Ötscher cave system
| Ötscher cave system
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 Main entrance of the money hole |
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| Location: | Rough comb , Ötscher | |
| Height : | 1446 m above sea level A. | |
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Geographic location: |
47 ° 51 '44 " N , 15 ° 13' 0" E | |
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| Cadastral number: | 1816/6, 1816/14 | |
| Geology: | Dachstein limestone , dolomite | |
| Type: | Cave system | |
| Discovery: | well known | |
| Overall length: | 26,140 m (of which 10,076 m Geldloch, 18,064 m Taubenloch) | |
| Level difference: | 662 m (+218, −244 based on the money hole entrance), of which money hole 652 m (+218, −234), pigeon hole 542 m (+52, −490) | |
The Ötscherhöhlensystem with over 26,000 m in length, the longest and deepest cave of Lower Austria . It consists of the money hole and the pigeon hole , both of which have their own entrances. In 1994 a connection between these two caves was discovered, which has since been referred to as the Ötscher cave system.
Money hole
General
The Geldloch, also known as Eisloch, Goldloch, Ötschereishöhle or Seelucken, is a well-known cave at the foot of the Rauhen Kamm on the Ötscher with the cadastral number 1816/6 a, b . The main entrance (a, ⊙ ) is 1446 m above sea level. A. , the upper entry (the so-called Sisyphus Hole, b) at 1663 m. The money hole was declared a natural monument in 1963 . In 1982 the cave was declared a specially protected cave , so entry is only permitted for scientific purposes.
History of exploration
Rumors have existed for a long time that there is gold and other treasures in the cave. Therefore, in 1592, Emperor Rudolf II ordered an expedition led by Baron Reichart von Strein, in which Christoph von Schallenberg and Hanns Gasner from the Kartause Gaming took part. The rumors of the treasures did not come true; however, traces of previous human experiences were discovered. The next traditional research was carried out by Pastor AJ Hacker in 1746 and by JA Nagel in 1747 on behalf of Emperor Franz I , where "geometrical-perspective floor plans", a kind of first cave plans, were made. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, several inspections took place in which, among other things, meteorological measurements were carried out. In 1923, as part of a large expedition by Franz Mühlhofer , in which an entire infantry company of the Austrian Armed Forces participated, further shafts were explored and the cave was measured, with a length of 1200 m.
In 1953 the cave was measured precisely by the regional association for caving in Vienna and Lower Austria under Hubert Trimmel with the help of theodolites , the length of the tunnel was then 1,800 m. In 1974 the research was resumed under Wilhelm Hartmann. By overcoming narrow passages and overcoming difficult climbs, further cave parts could be discovered, the passage length increased to 6870 m by 1985. The exploration of further side parts resulted in an increase in the length of the corridor to 9047 m by 1990. In 1988, another entrance, the narrow Sisyphus Hole , was discovered, which leads into the so-called vent monster , a higher part of the cave. A connection to the neighboring Taubenloch that had long been suspected was discovered on April 10, 1994. Further research into new territory, such as in the ten-thousand- meter maze, showed a corridor length of 10,076 m by 2000.
Course
From the main entrance, a spacious corridor leads downhill in a north-westerly direction to the impressive Ice Dome , where the corridor splits. Following the left branch you reach the Trömelgang via the Breite Halle and the Wilde Halle via several breaks . The acoustic shaft and many chimneys, such as the twin chimney and the laughing monster , branch off from the main corridor alongside narrow side stretches . The latter flows back into the open in the Sisyphus Hole. Below the main corridor there is a parallel corridor in the middle section, the Procrustes Canyon , which is connected to the acoustic shaft on one side and via the Mardergang to the middle station of the main shaft . From the ice dome the right passage leads to the shaft zone, where several 80 m deep shafts lead to the cascade cave and to the mirror passages. The adjoining cave parts are called Perlschinder, Mirror Labyrinth, Base Corridor, Ten Thousand Higher Labyrinth, New Hope Corridor, Harnischlabyrinth, Nordgang und Tartaros ; they extend to the northeast. These are narrow, ramified cleft passages that are up to 300 m below the entrance and that underlie the higher passages of the pigeon hole. At the end of the Tartaros chimney, the cave part of the money hole furthest from the day (about 1 km as the crow flies from the money hole entrance), the connecting shaft from the pigeon hole opens.
Pigeon hole
General
The Taubenloch (also known as Taubenlucken) with the cadastral number 1816 / 14a, b (or since the connection with the Geldloch 1816 / 6c, d was discovered) is located on the Rauhen Kamm at 1492 m above sea level ( ⊙ ) and has also been known for a long time . The upper entry, the gorge hole (1816 / 14b = 1816 / 6d) is at 1543 m. The Taubenloch was declared a natural monument in 1966. On October 22nd, 1982 the cave was declared a “specially protected cave” together with the money hole, so entry is only permitted for scientific purposes.
