Cousin cave
| Cousin cave
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 The large central hall in the Vetterhöhle (Walhalla) |
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| Location: | Swabian Alb . | |
| Height : | 580 m above sea level NN | |
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Geographic location: |
48 ° 25 '1 " N , 9 ° 46' 39" E | |
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| Cadastral number: | 7524 / 30a | |
| Type: | air-filled cave | |
| Discovery: | 2006 | |
| Overall length: | 2746 m | |
| Level difference: | 66 m | |
| Particularities: | Part of the blue cave system | |
| Website: | www.vetterhoehle.de | |
The Vetterhöhle is a karst cave in the Swabian Alb near the Blautopf near Blaubeuren and part of the blue cave system .
The Vetterhöhle was connected to the Blautopfhöhle in autumn 2006 . So there is now a dry access to the cloud castle of the Blautopfhöhle.
To what extent these new discoveries will affect the controversially discussed age of karstification of the Swabian Alb (see Jochen Hasenmayer's theory) remains to be seen.
Research history
In the mid-1950s, Karl Vetter, a citizen of Blaubeur, became aware of a karst crevice filled with debris from a cold air stream. Together with some friends, he dug a few meters into the depth at this point, without success. Since a connection with the nearby Blautopf was suspected at that time, some cave researchers working with Manfred Keller carried out another, equally unsuccessful, excavation a few meters below the old excavation site in the early 1960s.
In 2002 the Cave and Karst Grabenstetten working group began to free the karst crevices from their backfilling using mining construction techniques . In spring 2006, natural cavities were approached for the first time through the excavated access shaft at a depth of 35 m. In the months that followed, the cave explorers discovered several large halls, including the "Walhalla" - one of the largest karst cavities in the German low mountain range with an extension of 70 m in length, 40 m in width and 35 m in height . Parts of the cave are decorated with considerable sinter formations .
The course and dimensions of the cave corridors support the thesis that the Vetterhöhle is an old, dry branch of the blue cave system.
This connection to the Blautopf cave was discovered in autumn 2006, as the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft Blautopf” and the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft Höhle und Karst Grabenstetten” confirmed on October 5th, 2006.
From January 2008 to July 2009 another entrance shaft was dug at the northern end of the cave, which on the one hand should ensure permanent access for cave research and on the other hand will facilitate research in the previously difficult to access area.
From November 23, 2008, the newly founded "Höhlenverein Blaubeuren eV" took over the care of the Vetterhöhle.
In mid-November 2009 the Blaubeuren cave association installed a wireless telemetry system in the Vetter cave . Every half an hour it delivers a measured value of the water and air temperature at various points, as well as the water level in the cloud castle and in the branch hall. The data are forwarded directly to an internet server via cellular radio from an outdoor station that is wirelessly connected to two stations in the cave.
The discovery shaft, begun in 2002, was completely built with logs. In order to anticipate stability problems in the wood, the planning of a new shaft was started in 2011 and a high-frequency bearing was carried out for precise localization. The excavation was prepared by means of 18 boreholes with a diameter of 10 cm each in a circle and additional weakening boreholes in the middle to a depth of 22 m. The shaft was sunk from August 2012 . A basement with a lid makes entry easier and offers space for built-in components. Due to the rock conditions, the excavation could be completed at the end of 2017 with the installation of a folded spiral duct with a diameter of 1.1 m and a ladder. The discovery shaft was closed and filled in July 2018.
Show cave plans
Access to the cave is closed to the public, but the city of Blaubeuren is already considering making parts of the Vetterhöhle accessible to the public. At the beginning of June 2008, the Blaubeuren municipal council commissioned an engineering office to prepare a feasibility study for expanding the cave with guide paths and electrical lighting. However, a decision has not yet been made about expanding it into a show cave .
Web links
- Homepage of the Vetterhöhle with telemetry data
- Homepage of the Blaubeuren cave association
- Information website of the city of Blaubeuren
- Information on the merger of the Blau- and Vetterhöhle
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Swabian Alb cave register, status: February 2019
- ↑ Höhlenverein-Blaubeuren eV - CaveLink telemetry system. Retrieved February 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Höhlenverein-Blaubeuren eV - Vetterhöhle 2007-2012. Retrieved February 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Höhlenverein-Blaubeuren eV - Vetterhöhle 2013-2015. Retrieved February 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Höhlenverein-Blaubeuren eV - Vetterhöhle 2016-2018. Retrieved February 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Höhlenverein-Blaubeuren eV - July 20th, 2018: Dismantling of the discovery shaft of the Vetterhöhle. Retrieved February 21, 2019 .