Top 3 Caves ゲルンハウゼンでの

The cave cannot be reached (or only in a dangerous way). The footpath is on the other side of the L3216, you would have to climb over the guard rail on the road at least once to get to the other side. It's dangerous because the B276 functions as a cross road and the fairly large intersection is very confusing and busy. In addition, there doesn't seem to be any forest or footpath anymore, everything looks very overgrown and impassable. So I've skipped visiting the cave on my tour. What a pity 😔

A well-kept place of remembrance… let’s hope it stays that way

The Antonius Grotto is a very well-maintained facility. It's a place created out of gratitude. Here you can also take a break in the refuge.

Nice lost place character

Mines used to be operated in the gold hollow and ores were mined. The tunnels were used by the Americans as ammunition depots after World War II. Today the tunnels are closed and serve as quarters for bats

Fissures up to several meters wide extend almost 15 meters into the quarry wall of a former abandoned red sand quarry. Due to offset gaps, they have a total distance of 50 meters with a height difference of around 14 meters. The "Robber Heinz Cave" is, along with the Devil's Cave near Steinau, the most famous cave in the Main-Kinzig district and, with a total length of 50 meters, is also one of the largest tectonic caves in Germany. Previously, it was still possible to enter the cave through a gap between the grille and the cave wall. However, work has now been carried out there and the cave is no longer accessible to the general public. There are also various legends surrounding this divide. A robber, Heinz, is said to have lived in it, which is why it is called the “Robber Heinz Cave”. Other voices claim that Napoleon's soldiers found shelter here on their retreat through the Kinzigtal, which is why the locals also refer to it as the "Franzosenloch". Neither is proven. The basic data collection for this cave can be viewed at the “Regional Association for Cave and Karst Research Hessen e.V” under the following link: www.tinyurl.com/4nf34md8

A very nice area with the grotto, resting places etc.

The Antoniusgrotte is located in the Alzenauer Stadtwald, north of the state road 2305, in the west of a large clearing. It lies in a small gorge between the Rotenberg and the Ruhberg in the "Rupprich". A 150 m long stream runs through the area of the Antoniusgrotte. It rises about a hundred meters northeast of the grotto, then flows through a fish pond and finally seeps away into the sandy forest floor right next to the grotto. In the spring of 1954, the grotto was built in honor of Saint Anthony, out of gratitude for the fathers and sons of Alzenau who had returned from World War II, and was financed by voluntary donations from all over Kahlgrund. A sculptor from Somborn made the 1.25 m high statue of St. Anthony made of shell limestone, which carries the baby Jesus in his arms. It stands on a plinth from which a gargoyle in the form of a lion's head protrudes. The masonry is made of red sandstone from the Spessart. The Antonius Grotto was consecrated in May 1955 in the presence of Heinrich Degen. Mayor Michael Antoni took over the maintenance of the grotto until his death in 1968. Until then, an annual service was held there. The Grotto of St. Anthony was renovated from 2003 to 2006. Source: Wikipedia