Atta Cave

The Atta cave or Attendorner stalactite cave in Attendorn is one of the largest and most beautiful caves in Germany. Today, it is with every year approximately 150,000 to 200,000 visitors next to the Devil's Cave in stone pot ( 156,100 visitors on average in the years 2006 to 2010) the most visited show cave in German and is an important economic factor for the city.

Among the peculiarities include many draperies, which are colored by iron oxides. Furthermore, stalactites, stalagmites and stalactites are shown. Some parts of Calzitkristallbildungen were spent in the public area of ​​the cave, to be presented over there.

Discovery history

The cave was discovered during the demolition of limestone in the quarry of Biggetaler Kalkwerke on July 19, 1907, and opened up to tourists already in the same year by the owner. The cave is still owned by the heirs of the former quarry owner Eberhardt Epe.

Other parts of the cave were discovered in 1985 by a caver group headed by Elmar Hammerschmidt. The previously explored total length of the cave is 6000 meters, the exploration was not completed.

Formation

The origin of the cave began in Devonian Period ( about 400 million years ago), when the area of today's cave was still in a bay. In the then deposited limestone layers formed over time through weathering by carbonic acid seeping rainwater and mixing corrosion cavities. See also: Attendorn - Elsper double well

During an earthquake thousands of years ago some stalactites broke off. The cave is also inhabited by bats that pass through crevices in the hilltop in the cave.

Development

For the show cave operation is an approximately 500 m long and winds are available. It is accessed by an approximately 90-meter long tunnel, through which the visitors are guided. The north of the current entrance, lying, original entrance is now sealed with a metal door. In one part of the cave cheese is stored, which is sold as Atta cheese. A door is to mitigate the spread of the odor.

Public perception of the Atta cave

The cave has been visited by the Tourist Information Association Southern Sauerland of more than 40 million visitors. They criticized the high entry price and critisim in the cave.