Klarahöhle (Upper Austria)
| Klarahöhle
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|---|---|
| Location: | Sengsengebirge , Upper Austria |
| Height : | 1270 m above sea level A. |
| Type: | Stalactite cave |
| Discovery: | 1999 |
| Overall length: | 31,086 m (as of January 2019) |
| Level difference: | 482 m |
| Particularities: | Natural monument |
The Klarahöhle is a giant cave in the Kalkalpen National Park in the Austrian state of Upper Austria .
Discovery and Protection
The stalactite-rich cave in the Sengsengebirge was discovered in autumn 1999 by Helmut Steinmassl , Ralf Cassebaum, Manfred Hiebl, Markus Lutz, Emmerich Wallerberger and Michael Sonnleitner and has been explored since then. The discovery was initially kept secret for two years in order to preserve and measure the cave in its original condition. So far, over 31 kilometers have been explored.
Even after the official announcement of the cave discovery, the Klarahöhle does not remain accessible to everyone. The cave is to be preserved in its original state for research into the formation and development of caves, karst hydrogeology and sedimentation processes in caves, and was immediately placed under monument protection as a natural monument. Cave visits are therefore only permitted for research purposes. This is managed and monitored by a project group consisting of representatives from the Sierning Cave Association , the nature protection department of Upper Austria , the ÖBF and the Kalkalpen National Park .
A decision was made that neither the location nor the coordinates of the entrance or descriptions of the situation or access may be published.
geology
The cave impresses with its size and its location almost on a uniform level as with its formations. The Great Cathedral, for example, is 70 m high, 200 m long and 130 m wide, the stalactite thickness Berta 18 meters high and 2.5 m in diameter.
fauna
So far, six different bat species have been discovered in the cave . A long bone fragment suggests that the cave was temporarily inhabited by cave bears . A cave beetle , Arctaphaenops muellneri , one of the rarest and oldest animal species in the Alpine region, was also discovered.
literature
- Markus Lutz, Helmut Steinmassl: Klarahöhle - mysterious underworld in the Kalkalpen National Park. In: Diversity Nature - Kalkalpen Special National Park , No. 20 (2010), Linz, pp. 4–7 ( pdf , entire magazine, npk.riskommunal.net).
Web links
- Klarahöhle , Province of Upper Austria: Geographical Nature Conservation Information System (GENISYS)
- Newly discovered cave in the Kalkalpen National Park. National Park Austria, April 12, 2005, archived from the original on May 15, 2005 ; Retrieved November 19, 2007 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Extract from the Austrian cave directory . Requested on January 10, 2019
- ↑ Fauna cave beetle Arctaphaenops muellneri , npk.riskommunal.net ( as pdf , ibid.).