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| In Deutsch |
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| In Deutsch |
Olgahöhle
Olga's Cave
Useful Information
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| Image: Castle Lichtenstein, above the Echatz valley, as seen from the cave entrance. |
| Location: |
In Honau at ther B313/312, 10km south of Reutlingen.
|
| Open: |
APR-NOV 1st Sun in the month 10-17,
by appointment.
|
| Fee: |
Adults 2.-, Children 1.50, Groups (10+): Adults 1.50.
|
| Classification: |
 tufa cave,
primary cave,
horizontal cave.
|
| Light: |
electric
|
| Dimension: |
L=170m, D=10m, A=557m asl
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| Guided tours: |
D=10min.
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| Bibliography: |
Schmid, Stirn, Ziegler, Schriftleiter: Hans Binder (1972):
Die Olgahöhle in Honau,
Abh. Karst- u. Höhlenkunde, Reihe A, Heft 7, München 1972.
(available as an offprint).
( )
|
| Address: |
Schwäbischer Albverein, Ortsgruppe Honau, Herbert Weichert, Ludwig-Thoma-Strasse 11, 72805 Lichtenstein, Tel: +49-7129-936992, Fax: +49-7129-936992.
E-mail: 
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| Last update: | $Date: 2010/05/19 23:21:56 $ |
History
| | |
| 1874 | discovered by Johann Ziegler during quarry works. |
| 1875 | entrance and paths built, lighting by candles. |
| 1884 | electric light. |
| 1891 | second entrance built. |
| 1939 | declared a Natural Monument. |
| 1968 | the area with the hotel and the cave bought by the Wesleyan Church. |
| 1972 | reopening with refurbished electric light. |
| 1985 | start of management by the Schwäbischer Albverein, Ortsgruppe Honau. |
Description
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| Image: water wheel at the Echaz, above the cave. The power of this mill was used to produce electricity for the first electric light. |
The Olgahöhle is the first cave with electric light in Germany.
There is only one cave worldwide, which had elecric light earlier, the
Kraushöhle
near Bad Gams in Styria (Austria).
The electricity was produced by a water wheel at the Echaz river.
It is only a few steps from the cave entrance and may still be visited.
The cave was named after Queen Olga von Württemberg.
The written authorization was on exhibit for decades at the cave entrance, until
is was removed during the 1930s.
 |
| Image: the Northern Branch. |
The Olgahöhle is a
tufa cave,
which is a rather rare
primary cave.
The cave was discovered during the quarrying of the thick layer of tufa.
This limestone was formed by the hard water of the Echaz, which flows
through Honau until today.
The tufa deposit covers an area of 18ha and forms a step in the valley, called
Hohe Au (High Pasture).
The village Honau was built on this rock.
The quarrying produced rocks for houses, with very unique characteristics: it
was mines with saws, as it is very soft when moist.
Later it dried, became hard and lightweight, and with its numerous holes it was
a very good insulator.
But the mining was abandoned at the begin of the 20th century.
The way the cave formed is easy to understand inside the cave.
Two parallel branches run across the valley, and were formed subsequently.
At this time a waterfall, at least 80m wide and about 10m high ran across the
valley.
This waterfall formed its own step, by depositing limestone at the rim.
The rim became more and more overhanging.
Either by growing from the floor to the overhang, or by parts of the overhang
collapsing, this step was coverd by a parallel wall of tufa.
This wall enclosed a 80m long passage, still with some openings to the front.
In a second stage the same thing happened again, a few meters down the valley.
Now the few openings just connected the two branches and the cave was not longer
open, until it was discovered by qarrying.
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| Olgahöhle Gallery |
See also
