Wolfsschlucht Zwingenberg

Useful Information

Location:	Alte Dorfstraße 5, 69439 Zwingenberg. Parking Lot, Alte Dorfstraße/B37. (49.4212891, 9.0309046)
Open:	no restrictions. [2026]
Fee:	free. [2026]
Classification:	Gorge Wolfsschlucht
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Bürgermeisteramt, Alte Dorfstraße 8, 69439 Zwingenberg, Tel: +40-6263-45152. 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

Description

Wolfsschlucht Zwingenberg isn’t actually the name of this gorge, it is simply called Wolfsschlucht. But as there are dozens of them, we had to make the name unique by adding the place name. Here in the southern Odenwald, there are several ‘Klingen’ (blades), as the steep, gorge-like valleys are known locally. The Wolfsschlucht is one of them, and it is also part of the Neckartal-Odenwald Nature Park and a geotope of the UNESCO Bergstraße-Odenwald Geo-Nature Park.

Around 50 million years ago, the crust in the Rhine Graben region began to move divergently, leading to the subsidence of the Rhine Graben. This depression became the drainage basin for the surrounding mountain ranges, including the Odenwald. The Proto-Neckar probably formed around 30 million years ago as the northern part of the rift also subsided more sharply. This movement continues to this day, but is very slow even by geological standards. In any case, the gradient became ever steeper and the Proto-Neckar and its tributaries cut their way into the Mesozoic rock layers. The Neckar carries a relatively large volume of water and cut its way through more rapidly; however, the very small tributaries had less erosive power and are still working to deepen their channels down to the Neckar. They are steep and feature rapids and even small waterfalls.

We usually only list narrow gorges aka slot canyons, because due to their steep walls, they are often very cave-like; in many sections, you cannot even see the sky. This gorge is not underground and does not give that impression, yet it is an extremely interesting geological site, a place of interest, and it also forms part of our Wolfsschlucht theme.