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Cave Ruins of Hunas

Caves

Cave Ruins of Hunas

Highlight • Cave

Cave Ruins of Hunas

Recommended by 24 hikers out of 33

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for: Naturpark Fränkische Schweiz - Frankenjura

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Location: Pommelsbrunn, Nürnberger Land, Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany

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Best Hikes to Cave Ruins of Hunas

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1. Bastei Viewpoint (Zankelstein), Pommelsbrunn – Zankelstein rock formation loop from Pommelsbrunn

9.75km

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290m

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

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4.1

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2. Zankelstein Rock Formation – Bastei Viewpoint (Zankelstein), Pommelsbrunn loop from Hartmannshof

9.98km

03:00

300m

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

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Moderate

5.0

(2)

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3. Zankelstein Rock Formation – Bastei Viewpoint (Zankelstein), Pommelsbrunn loop from Hartmannshof

14.4km

04:08

340m

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

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Moderate

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Rombea

January 13, 2021

Unfortunately, the quarry can no longer be entered and the cave is filled. The Hunas cave ruins were discovered in May 1956 by the Erlangen university professor Florian Heller. Particularly interesting are the finds of primates such as the remains of macaques, but also the wisdom tooth of a Neanderthal, which is at the same time the oldest remnant of a human being in Bavaria. To be seen in the primeval station Hartmannshof. mein-pommelsbrunn.de/index.php?bereich=verein_id&id=1&menu=99&menu_id=0-3&layout=122

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🚲CyklistCR🚲

January 8, 2024

It is also known as the Steinberg cave ruins and is located in the Franconian Dolomites of the Malm Delta. The Steinberg is traversed by the remains of a cave system that was cut into in two places. In the northern part, the cave, which has now been dismantled, consisted of a system of narrow passages and smaller chambers. The original dimensions of the cave can no longer be reconstructed because it was partially destroyed by the previous quarry and the reorganization of the quarry in 1982. The original cave entrance may have been in a small valley that is now used by the quarry road.

The cave was discovered in May 1956 by the Erlangen paleontologist Florian Heller. It is a cave that has been buried for many decades and was only found again when its loose filling was cut during quarry work. Heller's subsequent excavations were completed in 1964.

As a result of the resumption of quarry operations, the layers that had not yet been excavated in the cave, which collapsed around 80,000 years ago and were filled with loose sediments, were partially destroyed. This was followed by rescue excavations that were carried out between 1983 and 1985 by the Chair of Prehistory and Protohistory at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Four meters of the layer package, which was over 20 meters high, could still be examined in the rearmost part of the former cave. The excavations subsequently continued until 2012 using enormously refined methods. It became apparent that the deposits house an archive that is unique far beyond Bavaria.

Traces of more than 130 animal species have been found in the deposits. These animals got into the cave in very different ways. Some animals sought shelter or a place to hibernate here, such as bears and bats. Others, however, were brought into the cave as prey by predators or by humans. According to the findings so far, the numerous animal remains recovered as well as a few stone tools and flint cuttings belong to the penultimate Ice Age. At more than 200,000 years old, these represent the oldest traces of human life known to date in Bavaria.

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🚲CyklistCR🚲

January 8, 2024

The excavations showed that the presence of humans can be proven in almost all layers. Also proven are, among other things: Cave bear, cave lion, cave hyena, wolf, arctic and red fox. The rich small fauna, together with plant remains such as charcoal, pollen and the analysis of the sediments, provide good insights into the climate development during the deposition period. In this way, the mighty sequence of layers becomes a multi-structured archive that documents the constant change in climate and environmental conditions during the Ice Age over a long period of time. The thick lower layer package shows temperate to warm-temperate conditions with some climate variability. At that time, Barbary macaques lived in the Franconian Alb, which was covered by sparse mixed forest. The climate archive also shows that this phase came to an end and it became increasingly drier and colder. The northern vole, the pygmy pika, the lemming and other cold-tolerant animal species spread as a result. Rewarming began with the top layers.

In 2002, a sinter blanket was found at the base of the layer sequence in the new excavation area. One study found a time window of about 100,000 to 125,000 years in the range of 200,000 years. This would allow the entire sediment sequence to be dated to the beginning of the Würm Ice Age. The stone artifacts found in the upper layers are consistent with the archaeologists' dating. The devices from the lower layers differ significantly from the younger ones and can be compared with Middle Pleistocene sites. The new dating makes the 1986 discovery of a human molar from Hunas a classic Neanderthal and therefore the oldest hominid from Bavaria.

Source: Wikipedia

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Elevation 570 m

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Location: Pommelsbrunn, Nürnberger Land, Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany

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Cave Ruins of Hunas

1. Bastei Viewpoint (Zankelstein), Pommelsbrunn – Zankelstein rock formation loop from Pommelsbrunn

2. Zankelstein Rock Formation – Bastei Viewpoint (Zankelstein), Pommelsbrunn loop from Hartmannshof

3. Zankelstein Rock Formation – Bastei Viewpoint (Zankelstein), Pommelsbrunn loop from Hartmannshof

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