Baumann's Cave (), located nearby Hermann's Cave, is a

show cave A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...

in Rübeland in the district of

Harz The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...

and is

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

's oldest show cave. The grotto was formed in the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

of the Elbingerode Complex at least since the Bode Valley was being shaped. The cave has been visited by man since the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

and not first discovered in 1536 as many written accounts suggest. The year of discovery in 1536 in combination with the tale of the miner, Baumann, who is supposed to have discovered the cave, are part of a false story dating back to Nazi times when a politically suitable jubilee date was being sought. The cave is frequently mentioned in the early scientific and travel literature as it has been open to the public with guided tours since 1649 when Valentin Wagner was installed as first cave guide. Baumann's Cave is probably the oldest regularly frequented and guided show cave, at least in Germany. Amongst its most famous visitors was

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

. The cave's biggest chamber, the ''Goethesaal'', is named after him and is fitted with seats and a stage for concerts and plays.''Baumann's Cave'' at www.showcaves.com. Retrieved on 22 Oct 09.
/ref> The cave was sealed off from an early date so that its rich display of

stalactites A stalactite (, ; , ) is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension, or is ca ...

and stalagmites has been largely preserved. The cave is particularly famous for, amongst other things, the numerous bones of

cave bear The cave bear (''Ursus spelaeus'') is a prehistoric species of bear that lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene and became extinct about 24,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum. Both the word ''cave'' and the scientific name '' ...

s that have been found there.

References

External links

Official website
(in German)
Baumannshöhle - Stephan Kempe
(pdf file; 1.02 MB) File:Conrad Buno03.jpg, Baumann's Cave by Conrad Buno File:Fotothek df roe-neg 0006126 024 Säulenhalle in der Baumannshöhle.jpg, Gallery in Baumann's Cave (1951) File:Fotothek df roe-neg 0006126 010 Bärenskelett im Eingangsbereich zur Baumannshöhle.jpg, Skeleton of a bear in the entrance to Baumann's Cave File:Fotothek df roe-neg 0006126 029 Lebensbaum in der Baumannshöhle.jpg, The "Tree of Life" File:Fotothek df roe-neg 0006126 033 Palmengrotte in der Baumannshöhle.jpg, "Palm Grotto" {{Navbox prehistoric caves Caves of the Harz Landforms of Saxony-Anhalt Limestone caves Karst formations of Germany Show caves in Germany Archaeological sites in Germany Tourist attractions in Saxony-Anhalt Caves of Germany

See also

References

External links