Dreidärrischenhöhle

Siebenbrunnentalhöhle - Saulucke - Niklashöhle

Useful Information

Location:	Gaaden, eastern slopes of mount Anninger, in the Siebenbrunnental, Wienerwald. Höhlenkataster 1914/4 (48.0480976, 16.2549769)
Open:	Summer Sat, Sun, Hol, Groups also on weekdays, after appointment. [2008]
Fee:	Adults EUR 39, Children EUR 35. Groups (10+): Adults EUR 29. [2008]
Classification:	Karst Cave Official Website Replaced by Facebook Page
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=230 m, VR=19 m.
Guided tours:	Cave Trekking Tours
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Hermann Heller, Eduard Mader (1926): Führer durch die Drei Därrischen-Höhle am Anninger (Siebenbrunngraben), Schneider & Lux, Mödling 1926. Hermann Heller (1927): Dier Anningerhöhlen um Mödling, Rund um den Anninger Nr 1, Hermann Heller, Wien. pdf Gerhard Schirmer (2009): Vergessene Schauhöhlen in Niederösterreich In: Österreichische Touristenzeitung für Bergsport und Alpinismus. 122. Jahrgang, Heft 2, April/Mai 2009. Österreichischer Touristenklub, Zentrale Wien, Wien 2009, ZDB-ID 2552429-X. Robert Bouchal, Josef Wirt (2003) Verborgener Wienerwald, Vergessenes-Geheimnisvolles-Unbekanntes Wien 2003, ISBN 3-52431-311-X; S. 42 u. 90
Address:	Dreidärrischenhöhle, Robert L. Winkler, Abenteuerschule Natur Erlebnis, Liesinger-Flur-Gasse 15/1c, 1230 Wien, Cell: +43-676-5272266. E-mail: Alpenverein Edelweiss, Walfischgasse 12, A-1010 Wien, Tel: +43-1-5138500. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1925	developed as a show cave by the municipality of Mödling.
25-OKT-1925	A group of seven men and three women break into the cave.
24-DEC-1925	The grille was blown up and a measuring tape, several thermometers and other instruments were stolen.
23-AUG-1926	opened to the public, electric light.
1939	closed with the begin of World War II.
1980	part of the cave collapsed.
2000	cave gated for protection.

Description

The Dreidärrischenhöhle is a small cave, which was discovered in the 19th century. It was used as a show cave for more than a decade, but closed due to the outbreak of World War II. But it was never reopened. Unfortunately it was not gated and accessible during the 1990s and thus was subject to vandalism. The cave is now closed again by an iron bar gate and guided by a cave trecking operator. The Dreidärrischenhöhle is an important bat cave, with at least four different protected bats living here.

The main name of the cave is Dreidärrischenhöhle, literally Three Därrische Cave. The question is, what are Därrische? The term därrisch means deaf in local dialect, so it is the Cave of the Three Deaf. It is not clear what the three deaf are, one theory tells this are the three huge rocks. The rocks cannot hear, at least they do not answer, so they are the Drei Därrischen (Three Deaf). Another theory tells that the cliff face around the cave entrance does not have an echo, is virtually deaf. The other name of the cave, Siebenbrunnentalhöhle, is simply derived from the location, Siebenbrunnental (Seven Springs Valley). Other names like Saulucke or Niklashöhle are not in use any more.

The cave was apparently leased by the municipality of Mödling in 1924 or 1925 and subsequently developed as a show cave. An artificial entrance tunnel was created to provide a second entrance. However, even before the show cave opened, there were two break-ins at the construction site. On one occasion, a group of tourists were so annoyed that the cave was closed on Sunday that they broke off rocks on the side of the portal until they could crawl through. However, they were surprised by cave warden Bachmann and reported to the police. The whole thing is all the more incomprehensible given that the cave could even be visited on weekdays during construction work, as long as workers were present. This would no longer be possible under today’s safety regulations. A second break-in just two months later was even more brazen: the grille was blown up and a measuring tape, several thermometers and other instruments were stolen. As part of the expansion, the forecourt at the cave entrance was also created, on which a small shelter called Bergheim DreiDärrischen Höhle was erected.

After the show cave was closed, the cave was converted into an air-raid shelter. The cave space behind the artificial entrance was used for this purpose. It is not entirely clear how this worked, especially since the cave is almost two kilometres away from the village, which is rather far for an air-raid shelter. In any case, the shelter burned down after the war and there was no interest in reopening the show cave. In the 1980s, illegal excavations took place in the cave, but it is unclear whether these were looting excavations. Of course, it could also have been an attempt to find new parts of the cave. In any case, the artificial entrance was probably no longer usable afterwards.

Some sources mention the risk of collapse in the cave and that it has therefore been closed. They also mention that such collapses probably already occurred before the 1980s. Unfortunately, no background information can be found on this, but since guided tours are obviously still being organised, this is probably a justification for the closure. In other words, the general risk of falling rocks when climbing and in caves has been somewhat overemphasised. This is also completely unnecessary, as the closure is adequately explained by the need to protect bats and caves.

The cave can be visited by non-cavers on easy cave tours. The remains of the paths are still there, but the tour operator also seems to offer tours of undeveloped parts. The guide is Robert Winkler, a well-known Austrian caver and certified cave guide. He ran a canyoning and cave tour company under the name Abenteuerschule Natur Erlebnis. He also had a shop selling climbing equipment and a climbing hall in Vienna. We suspect that the company has been closed since summer 2025, as his websites no longer exist and his Facebook page has the usual problems. However, twice a year he offers a tour through the ÖAV under the name Familie in der Easy-Höhle (Family in the Easy Cave), which is probably the better choice.