Goetz-Höhle

About

The Goetz Cave is a fissure cave in Thuringia, Germany. It is located on the western outskirts of Meiningen on the Dietrichsberg in the middle of the mountain slope towards the Werra. The cave is a natural monument and archaeological monument and is considered the largest cave of this type in Germany. It is also the only accessible joint and fissure cave in Europe. The fissures and crevices were formed around 25,000 years ago by a landslide of the slope towards the Werra, which is still ongoing. The cave was discovered by the Meiningen merchant Reinhold Goetz in August 1915. After development, which took several years with interruptions, it was opened as a show cave on April 21, 1934. From 1970 to 2000, the cave was closed due to alleged safety deficiencies. On April 22, 2000, the cave was reopened after a thorough renovation. It is accessible over a length of 420 meters in four parallel fissures and three floors, with about half of the tour route consisting of artificially created tunnels across the fissures.

The Meiningen merchant Reinhold Goetz had been busy for years creating a mountain garden there in keeping with the romantic taste of the time, with large terraces, lookout points and an artificial castle ruin. In August 1915, while mining rocks, he came across a large opening in the shell limestone of the Dietrichsberg. He investigated it, penetrated further into the mountain and discovered that the opening led to a fissure running parallel to the mountainside, today's main fissure 2.

By 1917, a tunnel had been created there, which according to the description was the tunnel used today as an exit. In April 1917, Goetz found animal and human bones embedded in the cave clay in a crevice, today's main crevice 3, about 20 meters from the entrance. During further driving of the tunnels, the main crevices 3 and 4 were approached. The cave was first explored by the Thüringer Höhlenverein in 1922. The initial tunnel was extended until 1925. From then on, friends of the family and other interested parties visited the cave. Reinhold Goetz died on December 31, 1925 and the development work was discontinued. In the following years, the Goetz cave went quiet.

In 1932, the state geologist Heß von Wichdorf mentioned the fissures in the Dietrichsberg in Die Thüringer Höhlen. He described them as the most significant fissures in Thuringia. He had gained these insights during a visit in October 1931. On April 23, 1932, members of the Thuringian Cave Association, the mayor of Meiningen Hermann Keßler [ de ] and other representatives of the city as well as cave enthusiasts from the Henneberg-Franconian History Association visited the cave. The tour was led by Heß von Wichdorf, who explained the geological conditions and the formation of the cave. He also pointed out that the development should be continued as soon as possible.

Further development of the cave began in May 1932. Martha Goetz, the discoverer's widow, who financed most of the further development work, was supported by the Thuringian Cave Association and the Henneberg-Franconian History Association based in Meiningen. The mining engineer Hermann Bender from Blankenburg (Harz) was the technical director, and Erich Marquardt, a teacher at Gymnasium Bernhardinum Meiningen, supported him. The work was carried out by Arbeitsdienstverpflichtete from Meiningen and the surrounding area and six workers with mining experience from the Ruhr area. In total, over 20 workers were involved in the construction under the guidance of miners and geologists.

A shaft 22 meters deep shaft was sunk to create the main access tunnel. The main fissure, today's fissure 1, and small side fissures were discovered during the expansion from the inside of the mountain to the outside. The ground-level access tunnel was of great importance for the further development of the cave. It served as access for the workers, who previously could only enter via the shaft, and for transporting the spoil from the cave, which previously had to be transported up the shaft with a hand reel. 7000 cubic meters of excavated material were heaped up to form a terrace. In March 1934, stairs made of oak wood were installed to overcome the differences in height and electric lighting was installed. This marked the end of the development work. The mayor of Meiningen, Johann Meister, officially opened the cave on April 21, 1934. The cave baude was also built at this time.

In 1938, the Breede family from Meiningen bought the cave and the mountain garden above it. They organized the cave tours in the following years. On October 30, 1940, the Goetz Cave was protected as a natural monument by a decree of the district administrator in accordance with the Reichsnaturschutzgesetz. Due to the discovery of human and animal bones, the Goetz Cave was declared a monument on August 20, 1955. In 1956, it was given temporary protection as a natural geological monument, as there was uncertainty about the validity of old district council ordinances in the GDR. In the same year, the Neumann family leased the cave.

