Lions den near Altdorf
The Löwengrube is an artificially created rock cellar and is located south of Altdorf near Nuremberg .
description
The lion's den consists of a spacious rock cellar and a rock gallery, which was previously used as a bowling alley . The whole area was previously used as a quarry . The Löwengrube, formerly the Löwengruft, was named after Friedrich Gottlieb von Löwenstern , who contributed significantly to its development. The lion's den is one of the most beautiful natural monuments around Altdorf.
Geotope
The lions' den is designated by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment as geotope 574G001. See also the list of geotopes in the district of Nürnberger Land .
geology
About 200 million years ago, in the transition period between Triassic (Upper Keuper = Rhät) and Jura (Lias), there was a shallow inland sea in Central Franconia in the northwest and the mainland in the southeast. Fine-grained and sandy sediments were deposited in this sea , which later solidified into clay and sandstone. Since it is not possible to clearly distinguish which of the rocks are to be assigned to the Rhaetian and which to the Lias, these are known as the Rhaet- Lias transition layers. The water formed a small Rhätschlucht gorge at the connection to the lions' den. On the upper slopes and on the upper reaches of the small brook, which soon flows into the Schwarzach , you will mainly find light-colored Rhätsandstein.
history
The original quarry supplied the construction site of the former university building of the city of Altdorf (today Wichernhaus ) with fine-grain sandstone from 1571 to 1575 . The ashlar material that the Altdorf citizens needed to build the city wall in the 14th and 15th centuries was also partially dismantled here. On the “Grasigen Weg”, teams of oxen transport the stones to the old town. Subsequently, the place fell into oblivion again.
It was rediscovered on March 11, 1686, by the court master Johann Christian Christ. Together with the patrician sons Haller and Löffelholz , Baron Friedrich Gottlieb von Löwenstern and the table company of Professor Daniel Moller (Rector at the University of Altdorf ) we managed to clear the wilderness. Seating groups carved into the rock and “seat and position for trumpeters and drummers” in an elevated position complement the future fairground. Over the gate in the rock they scratched the saying: "Whoever is not consecrated to our life should never enter the cave".
At Easter 1686 the area was inaugurated by Altdorf students and subsequently used for many boozy celebrations. Forbidden student duels also took place at this “pleasure place” . When the university was closed in 1809, a group of citizens with the right to brew beer laid a beer cellar on the site and a bowling alley in a second, elongated cave in a rock arch hall with arched openings on the sides. Both are still clearly recognizable today.
In the 19th century, masses of water caused great damage to the facility. In 1886, under the seminar teacher Johann Böhm, after the restoration of the lion's den, the 200th anniversary of its existence is celebrated.
Auer's beer cellar
In the Löwengrube, the Felsenkellern and the nearby Auer'schen Bierkeller there have long been no student festivities. Today the Auer'sche Bierkeller is sometimes used for art exhibitions.
Access
Today the lion's den is a near-tourist destination. The basement is freely accessible at your own risk. It can be easily reached from Altdorf via a hiking trail marked with a white 3 on a green background (see OpenStreetMap for the route under circular hiking trail 3, Löwengrube).
literature
- Hundred years of memory of the pleasure place near Altdorf, called the lion's den. In: Journal from and for Germany. 1786, Sixth Piece, pp. 529-530 ( digital copy )
Individual evidence
- ↑ According to Christoph Gottlieb von Murr : Description of the most distinguished peculiarities in the imperial city of Nuremberg in its districts and at the University of Altdorf: In addition to an appendix , Wolf-Penkeri, 1801, p. 602, the term lion crypt was still used in 1801. There is also a reference to a Latin poem on the history of its origin from 1726
- ↑ Geotope: Felsenkeller south of Altdorf (Löwengrube) (accessed on March 20, 2020)
- ↑ Art exhibition Auer'scher Bierkeller ( Memento of the original from September 11, 2011 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.
- ↑ Openstreetmap: Altdorf circular hiking trail No. 3
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 22 ′ 24 ″ N , 11 ° 21 ′ 15 ″ E