Οι 20 κορυφαίες σπηλιές στο Άνω Παλατινάτο

Beautiful rock formations in the forest

Beautiful view back over the Vils

Rock formations are now majestically visible in March. They soon disappear into the sea of leaves and are then almost invisible again—unfortunately!

The Mystery Grotto is located near Neuhaus an der Pegnitz and is part of the Karst Hiking Trail. The name of the grotto comes from a legend that tells of the "White Lady". This legend says that the cursed soul of Countess Kunigunde von Leuchtenburg, who lived in the 13th century, is said to appear in the grotto as a restless spirit. The grotto is about 12 meters wide and 16 meters long and offers an impressive hall. Beautiful ice formations can be admired, especially in winter. The entrance to the grotto is partially walled up and closed in winter during the bat protection period. The grotto is only accessible from April to September.

The "house without a roof", as it is officially called, is a cave dwelling that is still in use in the Upper Palatinate town of Kallmünz. The cave dwelling is located north of the Vils at the southern end of the Schlossberg, on which the Kallmünz castle ruins stand. The entrance is set back from Vilsgasse at the foot of a 20-meter-high limestone wall of the Schlossberg, and access leads between the listed residential buildings at Vilsgasse 26 and Vilsgasse 28. The house consists of a natural cave in the dolomite rock, the opening of which is closed off by a plastered wall with a door and windows. Inside there is a hallway, a living room, two storage rooms fitted into rock niches and a historic smokehouse. The oldest known mention of the cave dwelling can be found in a document kept in the land registry archive in Amberg with the year 1707. In the 19th century it was also known as the "house under the rock". In 1908 it was sold to the owner of the blacksmith's shop across the street, and it remains in his family's possession. The last permanent resident left the house in 1937 because he had developed rheumatism due to the damp cave air.

The "House Without a Roof," as it is officially known, is a still-used cave dwelling in the Upper Palatinate market town of Kallmünz. The cave is located north of the Vils River at the southern end of the Schlossberg (Castle Hill), upon which the Kallmünz Castle ruins stand. The entrance is set back from Vilsgasse (Vils Lane) at the foot of an approximately 20-meter-high limestone cliff of the Schlossberg, and access is via a passage between the listed residential buildings at Vilsgasse 26 and Vilsgasse 28. The house consists of a natural cave in the dolomite rock, the opening of which is closed off by a plastered wall with a door and windows. Inside, there is a hallway, a living room, two storage rooms fitted into rock niches, and a historic smokehouse. The oldest known mention of the cave dwelling is found in a document dated 1707, preserved in the land registry archive in Amberg. In the 19th century, it was also referred to as the "House Under the Rock." In 1908, it was sold to the owner of the blacksmith's shop located across the road, and it remains in his family's possession. The last permanent resident left the house in 1937 because he developed rheumatism due to the damp cave air.

The beginnings of the pilgrimage to the Mariahilfberg date back to the late 17th century. At that time there was a small burial chapel modeled on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and a Way of the Cross. A wooden Lady Chapel was built in 1687 very close to the Calvary. Her most valuable jewelry was a copy of a famous painting of the Virgin Mary by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Today's pilgrimage church was built between 1718 and 1727 as one of five baroque Marian shrines in western Upper Palatinate. The richly decorated baroque high altar by Johann Ulrich Wiest contains the famous miraculous image of the Virgin and Child, which is deeply revered to this day.

The entrance lies beautifully in the midst of the stately rocks. The cave itself is actually rather small at around 12 meters in diameter. Rather, it owes its charm to the mysterious entrance, which at first seems to duck away from the visitor. And the legend to which the name Mysteriengrotte goes back is, thanks to the scary factor, an additional mood factor. Because this is where the “White Woman” is supposed to appear again and again. And this legend even has a true origin. Because the "White Woman" is said to be the cursed soul of Countess Kunigunde von Leuchtenburg, who lived at the foot of the Plassenburg in the 13th century. She murdered her two children, believing that the infants would stand in the way of her remarriage to Albrecht the Handsome, Burgrave of Nuremberg. Despite extensive penance in later, still unmarried days and the founding of a monastery, which she presided over as abbess, her restless spirit is said to have haunted the Mystery Grotto since her death.