Caves

From time immemorial, caves have attracted and fascinated humans. Caves protect from the rigors of weather, war and persecution. They are visited for cultic or religious reasons, and they serve as storage and cooling rooms. Since the 18th century, the perception of using caves has been replaced by an increasing interest in caves from a natural history perspective. Bone deposits in caves testify early human settlement or the presence of prehistoric animals. The Swabian Cave Society was founded in 1889 with the aim of examining cave sediments for such prehistoric evidence. It was one of the first caving associations worldwide. In addition to these scientific motives, there was also an increasing interest to bring the natural beauty of caves closer to the average population. As early as 1668, guided tours took place in the Baumann Cave in the Harz Mountains. Since the turn of the 20th century, new show caves were opened in all German caving regions.

When you visit a cave, take nothing with you, leave nothing behind, destroy nothing, and don’t kill anything but time.
Help to keep the world without light intact. We are only guests in it.

Caves are diverse and extremely sensitive natural sites worth preserving and to strictly protect them as scientific archives, as habitats, and also for aesthetic reasons.

Since 2018, caves are specially protected biotopes according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act § 30.
During the bat hibernation period from 01 October to 31 March caving activities in bat roosts are generally prohibited according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act §39 paragraph 6.

Hazards to caves include

• Total or partial destruction by mining of limestone and gypsum, or by construction projects

• Input of pollutants, through dumps and drip-water, which can contaminate groundwater drinking water resources very quickly and almost unfiltered. Consequently, the application of fertilizers or pesticides on agricultural land in karst areas is also very problematic.

• Vandalism and overfrequency by visitors

• Illegal excavations for archaeological, paleontological or mineralogical findings
   

The VdHK has adopted ethical guidelines and a list of requirements for commercial cave trekking for the protection of caves and other karst features.

53 caves can be visited by anyone in Germany. These show caves are listed below. For the opening hours and ticket prices, please consult the linked websites. Show caves that are members of the VdHK are marked with *.