Nidlenloch

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The cave entrance, stainless steel chains to secure yourself

The Nidlenloch is a karst cave and a nature reserve in the municipality of Oberdorf in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland .

geography

The cave entrance is at 1274  m above sea level. M. on the northwest flank of the Weissenstein . The system has a total length of 7,561 meters and descends up to 407 meters. The cave is first mentioned in 1828. In 1909 it was considered the deepest cave in the world. For a long time it figured as the deepest cave in the Swiss Jura ; it is largely fossil and inactive.

The cave is laid out in the layers of the Sequan limestone (Malm) sloping to the north , and the corridors drop to the north according to the course of the strata. In the middle part of the cave there is a partly labyrinthine horizontal system. There are small rivulets locally.

history

In 1868 the engineer Moser created a floor plan and side plan of the then known cave parts on a scale of 1: 1,000. A series of expeditions followed between 1889 and 1891, during which several small shafts were overcome with the help of rope ladders. In 1937 and 1938 the cave was measured again. In the following years the Nidlenloch was often visited, but further research did not start again until 1975 by the Nidlenloch Research Association (AGN).

The Nidlenloch is visited by around 3,000 people every year. The entrance is closed by a massive grille; You can get the key in exchange for a deposit and a modest entrance fee at the Gasthof Hinter Weissenstein . The Nidlenloch is usually open from Wednesday to Sunday. Guided tours are also offered.

Literature (chronological)

  • Tom Herrmann, Rudolf Glutz: Cave inventory in the area of ​​the Weissenstein and Faltisberg range. In: Stalactite. 58, 1, 2008, p. 56 ff.
  • Werner Heiniger: The Nidlenloch experience. AGN and Speleo Projects, Basel 1997, ISBN 3-908495-04-0 .
  • Christian Preiswerk, Andres Wildberger: Karst and caves of Switzerland. Basel 1997, ISBN 3-908495-05-9 .
  • Roland Rolf Vuille: “Nidlenloch” giant cave system in the Weissenstein. Notes for inspections. Self-published, Lenzburg 1979, ISBN 3-85972-001-6 .
  • Fritz Kormann, W. Kulli: The Nidlenloch . Verlag Paul Haupt, Bern 1939, 2nd edition. Bern 1943 (Reprint from the communications of the Natural Research Society Bern)

Web links

gallery

  • Entrance with iron gate; Information board about the cantonal nature reserve

  • The "maiden slip" (bottleneck)

  • In the main course after the maiden hatch

  • The petrefacts corridor

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tom Herrmann: New measurement of Nidlenloch - a comparison. In: Files of the 13th National Speleological Congress. 2012, p. 260, accessed on August 11, 2016.
  2. ↑ Gasthof Hinter Weissenstein , accessed on August 10, 2016.

Coordinates: 47 ° 15 '6.3 "  N , 7 ° 29' 3.8"  E ; CH1903:  603464  /  233 429