Top 20 Caves 헬러트하우젠 주변

The old tunnels in the Hunsrück make the region an important habitat for various species of bats. Here you'll find one of these tunnels, which can be lit outside of hibernation times so you can take a look inside.

I could have explored the right aisle with rubber boots 😕

The path leads through two consecutive rock breakthroughs. But be careful, the headroom is very limited.

It is actually surprising that the topic of "dry wall" is the subject of an information board, while a little off the hiking trail at the end of a path a tunnel opens up that leads to a widely branched mine. In addition to protecting the bats, this may also be the reason why a grid prevents further access after about 10 meters. From here, however, you can already see numerous tunnels leading downwards, upwards and to the side, which are only poorly secured or not secured at all, so that one can quickly sink into the bottomless holes filled with water. Exploration would be exciting but potentially very dangerous. The wood found in the Bierfinckgraben mine allows the mining activity to be dated to three periods around 1500, around 1700 and 1750. Literature: Tree ring chronological key data on the mining history of the Hunsrück By Mechthild Neyses-Eiden https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/fuabt/article/view/54645/55623

https://www.museumsportal-rlp.de/museen/visitorbergwerk-grube-herrenberg Due to a rockfall in February 2022, the mine is closed indefinitely

The highlight is twofold.

The lighting is disconnected from mid-October to mid-April so that the bats can hibernate in peace.

Roof slate The roofing slate deposits of the Hunsrück date back to the Lower Devonian period around 400 million years ago. They were formed from clayey marine deposits, which later solidified into layered claystones and were "slated" during the folding of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. Foliation is a consequence of the directed pressure in the earth's crust during mountain formation, during which the mineral components of the claystones align in parallel and partially reform. Roof slate is the name given to clay slate in which the layering of the claystone and the foliation run parallel. This makes it possible to split large and thin plates. The Hunsrück slate, which is characterized by its uniform gray-black color, weather resistance and easy splitting, is one of the best varieties of German roofing slate deposits.