Hügeliloch Cave

On the trail of old legends and myths: The Hügeliloch is surrounded by the legend of the noble lady, the Hügelimeitli, who stood in front of the mirror for too long. Her story has a sad ending. The path to the Hügeliloch leads past corn and potato fields and up a wooden staircase into the forest. Béatrice Meili runs up the narrow path at a fast pace; she knows it well. She grew up in Schöftland. She went for walks with her father again and again; the Hügeliloch in the conglomerate rock was often the destination. Her father always told the legend of the Hügelimeitli. In the Hügeli area on the Stübisberg, where the Hügeliloch is now, there was once a castle in which a noble lady was said to have lived, according to legend. "She was probably a little conceited," says Meili. Because the lady of the castle couldn't get away from the mirror, the legend has a sad ending.
Too late for the baptism
According to this, a poor man asked the castle maiden to be his godmother. On the day of the baptism, she was supposed to take the child to church. However, she sat in front of the mirror for too long.
When she set off and arrived at the Hungerbach bridge, the bells were no longer ringing. "That was bad for her, because after the bells rang, only those with illegitimate children came to church," says Meili. "So one could have thought that she was bringing an illegitimate child with her." Because she could not bear this disgrace, she simply threw the child into the Hungerbach.
She returned to the castle and a violent storm arose. The castle was in ruins after that, and the noblewoman had disappeared. She was later given the name Hügelimeitli.
"I never understood why she threw the child into the stream," says Meili. "They say that Hügelimeitli is still there and that it must be redeemed." A young man who ventures into the cave can do this. As a reward, he is to receive a chest filled with money, which is guarded by the Hügelimeitli and a black dog. This is how it is written in various versions of the legend. Today, the rear part of the cave is buried.
Béatrice Meili now lives in Kirchleerau and is president of the Suhrental Local History Association. She is a librarian and, among other things, a history teacher. "The stories here leave me cold and I think it is important that they are preserved and passed on," she says.
Two versions of the legend
This is how she knows a second version of the legend. Her grandmother told her this one. According to it, the castle was further back in the direction of Uerkental and the Hügeliloch was an underground entrance.
Because the farmers besieged the castle because of their high taxes, the noblewoman had to flee through this passage. She took the treasure chest with her. But the cave collapsed and the young woman was buried. "The story goes that in bad weather you can still see a little light burning in the hole," says Meili.
The supposed treasure has been searched for again and again. At the end of the 17th century, some Reitnau residents were summoned to the court for treasure hunting in the Hügeliloch, as can be seen in the book "Schöftland History and Stories" by Christian Holliger.
She has never met the Hügelimeitli, although it is said that you can sometimes see it combing hair by the Hungerbach, says Meili with a wink.
Benny Frei from Hirschthal tells of the legend: "There is a rumor that every now and then, at full moon, men leave the marital bedchamber and run towards the Hügeliloch to kiss the castle maiden and redeem her." Apparently, no one has yet found the Hügelimeitli.

In the 20m deep Nagelfluh cave, you can still stand comfortably at the beginning, but further back you can only continue on your knees.