Lamprechtsofen

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Lamprechtsofen

Show cave area

Show cave area

Location: Leoganger Steinberge ( Salzburg )
Height : 660  m above sea level A.
Geographic
location:
47 ° 31 '34 "  N , 12 ° 44' 21"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 31 '34 "  N , 12 ° 44' 21"  E
Lamprechtsofen (State of Salzburg)
Lamprechtsofen
Cadastral number: 1324/1
Geology: Dachstein Limestone
Type: active water cave, high alpine cave
Overall length: 60 km
Level difference: 1735 m
Length of the show
cave area:
700 m - with 70 vertical meters

The Lamprechtsofen (also: Lamprechtshöhle ) is a cave that has been known for centuries in the Leoganger Steinberge in the state of Salzburg . The cave has so far been explored over a length of 60 kilometers and is considered the longest cave in Salzburg.

Location and hydrography

The entrance to the cave is in the Saalachtal , directly on Pinzgauer Straße  (B311) between Lofer and Saalfelden , near the village of Obsthurn .

The cave system extends over more than 1600 meters in altitude. The cave creek of the Lamprechtsofen is the main drainage of the Leogang Steinberge. Marking tests have shown that its catchment area extends to the uppermost parts of the Ebersbergkares on the Birnhorn. There is a second exit discovered in 1998 at an altitude of 2296  m . The Wieserloch, which is also in the cirque, is geologically similar, but drains to the Vorderkasergraben, a side valley of the Schidergraben near Obsthurn.

The pouring of the Lamprechtsofen giant karst spring is only around 10 l / s in winter, and over 1000 l / s were measured in strong water, especially after the snowmelt and during downpours. While the winter runoff speed of the entire system is 33 meters per hour, at the time of the snowmelt it was determined to be 330 m / h.

The air temperature in the cave is around 4–6 ° C all year round.

History and exploration

Oven is a common name here for a narrow rock formation.

For centuries, the Lamprechtsofen was the target of treasure hunters who suspected that the Knight Lamprecht had hidden treasure there . Earlier skeleton finds in the corridors and halls near the entrance show that some had to lose their lives. The treasure hunt was even an occasion to notify the archbishop's authorities. The dean of Saalfelden, Jakob Zäller, was even instructed in 1722: "You have to request the secular authorities that the spelunces in the so-called Lamprechts-Ofen Loferer court be completely walled up with the next." This happened in 1723. Nevertheless, treasure hunters managed to penetrate again and again. In 1833, forester v. Ferchl a cave tour. To make it easier to find the way back, he laid out a piece of string and made the first sketch. The systematic exploration of the Lamprechtsofen hole began in 1878 with the cave explorer Anton von Posselt-Czorich (1854–1911).

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Lamprechtsofen was systematically researched and measured for the first time by members of the State Association for Speleology in Salzburg. In 1899 the Passau Alpine Club section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club leased the cave and in 1904 built a researcher's hut in front of the cave. 700 meters of the cave were opened to the public and the viewing section opened on July 30, 1905. A sensation at the time was the electric lighting with 280 colored light bulbs. The electricity for this came from a small power station with a pressure pipe 52 m under a small dam on the Höhlenbach at the upper end of the Stainerhalle. In 1974/75 the cave was connected to the public electricity network.

The mayor of Lofer Johann Stainer († 1937) promoted further research, the Stainerhalle is named after him.

For many years the Bocksee , a siphon lake , formed the end of the accessible area. It was not until 1962 that divers from the Salzburg Cave Club managed to overcome this obstacle. In order to enable further exploration of the cave, the ceiling of the Bocksee siphon was first blown off. However, since the intervention changed the cave climate, the siphon was later installed again and bypassed with a short, closable tunnel.

In numerous expeditions in the following decades, many new parts of the cave were discovered, explored and measured. This turned out to be more and more technically demanding, as the entrance of the Lamprechtsofen is almost the deepest point of the cave and from there it is mostly uphill. Numerous wall steps, gaps and shafts have to be conquered from below, inflatables are necessary to cross some lakes and rivers and diving equipment is necessary to overcome siphons.

