Langenstein cave dwellings

Entrances to the cave dwellings along the cave road on Schäferberg

Altenburg Cave

The Langenstein cave dwellings are twelve cave dwellings in the district of Langenstein in the Harz district in Saxony-Anhalt , which belongs to the city of Halberstadt .

location

Two of the apartments are in the area of the former Altenburg , the other ten apartments are on Schäferberg . Here some apartments are laid out in the form of a street.

Architecture and history

The first two cave dwellings were built after the Altenburg was abandoned. Two existing caves in the area of the castle were converted into apartments. A first apartment existed here since 1787. In the period from 1855 to 1858, ten apartments were then carved into the sandstone rock on Schäferberg. There was a considerable housing shortage in Langenstein. Several young families from Langenstein and workers from the Goslar area urgently needed living space. A request from the village mayor in Hinze to the District Administrator Gustav von Gustedt to support the community in creating living space was rejected. The local council decided that the possibility of creating cave dwellings should be given. The cliffs were sold to those willing to build for eight groschen each.

The work was carried out by the apartment hunters with hammer, pickaxe and chisel and lasted between two and five months. The small, approximately 30 m² apartments had similar layouts and each had a living room, bedroom, children's room and a storage room. Chimneys, under which originally brick stoves were located, lead up through the rock. The only building materials required were a door and a window. The dividing walls between the rooms were formed by standing rock. Only the front rooms had natural light. Gaps above the doors and chimneys should allow air to circulate, which should prevent mold and moisture from building up on the walls.

There were pastures above the caves. Grazing with sheep and goats was intended to prevent encroachment and tree growth. There was the mocking verse: In Langenstein, in Langenstein, de Schaape shot into chimneys!

One of the apartments is called the Schmidthöhle. To the left of the entrance is a memorial plaque with the life dates of the married couple Karoline (1825–1909) and Ludwig Schmidt (1829–1910) who lived here. Ludwig Schmidt worked as a barrel organ player.

The use of the cave dwellings for residential purposes was essentially given up between 1900 and 1910. In some cases, the use as an apartment was terminated beforehand and small houses were placed in front of the caves, which then served as stables or storage rooms. The last apartment was given up in 1916. The use as animal stalls or storage cellars continued until around 1990.

Through the commitment of the Langensteiner Höhlenwohnungen eV association , after 1990 some of the former apartments were renovated and made accessible to the public.