Hirlatz cave

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Hirlatz cave

Main portal of the Hirlatz cave

Main portal of the Hirlatz cave
Location: Upper Austria , Austria
Height : 870  m above sea level A.
Geographic
location: 		47 ° 32 '42.7 "  N , 13 ° 37' 56.6"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 32 '42.7 "  N , 13 ° 37' 56.6"  E
Hirlatzhöhle (Upper Austria)
Hirlatz cave
Cadastral number: 1546/7
Type: Karst cave
Discovery: 1949 by Karl Pilz from Hallstatt
Overall length: 112,929 m (measured, as of 09/2018)
Level difference: 1,560 m (measured, as of 09/2018)
Particularities: Natural monument (nd600, nature conservation book, Province of Upper Austria)
Website: Hallstatt / Obertraun cave association

The Hirlatz Cave on the northern flank of the Hirlatz in the Dachstein Mountains near Hallstatt is currently the third longest known cave in Austria with an explored length of over 112 km and the second deepest cave in Austria with a depth of 1560 m. The deepest point is at 443 m above sea level and thus 65 m below the water level of the nearby Lake Hallstatt . As of September 30, 2018, the Hirlatz cave is the 20th longest and 9th deepest cave in the world.

Geographical

The system stretches from Oberfeld in the east to the Gamskogel in the west. The east-west extension is 5445 m, the north-south extension 3662 m. The cave extends vertically over 1560 meters, it reaches from 2003  m down to 443  m above sea level.

The cave has six entrances. Three of them are only usable for divers , another is located on a steep rock face. Due to these circumstances, there is in fact only one usable entrance for efficient exploration, which entails costly expeditions of several days, especially in areas far away from the day.

research

Polygon plan of the cave, blue = deep places, red = high places (November 2010)

Research is still ongoing in the Hirlatz cave. The research is coordinated by the Association for Speleology Hallstatt-Obertraun . The cave is closed all year round. To pass a fall, a demolition was carried out in the course of a drive. Step aids, footbridges and ladders make it easier for research teams to navigate, but this is only possible in the months from January to March, as at other times of the year the water level can fluctuate very quickly at some points in height and repeatedly leads to flooding.

A big success was the merger with the What u Got Pot (Formerly melt water cave achieved cadastral no. 1543/173). This shaft cave was explored and documented by British researchers up to a length of 7,191 m between 2007 and 2018. A horizontal system was approached 830 meters below the entrance, from there it was possible to climb into the Hirlatz cave on September 6, 2018. Further research successes can be expected in this area in the future.

A significant increase in length was created by the merger of the Upper Brandgraben Cave (cadastre no. 1546/6) with the Hirlatz Cave on December 28, 2011 by the cave diver Gerhard Wimmer. The length of the Hirlatz cave exceeded the 100 km mark for the first time at 100,068 m. The known depth at that time was 1,073 m.

A huge vent called Dark Star, which has already been explored more than 270 meters in height and extends even further up, proves to be an obstacle to further research inside the cave, but where climbing is made difficult by loose rock. It was hoped to find a connection further up in a largely unexplored cave area called Wadiland. The Wadiland, in which a large tunnel estimated to be at least 80 meters wide, can otherwise only be reached through a 200-meter-long siphon , which cannot be negotiated for dry research. Dives, on the other hand, are time-consuming to organize because the equipment first has to be transported into the interior of the cave through numerous bottlenecks for several days.