History of exploration
In 1747, in addition to driving through the money hole, one of the pigeon holes on behalf of Emperor Franz I by JA Nagel took place, where "geometrical-perspective floor plans", a kind of first cave plans, were made. In 1816 the pigeon hole was visited by L. Pyrker , who was fascinated by the non-illuminable chimneys. In 1855 Adolf Schmidl visited the Taubenloch, where more detailed plans were made of the part known at the time. Plans from 1948 indicate a corridor length of 110 m, in 1980 219 m were known. In September 1980, Wolfgang Fahrenberger, a cave explorer from Melk , managed to climb a chimney through which he came to the so-called triangular hall . As a result, a research trip was carried out by the “Speleological Working Group Wachau”, during which a huge labyrinth-like network of corridors and shafts was explored. This also includes the largest cave area in Lower Austria, the Melker Dom , 110 m long, 70 m wide and 40 m high. As a result, the corridor length increased to 4053 m by 1985 and to 4131 m by 1990. Possible continuations were explored on renewed research trips by the “Regional Association for Speleology in Vienna and Lower Austria”. By overcoming shafts, chimneys and falls, it was possible to explore more and more new cave parts. A connection to the neighboring money hole that had been suspected for a long time was discovered on April 10, 1994. The total passage length of the cave grew to 16,064 m by 2000.
Course
Upper region
After the spacious entrance area, there is a chimney, the so-called tower , where the second entrance (gorge hole ) also opens. You can get further inside the cave by climbing the 25 m high Gula Wall , further through the triangular hall and then descending into the above-mentioned Melker Dom , which contains house-sized collapse blocks. From there the bat exit leads to the next hall, the 20 m high midnight dome . Here the cave forks into three labyrinthine branches. Broken shafts lead to the central area.
Central area
The labyrinthine central area extends over several floors. The main routes are the Brainless Walk , the Steinmandl Gorge and the Sleepless Walk , which leads down to the planet of the apes . Parallel branch routes allow you to bypass some of the climbing areas; the colorful dogs ' walk , the sleepless walk and the Marthakluft are noteworthy here . Large halls are the caries hall in the north, the Circus Maximus and the waterfall dome in the northeast. In the vicinity of the Circus Maximus , the nozzle , which takes its name from the strong winds passing through it, forms the main descent into the deepest parts of the cave furthest from the day. A branching branch line is the Lilienfelder Gang .
Deepest and most distant parts of the cave
The key shaft leads to the dreamland and the so-called aquarium , a half siphon and the aquarium hall behind it , a part of the cave that has not yet been fully explored. It is located 480 meters below the entry level. Through the narrow nozzle you get to the shaft-like Nordland and the subsequent Einstürzende Neubauten , where two main corridors branch off , in difficult climbing . In a northerly direction you come to the moving hall via the Aenotherostunnel . In a south-easterly direction, a corridor leads over the 32 m high Alzheimer's Hall and the 200 m long horizontal rhinoceros tunnel into the three rhinodomes , a continuation ends in a tumble . In contrast, a gap below the rhinoceros tunnel leads to a 35 m deep shaft demolition, which creates the connection with the money hole.
geology
The Großer Ötscher is formed from Dachstein limestone , partly also from dolomitic rock . The entrances to Geld- and Taubenloch are in pure lime. In deeper layers, especially in the area of the main shafts of the money hole, dolomites with a small proportion of calcite are predominantly present.
fauna
During research in the two caves, the remains of over 3500 mammals were found, including 13 different bat species . The most common mammal species is the mouse ear (Myotis myotis) with over 2400 skeletons found. Often had the whiskered bat , Brandt's bat , Barbastelle and the brown long-eared found. Furthermore, also were pine marten and ermine , and arthropods , blind cave ground beetles found (Arctaphaenops angulipennis styriacus).
Cave sagas
Countless legends have been passed down about both caves. It is reported about the money hole that there are treasures that are guarded by goats, dragons, basilisks and snakes. Allegedly the rich widow Gula lived in Taubenloch. Other legends deal with lakes in the Ötscher and ghosts.
See also
literature
- Helga and Wilhelm Hartmann: The caves of Lower Austria . Ed .: Regional Association for Speleology in Vienna and Lower Austria. tape 3 . Vienna 1985, p. 158-169, 178-198, 200-207 .
- Helga and Wilhelm Hartmann: The caves of Lower Austria . Ed .: Regional Association for Speleology in Vienna and Lower Austria. tape 4 . Vienna 1990, p. 80-88, 89 .
- Helga and Wilhelm Hartmann: The caves of Lower Austria . Ed .: Regional Association for Speleology in Vienna and Lower Austria. tape 5 . Vienna 2000, p. 119–125, 126–133, plan supplement .
- Speleological communications