After climbing more than 1000 meters inside, the Lamprechtsofen was considered the highest cave in the world. The end points could only be reached by tours lasting several days, which made further investigations difficult, especially because of the laborious transport of materials. It was therefore decided to look for a second entrance from the Leogang Steinberge plateau. In the 1990s, research groups from Poland in particular tried to find such an access in expeditions lasting several weeks; In 1998 the second exit could be found on the Ebersbergkar. The Lamprechtsofen was for several years the deepest cave in the world with an altitude difference of over 1600 m . The ascent from above takes several days and is difficult and dangerous despite the built-in ropes. The research is still ongoing.

Development

Around 700 meters are open to tourists as a show cave . In the summer months (May to October) the cave is open every day. For the more experienced, guided tours of several hours away from the show caves and also during the closing months are offered by arrangement.

Already in the Chancellor's Cave, in the middle part of the show cave, a gate leads to the researcher part. A locked grid at the end of the visitor's section allows a view into the depths of the cave.

The Lamprechtsofen is currently known as the longest cave in Salzburg and it is one of the most difficult caves in the world. Due to the variety of lakes, waterfalls and gorges, the cave system is considered extremely attractive by experts. The research part is typically done in winter, as the lower water level enables better progress. Most of the parts can only be walked on when there is frost, as many passages can be completely submerged when there is heavy rainfall or when the snow melts.

At the cave entrance there is an inn ( Obsthurn  28).

Incidents

The low point (siphon) a little way inside the entrance can close when the water level rises in heavy rainfall and has repeatedly blocked people's exit from the cave. For such cases, an emergency camp with blankets, some provisions and an emergency telephone has been set up within this location for some time.

  • On August 5, 2016, when the water rose, numerous cave visitors came out, a 7-year-old boy was somehow washed out. Seven people stayed in the cave for up to four hours. It was only about two hours after the cave rescue was alerted at 3:22 p.m. that the water had fallen so far that the rescuers who had been equipped could enter. For another two hours the soaked, hypothermic people came out through the water, which was barely knee-deep, children were carried. The restaurateur at the entrance to the cave had not let any visitors into the cave for a while before the alarm.
  • On August 28, 2013, a similar case affected as many as 26 guests.
  • On June 29, 2002, a 62-year-old broke when she tried to reach the exit despite the high water.
  • On September 5, 1998, 16 people, including 6 children, were trapped.
  • On January 4, 1991, a well-equipped speleologist expedition was arrested from the water in the cave. A 17-person rescue team with two divers brought the 3 men and 1 woman to safety.
  • In the 18th century, 14 human skeletons were found and the places were marked with crosses.
  • In 1723, when fatal accidents became known, the entrance was walled up, but treasure hunters and adventurers still got into the cave.

literature

  • Robert Bouchal, Josef Wirth: Cave Guide Austria - Over 100 caves with sketches, plans, access descriptions and 150 photos . Pichler Verlag, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-85431-234-2 , pp. 155-158.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Worlds Longest Caves. NSS Geo2, Bob Gulden, May 6, 2019, accessed July 1, 2019 .
  2. a b c d e Gerhard Völkl: The latest deep advances in Austrian caves from the point of view of the karst hydrologist. In: Karl Mais, Heinrich Mrkos, Robert Seemann (Red.): Files of the International Symposium on the History of Speleology Vienna 1979 , Series Scientific Supplements to the Journal "Die Höhle" 31, Regional Association for Speleology in Vienna and Lower Austria, Vienna 1984, p. 89, col. 2 f, whole article p. 88–90, PDF on ZOBODAT there p. 92 f.
  3. ^ Alois Eder: Das Lamprechtsofenloch , Salzburger Nachrichten, June 22, 2012, last accessed August 11, 2016.
  4. Seven trapped people from cave liberated orf.at, August 5, 2016, accessed August 11, 2016.