Obir stalactite caves

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Obir stalactite caves

View through the "shark's mouth" to a cave lake

View through the "shark's mouth" to a cave lake
Location: Hochobir ( Carinthia )
Height : 1078  m above sea level A.
Geographic
location: 		46 ° 30 '34 "  N , 14 ° 32' 54"  E Coordinates: 46 ° 30 '34 "  N , 14 ° 32' 54"  E
Obir stalactite caves (Carinthia)
Obir stalactite caves
Cadastral number: 3925 / 1-3
Geology: Wetterstein Limestone of the southern Limestone Alps
Type: Stalactite cave
Discovery: 1870
Show cave since: 1987/1991
Lighting: electric
Overall length: 5 km (estimated)
Length of the show
cave area: 		800 m
Website: The cave

The Obir stalactite caves ( Slovenian Obirske kapniške jame) are located in the area of ​​the market town of Eisenkappel-Vellach in Carinthia , Austria .

location

The Obir is 2142 meters high and made of Wetterstein limestone. Stalagmites and stalactites form in the caves as a result of seeping surface water . Several caves extend over a total of 5 km.

Discovery, history

Destroyed stalactites

Mining was carried out on the Unterschäffleralpe as early as the 11th century . In 1870 the Bleiberger Mining Union took over this location. The corridors of the stalactite cave system were discovered by the employees of this company . However, parts of the cave were slightly to very badly damaged by the mining work.

Access to the cave is through a 240 meter long tunnel.

There are several natural stone rooms , such as the Long Grotto (3925/2), the Wartburg Cave (3925/3), and the Small Grotto (3925/1) with the chapel .

particularities

  • The "organ" is a 6 meter high and 12 meter wide sinter wall. The row of stalactites looks like organ pipes and this is why this sintered wall is also called an organ .
  • There are small lakes in some parts of the cave.
  • A stalactite that grows as a hook, a so-called eccentrique .

The stalactites

There are several types of stalactites in the cave. The three best known are the stalagmite, the stalactite and the sinter column or tropic stone column. Another type of stalactite is the sinter flag or sinter curtain. This is an almost transparent, veil-like stalactite. There is also an Excentrique in the Small Grotto.

sightseeing

The Obir stalactite caves are open daily from April 19th to October 19th. Based on the story of the miner Marian Rosic , the cave is explained to visitors at 25 interactive stations using multimedia technology. The squire is said to have penetrated the natural caves discovered after a blast in 1870 and broken off one of the stalactites . According to legend, he was then bewitched by the mountain spirits and turned into a stalactite himself.

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. 39-42.

Web links

credentials

  1. ↑ OBIR caves. Höhlen.at, 2020, accessed in 2020 .
  2. ↑ Eisenkappel. Retrieved July 20, 2020 .