The Caves of Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany

If you don’t think about caves when you think about Germany, you’re not alone. I surely didn’t think about caves when discussing Germany before my recent trip to Baden-Württemberg and the Swabian Alb. However, my recent visit into this gorgeous region truly changed that. The Swabian Alb has thousands of caves connecting together underneath the mountains. There are twelve caves open to the public in this cave system, and a former mine can be explored, as well, making thirteen structures you can explore within the mountain. Of these twelve caves that you can visit, we explored a few of them ourselves, and I’m thrilled to share my experiences here with you below!

It’s important to note that aside form these twelve caves open to the public, the other caves are currently being explored and mapped out by professional explorers and certified cave divers. Scientists have been able to tell where the caves are underneath the mountain by noting surface lines. Because the caves make the land drop in a bit, surface lines can show them where the caves are prior to exploration. But without further ado, let’s discuss the caves that are open to the public! Here are the caves of Baden-Württemberg that you must visit.

The Wimsener Höhle

The Wimsener Höhle is the only water cave open for people to visit in Germany. It receives about 50,000 visitors per year and is open to visitors from April until October. It’s always between 8 degrees Celsius to 12 degrees Celsius (45 to 53 degrees Fahrenheit) within the cave as you float through being guided on a small boat, so make sure you dress for chilly weather while floating on the water. While I was excited to go on a boat ride within the cave, the weather in Germany had produced flooding at the time we went, so the water exiting the cave was 6 times more powerful than it normally is (and much higher), making the conditions impossible for a boat ride.

But we can’t mention the Wimsener Höhle without bringing up the gorgeous village of Wimsen that it sits nestled in. Wimsen is, without a doubt, the most gorgeous little village I’ve seen to date. And that’s saying a lot. It looked like a picturesque view out of a fairy tale with high mountains, German architecture, and flowing crystal blue water. We were lucky enough to tour the mill in Wimsen, which is still working just as it was in older times, and look at how the water created the energy within. It was quite a special sight to see. They host wedding venues in the mill, and I can definitely see why it’s a popular spot for events. There are also 21 trails in the area, as it is a very popular hiking site. We followed one of the trails alongside the river, past the mill, and down into the woods, and it was as if we were hiking in a world of faeries and magical tales.

Höhle Fels

The Höhle Fels is truly a remarkable site, standing as the largest cave you can visit in this cave system in the Swabian Alb without having to go diving. It’s one of the 5 caves in this system that serves as a UNESCO World Heritage site because there have been some remarkable artifacts found within this cave. Within the archaeological site within this cave, scientists found tens of thousands of cave bear bones, a swan flute made of mammoth ivory, many tools made out of flint, and the oldest prehistoric statue found to date, the Venus of the Höhle Fels. To read all about these pieces and more, check out THIS ARTICLE HERE!

As you first walk into the Höhle Fels, you’ll see a narrower entrance into the larger cave structure. This entrance is the active archaeological digging site the scientists are currently working on, so you are able to see the layers of civilization unearthed in sections within the cave entrance. The site is surrounded by sandbags to keep the digging site from flooding with water.

Then, as you move further into the cave, the large main portion of the cave reveals itself, and it is a sight to behold! The cave towers high above you, and the open chamber allows for you to walk up many levels to look down on those entering into the cave. The biodiversity of this cave along with the goldmine of unique prehistoric artifacts found here make it an exceptionally spectacular place to visit.

The Blautopf in Blaubeuren & Cave Underneath

The Blautopf (German for Blue Pot) is an incredibly blue spring that sits in Blaubeuren, Germany. It feeds into and connects with the cave system mentioned above in the Swabian Alb. Specifically, there is a water cave underneath of the Blautopf that connects with that system that divers have been exploring. Sitting in a picturesque landscape with a watermill strumming away within it and towering mountains behind it, the Blautopf is something paintings are surely made of. Why is the water so blue? Geologists believe it is a mixture of the limestone particles within the caves mixing with the reflection of the perfectly blue sky that makes the Blautopf so blue. While the Blautopf is exceptionally beautiful to see, I had to include it in this piece because of its connection within the complex cave system of Germany’s Baden-Württemberg.

Tiefenhöhle

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Weird World Adventures of Malorie Mackey (@maloriesadventures)

Laichinger Tiefenhöhle is one of the twelve show caves located in this system; however, it is the only vertical cave in this system open to guests at this time. It is exceptionally special not just because guests get to go all the way down and explore the environment of a vertical cave but also because it has such high geodiversity. It’s closed each year from November until Easter to protect the bats that come and hibernate within it, and it’s specifically a UNESCO Geopark because of its biodiversity. In fact, within the cave, you will find lamp flora growing. What is lamp flora? While caves don’t grow any flora and fauna thanks to their lack of sunlight, scientists have found that the artificial lamps put within the cave, when put in an environment with enough water, start growing plants, IE lamp fauna, around the light sources. It’s a very curious sight to see.

As you enter this cave, you will find yourself quickly going down many steep ladder-like stairwells down to the bottom of the cave. You go down 55 meters (180 feet) deep on your visit, curving around narrow stairwells as you stop to admire the beautiful formations of the cave, but the actual cave itself is 80 meters (262 feet) deep.

This cave was easily my favorite because on top of the biodiversity and unique formations, it makes you feel like a true adventurer as you go deep within the heart of the cave and them climb steeply back out. Specifically, on the way out, you will see the “hall of rain”, a passageway that continually drips water on you, making you feel as if you’ve been rained on. Because of this, it’s a good idea to wear a waterproof jacket in the cave, even on warm summer days, as the temperatures are chilly and damp down in there. As I climbed out of this cave in particular, wet from the dripping water, having passed by gorgeous cave formation after gorgeous cave formation, exhausted from the incline of ladder-like stairs, I felt like a true cave explorer.

The show cave system of the Swabian Alb in Baden-Württemberg is truly exceptional with a diverse array of caves that you can visit. From the archaeological hotspot of the Höhle Fels to the beauty of the Wimsenhöhle, to the adventurous feel of Tiefenhöhle, I hope you visit this area and get a true feel for the wonderful natural, historic adventure that is Germany.