In January 2005, Ulrich Meyer dived through two siphons in the east of the Hirlatz cave. This dive at such a great distance of 11,500 m from the cave entrance is a world record.

natural reserve

In Austria, caves are in principle (ex-lege) under strict nature protection. This cave was also declared a natural monument in 1971 ( nd600 (number in the nature protection book of the state of Upper Austria), Hallstatt and Obertraun ). The area is located in the core zone of the UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape of Hallstatt – Dachstein / Salzkammergut  ( WHS 806 ) and in the Dachstein European and nature reserve ( bird protection and FFH area , AT3101000 / EU02 ; N098 ).

bad luck

On February 28, 2016, 54-year-old cave explorer Stefan D. from Germany, a member of a five-person group of German and Czech researchers, suddenly collapsed in the cave 2 km from the entrance. Two men got out and were able to alert Hallstatt Mountain Rescue at 7:30 a.m. The doctor was with the casualty at 1 p.m. and determined his death and rigor mortis. The body was brought to the surface on the same day by the Austrian cave rescue service.

literature

  • ARGE Hirlatzhöhlendocumentation (ed.): The Hirlatzhöhle in the Dachstein . CD-Rom, Henndorf 2001, ISBN 3-9500833-1-6 .
  • Gottfried Buchegger, Walter Greger (Red.): The Hirlatzhöhle in the Dachstein , ARGE Hirlatzhöhlenbuch, Hallstatt 1998, ISBN 3-9500833-0-8 .
  • M. Meyberg, B. Rinne: Diving in the Hirlatz cave. The Hirlatzhöhle im Dachstein , Red. G. Buchegger and W. Greger, PYTHEAS Verlag Budapest, Hallstatt 1998.

Research, chronological:

  • P. Seethaler: Research in the "west" of the Hirlatzhöhle from 2007 to 2011. In: Höhlenkundliche Verein information des Verein für Höhlenkunde Hallstatt-Obertraun, vol. 27, Obertraun 2011, pp. 10-14 ( pdf , land-oberoesterreich.gv.at ). - Cover picture by Jeff Wade: The "Dark Star Chimney" in the "Sahara"
  • P. Riha: Through the cauldron into the Hirlatz cave. In: Höhlenkundliche Vereininformation , vol. 26, Obertraun 2006, pp. 7–9 ( pdf , land-oberoesterreich.gv.at).
  • A. Achleitner: Micro-hair dryer effects in the Hirlatz cave. In: Höhlenkundliche Vereininformation vol. 25, Obertraun 2004, pp. 23-27 ( pdf , land-oberoesterreich.gv.at).
  • P. Hübner: push into Wadiland , speleological Association Information , Vol. 22, Hallstatt 2000, pp 43-47.

Web links

Commons : Hirlatzhöhle  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 113 km cave labyrinth in the Dachstein orf.at, September 30, 2018, accessed October 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ Die Hirlatzhöhle, documentation on Servus TV, 2010, broadcast on January 4, 2013.
  3. ^ Wimmer Gerhard: Hirlatzhöhle connected with the Oberer Brandgrabenhöhle , January 9, 2012.
  4. ^ Decision of the Federal Monuments Office of March 25, 1971, Zl. 2312/71.
    Information in Gerhard W. Mandl (author chapter 2): Pilot project "Karstwasser Dachstein" . Volume 2: Karst hydrology and risk of contamination of springs . In: Geologische Bundesanstalt (Hrsg.): Archive for deposit research . tape 21 (= monographs volume 108 - M-108). Vienna 2001, 2.4 Geological natural monuments in the Dachstein region , 15. Hirlatzhöhle , p. 42 ( pdf , googledrive.com [accessed on April 10, 2014] (not available on October 1, 2018)).     pdf ( Memento of the original from April 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.googledrive.com
  5. ↑ Dachstein European Protected Area (bird sanctuary and FFH area, AT3101000) , Dachstein nature reserve in the communities of Gosau, Hallstatt and Obertraun , Genisys
  6. ↑ http://www.nachrichten.at/oberoesterreich/Forscher-in-Hallstaetter-Hoehle-zendung-tot;art4,2162927 nachrichten.at, February 28, 2016, 3:56 pm, accessed March 1, 2016.
  7. ↑ http://ooe.orf.at/news/stories/2760195/ Herztod in Höhle after 17 hours of work, orf.at, February 29, 2016, accessed March 1, 2016.