected visit of König Georg II., which was cancelled. | |
| 1748 | first mention with the name Einhorns-Loch. | |
| 1784 | visit by Goethes . | |
| 1872 | excavation by Virchow. | |
| 1902 bis 1910 | visits and reports by Hermann Löns. | |
| 1905 | construction of the entrance adit. | |
| 1908 | start of development, supervised by the Harzclub-Zweigverein Scharzfeld. | |
| 1956 | three year excavation campaign by Meischner. | |
| 1968 | excavations by Schütt. | |
| 1985-1988 | excavations by the Niedersächische Landesmuseum Hannover, Urgeschichtsabteilung, proved that Neanderthal man lived in the cave for long periods of time mor than 100,000 years ago. | |
| 01-JAN-2002 | cave closed for the public. | |
| 01-APR-2003 | cave reopened by the new administration. |
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| Image: the first chamber after the artificial entrance. |
The Einhornhöhle (Unicorn Cave) is entered through an artificial tunnel at its end. The tour follows the main passage, which becomes bigger and bigger, until it reaches the Blaue Grotte (Blue Hall), a huge chamber with collapsed roof. This is the original entrance to the cave. Once the natural entrance to the cave, today the visitors leave the cave here using a long iron staircase. The nearby Schillerhalle has good acoustics. If you are lucky, the guide will demonstrate this with an Harzer Jodler. Yodeling has some tradition in the Harz, introduced by miners which moved to this area in the Middle Ages.
In the Unicorn Cave numerous prehistoric remains were discovered. The natural entrance, a steep shaft, was a trap for numerous animals, which could not leave the cave after they once fell in. Stone Age man used the cave too, probably entering it the same way used until the 18th century. The visitors cut a tree at the rim and threw it into the cave. Then they climbed into the cave using the tree as a ladder.
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| Image: the Blue Grotto, todays cave exit. |
The name of the cave remembers a bone find in the cave. The famous mayor of Magdeburg, Otto von Guericke, tried to reconstruct the bones as a unicorn. Even Leibniz cited this discovery in his 1749 published Protagaea. The common people thought unicorn bones had magic healing powers, and so cave bear bones from the cave were processed into medicine for a very long time. Even stalactites were used for medicine, as their form resembled the horn of the unicorn. Today the cave has no speleothems left.
Otto von Guericke is famous for his experiment with the Magdeburger Halbkugeln (Magdeburg two hemispheres experiment). After inventing the air pump, he pumped the air out of two airtight hemispheres. The vacuum was so forcefull, even hitched horses were not able to pull the hemispheres apart. During subsequent pressure experiments he invented the barometer.
The cave was closed in 2002, because the former tenant (Harzklub-Zweigverein e.V.) discontinued his work. On the 01-JUN-2002 the Förder- und Betreiberverein "Gesellschaft Unicornu fossile", a non-profit society for the protection of the cave was formed. The society created a workplace for a cave warden which is partly financed by the unemployment insurance. The cave is reopened in spring 2003.
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| Einhornhöhle Gallery |
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