Quackenschloss

The Quackenschloss is a karst cave near Engelhardsberg a district of the Upper Franconian market town Wiesenttal in the district of Forchheim in Bavaria.

Once a young hunter in the Wiesent valley chased a stag that suddenly disappeared before his eyes. He saw in front of him a gate leading into the rock. Dwarfs stood there inviting him to follow them. He came to a splendid hall where, on a golden throne, sat a lovely fairy, who let him sit beside her. The hunter liked it in this splendor. The fairy had the plan to raise him after some time to her husband. But the hunter remembered his sweetheart, whom he had left on earth and the vast forests and asked for his release from the magic palace. The consequences of this wish were appalling. The fairy sank dead, the palace collapsed and the hunter was found dead at the foot of the Quacken castle.

The Quackenschloss is a passage cave about 18 meters long. It is the remains of a very old and high altitude cave system. The rock face has an incomplete appearance due to the weathering of individual shells. The cave probably got its name from this rock structure. The perforated type of stone (smokewacke) is called Quacke here.The obliquely oval shape of the cave is determined by two longitudinal fissures and two sloping bank joints. Two stronger clefts cross the corridor. One portal has a width of about 7 and a height of 2.50 meters, the other, divided by a rock pillar, is about 9 meters wide and 5 meters high.The cave is registered as C 4 in the Franconian Alb Cave Register (HFA). It has been designated by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment as an important geotope (474R060)[1] and as a natural monument (ND-04580).The cave, which can be easily reached via hiking trails, is also one of the most frequently visited destinations in the Franconian Jura because of its scenic location. There is a sport climbing area next to the cave
Source: Wikipedia

Beautiful, albeit small, through cave, named after a legend. The display board with the legend is at the entrance to the cave. A narrow path leads to the "roof" to a lookout point that offers a great view over the "Fränkische".

Impressive rock formation with a beautiful passage cave. Be careful in winter, the path can be quite smooth.

The enclosed fossils are called Quacken.

Blocked with stones, slippery when wet. Surefootedness required. Is it worth it to go up here. Above then the great view. Take the camera !!!
Difficulty S2

Worth a detour! It is a 6-meter-wide rock grotto that is open on two sides. There is also an interesting legend about the cave ruins. From the top you have a nice view.

Nice through cave. Our kids had a lot of fun climbing and exploring here, and even smaller children can play relatively easily here. Ideal place for a rest.

Our new apartment, no 🤣.
But the dreamlike and legendary cave offered us protection from a heavy thunderstorm.

Nice cave and top viewpoint. You should definitely take this into account when planning.

Interesting, relatively easy to reach karst cave. The detour is worth it.

A special and legendary rock formation. Absolutely worth seeing!

An impressive geological formation that should be seen.

The Quackenschloss is a cave ruin whose remains belong to a very high (505 meters) and therefore very old cave system.
The approximately three meter high and six meter wide rock grotto is open on two sides and can be safely entered from the east side. In the gallery cave, which takes its name from the enclosed fossils, the so-called quacks, the remains of a 17 meter long cave system can be walked through.

To Markus: Source de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quackenschloss
Be sure to visit if there is a possibility. For people who are less well on foot, the approach from the plateau (Engelhardsberg) is recommended, all others should ascend from the valley (for example Muggendorf).

Great passage cave! Flooded with light after clearing

Very great foresight, but also very crowded as a result.

You do not see a cave cave every day, and this one with your 25m and more is fascinating!

It's a high passage cave, but most turn around again. Below is a bench with an information board.

Be sure to visit, can be reached from the main path in 2 minutes

We liked the ridge path from Quakenschloss to Adlerstein even better

I have just rediscovered this region. Fantastic landscape and vegetation, well signposted trails and even on weekends and holidays not crowded.
Who knows how much longer?

Great even in warm weather!