Eisensteinhöhle


Useful Information

Location: Bad Fischau. Near Brunn at the Schneebergbahn. 5 km west of the Wiener Neustadt. (47° 49,831' N, 16° 8,619' E)
Open: Cave:
MAY to OCT, 1st and 3rd Sun of the month, only after appointment.
Museum:
All year Thu-Sun 10-17.
[2014]
Fee: Cave:
Adults EUR 6, Children EUR 3.
Museum:
free [2014]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave. Vertical cave. Triassic limestone. SubterraneaCave and Karst Museum
Light: Carbide lamps.
Dimension: A=407 m asl, L=2,341 m, VR=90 m, T=13 °C.
Guided tours: D=90 min, VR=75 m.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography: Franz Mühlhofer (1906): Die Reichsritter von und zu Eisenstein-Grotte bei Fischau-Brunn,
Helga Hartmann, Wilhelm Hartmann (2000): Die Höhlen Niederösterreichs, Landesverein für Höhlenkunde in Wien und Niederösterreich, Band 5, Wien 2000, pp. 324-331.
Address: Sektion Wiener Neustadt, ÖAV (Austrian Alpine Society), Baumkirchnerring 41579, 2700 Wiener Neustadt, Tel: +43-650-9125750. E-mail: contact
Gerhard Winkler: Tel: +43-2639-7577.
J. Posch: Tel: +43-676-5402315.
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

1855 found during quarry works, first exploration by K.K. Geniemajor Freiherr v. Scholl, Hauptmann Werner and Oberleutnant Schmelhaus.
1896 second exploration by some kids.
1906 left to the Sektion Wiener Neustadt of the Österreichischen Touristenklub (Austrian Touristclub) by the old owner Carl Ritter von Eisenstein.
1906 first book Die Reichsritter von und zu Eisenstein-Grotte bei Fischau-Brunn by Leutnant Mühlhofer.
1907 first guided tour by cave guide J. Artner.
1919 discovery of a termal spring (16,5 °C).
1931 declared a Naturdenkmal (natural monument) according to the Naturhöhlengesetz (Natural Cave Law) from 1928.
1956 bought by the Österreichischer Alpenverein.
1958 new passages discovered, a new entrance built to provide easier access.
1972 cave museum inaugurated.

Description

The Eisensteinhöhle is named after its original owner, Reichsritter Eissner von und zu Eisenstein. Its original name was too complicated to last: Reichsritter von und zu Eisenstein-Grotte. It was discovered during quarry works in 1855 and first explored by some officers from the K.K. army. The owner, above knight, immediately stoped all quarry works to protect the cave. In 1907 the cave was developed as a show cave by the Sektion Wiener Neustadt of the Österreichischer Alpenverein (Austrian Mountaineering Club). They still maintain the cave and the cave museum.

The cave is not really a show cave, the tours are rather rough, and it is open only two weekends per month. Thus a cave museum was built, to inform visitors at other times or those who are not able to visit the cave.

The tours are called "Höhlenabenteuer" (cave adventure), which gives the impression that they are cave trekking tours. This is not the case, it is more like a historic show cave tour, but the tour requires some physical fitness. The cave visitors are fitted out with helmet, overall, boots and carbide lamps. Old clothes are advisable. The tours goes down a shaft, over four iron ladders. At some points of the tour the ceiling gets low and it is necessary to crawl. Also, 75 m down and back up costs some energy. Visitors should think about their physical fitness before they visit this cave.

At the lowest point of the tour, a thermal spring with 15 °C is reached. This thermal spring influences the cave climate. The temperature is at least 5 °C higher than would be normal at this altitude. And this extraordinare cave climate is also resonsible for the amount of interesting calcite crystals which can be found all over the cave. Cave corals and aragonite crystals are very common. The high temperature is also responsible for a high number and variety of cave fauna, like Atheta spelea, Trechus austriacus and other cave insects.

The Höhlenmuseum Eisensteinhöhle (Cave Museum Eisensteinhöhle) is a small speleological museum, located at the entrance of the Eisensteinhöhle. The museum was primarly created as an information center for the cave. It contains maps, surveys, photographs, documents, and gear of the early cave explorers to document the history of the exploration. This exhibition is completed by an overview of the geology and the fauna and flora of the area.

The museum was created by Kulturabteilung des Amtes der NÖ Landesregierung, the culture section of the government of Niederösterreich.