Location: | On the summit of the Hochstein volcano near Bell. |
Open: |
no restrictions. [2014] |
Fee: |
free. [2014] |
Classification: | Rock Mine Genoveva Caves |
Light: | bring torch |
Dimension: | |
Guided tours: | self guided |
Photography: | allowed |
Accessibility: | no |
Bibliography: | |
Address: | |
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. |
1790 | first written mention. |
The Genovevahöhle (Genoveva Cave) near Bell is a millstone quarry, near the summit of the Hochstein volcano. It is therefore a medieval quarry and cannot have been the place of the legend about Genoveva. At the time of the legend, this cavity did not even exist. Nevertheless, the legend persists. The underground quarry was originally called Hochsteinhöhle and was renamed only in the 19th century.
In the quarry the basalts of the volcano were mined in the form of millstones. Remains of broken millstones can still be found here today. But the quality of the rock was poor and so the mining was soon stopped.