Atta cave

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Atta cave

Atta Cave.jpg
Location: Attendorn , Germany
Geographic
location:
51 ° 7 '30 "  N , 7 ° 54' 56"  E Coordinates: 51 ° 7 '30 "  N , 7 ° 54' 56"  E
Atta Cave (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Atta cave
Type: Stalactite cave
Discovery: 1907
Show cave since: 1907
Lighting: electric
Overall length: 6670 meters
Length of the show
cave area:
1800 meters
Particularities: most visited show cave in Germany
Website: official page

The Atta cave or Attendorner stalactite cave in Attendorn is one of the largest and most beautiful stalactite caves in Germany , not least because of its diversity and color . With around 150,000 to 200,000 visitors a year, it is the most popular German show cave and an important economic factor for the city, alongside the Teufelshöhle near Pottenstein (156,100 visitors on average between 2006 and 2010) .

The peculiarities include many sintered plumes that are colored by iron oxides. Furthermore, stalactites , stalagmites and stalagnates can be seen. Some parts of calcite crystal formations were brought into the public area of ​​the cave to be displayed there.

Discovery story

Postcard from the time of discovery

The cave was discovered during the demolition of limestone in the quarry of the Biggetaler Kalkwerke on July 19, 1907 and opened up for tourism by the owner in the same year. The cave is owned by the heirs of the quarry owner at the time, Eberhardt Epe.

Other parts of the cave were discovered in 1985 by a group of cave explorers led by Elmar Hammerschmidt. The total length of the cave explored so far is 6000 meters, the exploration has not been completed.

Emergence

The formation of the cave began in the Devonian approx. 400 million years ago, when the area of ​​today's cave was still in a sea bay. In the limestone layers deposited at that time, cavities formed over time due to carbonic acid weathering due to seeping in rainwater and mixture corrosion . See also: Attendorn-Elsper double trough .

In an earthquake several thousand years ago, some stalactites broke off. The cave is inhabited by bats that enter through crevices in the mountain top.

Development

Advertising postcard from 1910

There is a 500 meter long circular path available for the show cave operation. It is accessed by an approximately 90 meter long tunnel through which visitors are led. The original entrance to the north of today's entrance is now closed with a metal door. Cheese is stored in part of the cave and is sold as Atta cheese . A door should reduce the spread of the smell.

Public perception of the Atta cave

According to the Tourist Association of South Sauerland, the cave has already been visited by more than 40 million people. The high admission price and the ban on photography in the cave are criticized. The length of the show cave area of ​​1800 m specified by the operator is incorrect. In fact, the length of the path is only about 560 m.

Protection expulsion

North-eastern edge of the Atta Cave nature reserve

For many years the Atta Cave was designated as a natural monument of the Atta Cave . In 2006, the landscape plan No. 3 Attendorn - Heggen - Helden was designated as a nature reserve (NSG) Atta cave with a size of 13.25 hectares . In the same year the NSG area was also designated as a Fauna-Flora-Habitat- Area Attendorn stalactite cave . In addition to the cave, a large part of the Stürzenberg, under which the cave is located, belongs to the NSG. This includes u. a. the former limestone quarry north of the cave, about 250 m long. The quarry has a quarry wall up to 60 m high. On the ridge there is a cultural landscape complex with forest, grassland, hedges, field trees and limestone grass remains to the NSG. The grassland is partly made up of oat and Wiesenknopf Stilgen meadows. The forest is partly a canyon forest and a mixed slope forest .

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Jürgen Fischbach: Development of an operational tourism marketing concept for the Olpe district. (PDF file: 6.6 MB) 2009, accessed September 26, 2010 .
  2. Legal notice of the official website
  3. Leisure and action in the South Sauerland holiday region. Tourist working group Süd-Sauerland ( Memento from October 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  4. Jochen Duckeck: The Attendorner cave.