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Germany
Bavaria
Upper Franconia
Franconian Switzerland
Forchheim
Gößweinstein

Esperhöhle

Highlight • Cave

Esperhöhle

Recommended by 554 hikers out of 563

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for: Naturpark Fränkische Schweiz - Frankenjura

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    Best Hikes to Esperhöhle

    4.7

    (443)

    1,697

    hikers

    1. Felsensteig Gößweinstein – Esper Cave loop from Behringersmühle

    14.1km

    04:02

    320m

    320m

    Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    Intermediate

    Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

    Intermediate

    Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

    Easy

    Tips

    June 4, 2017

    Even before you reach the cave entrance, you can feel in summer the much cooler air that flows from the cave. In the summer months, the cave is walkable and definitely worth a visit. Information boards provide information about the cave and its exploration. The most dangerous places are secured by grates, but the shafts are up to 20 meters deep - therefore it is essential to leash the dog.

    From Wikipedia: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperh%C3%Bhle

    The cave was first explored in the 18th century by the pastor Johann Friedrich Esper, after whom it is named, until its end.

    In the cave, now classified as a Bodendenkmal, one could find a variety of human bones and artifacts from the Late Hallstatt and Early La Tène period, so there is a burial place or place of sacrifice suspected; the finds are in the Natural History Museum Nuremberg.

    The cave ruin consists of caves, burglaries and side rooms. The most interesting part of the cave is a 22-meter-deep shaft, which can only be accessed by means of a rope technique. At the bottom of the so-called Klingloch are several pools with continuous stalactites (stalagmites) in the cave wall. There are small side chambers in which one can climb and from which one comes out in the Klingloch, two meters higher.

    The cave was used by the residents for a long time to store ice. The front cave parts are relatively easily accessible and are deep. In the cool cave, a layer of cold air formed by the deposit on the ground, which preserved the ice into August.

    Translated by Google •

      July 11, 2018

      Great cave, very impressive. Is a hike or at least worth a detour!

      Translated by Google •

        October 13, 2019

        Truly an impressive cave with impressive arches.

        Translated by Google •

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          Details

          Informations

          Elevation 460 m

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          Location: Gößweinstein, Forchheim, Franconian Switzerland, Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany

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