The last guided tour of the cave took place on July 24, 1970. It was then closed due to the threat of the ridge collapsing. The cave lodge remained open. The owners of the cave received no official explanation for the closure, nor is there any written evidence of this. The cave entrances and exits were bricked up. It is unlikely that the safety deficiencies mentioned actually existed. The reason for the closure of the cave is thought to be its proximity to the inner German border. As the cave was privately owned, the authorities had no way of inspecting it. Neither the monument authorities nor the owners, some of whom were living in West Germany at the time, succeeded in having the closure lifted.

On August 11, 1983, the council of the district of Meiningen protected the cave as a geological natural monument with resolution number 510/73/83 (GND). (GND). The cave no longer appears in the lists of ground monuments in the district of Meiningen in 1981 and 1989, which is probably due to its closure in 1970. The cave is currently listed in the register of monuments of the Free State of Thuringia.

After reunification, the cave initially remained closed. As the 1983 decision lacked a conservation appraisal and treatment guidelines, the Lower Nature Conservation Authority of the district of Meiningen commissioned a conservation appraisal at the beginning of the 1990s. The Thuringian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology (TLAD) in Weimar began reprocessing the archaeological finds in 1994. In December 1995, nine committed people from Meiningen took the initiative to reopen the site. The 1996 report by a mining safety company from Ilfeld did not reveal any safety risks, meaning that the cave could have been reopened to the public at any time. The owners, a community of heirs of several families and individuals, signaled their intention to sell.

An eight-page report by Bergsicherung Ilfeld from March 1, 1996 on the technical condition of the cave and the necessary renovation work and investments came to the conclusion that nothing stood in the way of reopening the Goetz Cave. On 13 September 1996, the association Goetz-Höhle e. V. was founded with 42 members. German mining law stipulates that an underground show cave may only be used if the owner of the land above it agrees. The surface area of the Goetz cave, which was also owned by the community of heirs, is around 21,000 square meters. The property with the Goetz cave was acquired by notarial deed dated April 26, 1996. Bergsicherung Ilfeld estimated the cost of the renovation measures at around 1.6 million euros.

In order to keep the subsequent entrance fees as low as possible, funding was sought to finance the development costs. However, a commitment from the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Erfurt was revoked due to a budget freeze. The state employment office later contributed around one million euros to the financing of the first expansion stage. The Thuringian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology in Weimar, the town of Meiningen and several business people and private individuals also contributed. From June 1999 to January 2000, all measures for the opening of the show cave were completed.

The main and exploratory plan of the responsible mining office Bad Salzungen from 1999 provided for the replacement of all technical facilities, as these had not been maintained during the almost thirty-year dormant phase. In addition, it was necessary to professionally secure the parts of the cave intended for future use as a visitor route and the necessary side routes. The entrance, which had been used as a beer cellar for decades, had to be returned to its original purpose, and the old wooden stairs and lighting systems had to be replaced. Support elements, wire nets to prevent falling rocks and railings in the area of deep crevices were installed to ensure safe visitor traffic, and the outside area of the cave, such as paths, stairs and embankments, were made visitor-friendly.

The Thüringer Höhlenverein e. V. supported the work of the Goetz-Höhlen-Verein. At the beginning of 2000, the cave and the adjoining cave hut were leased. The first trial operation of the cave took place on February 19, the festive reopening on Holy Saturday, April 22, 2000. By the end of the year, 14,554 visitors had been counted in the show cave.

In 2009, effect lighting with light-emitting diodes (LED) was installed to illuminate individual parts of the cave in different colors. The new lighting cost around 25,000 euros. The first cave festival took place in September 2009. A second expansion stage of the cave is planned. The construction of a new entrance structure is absolutely necessary, as the old cave lodge no longer meets today's requirements. From 2012, the cave was rarely open to the public due to the closure of the lodge, until new tenants reopened the cave and lodge in May 2014. They also made the romantic mountain garden created by Goetz accessible again. Two years later, they gave up the business again and the cave and restaurant remained closed. Guided tours of the cave were only possible by appointment. Since then, the cave has been for sale.

In February 2020, the Goetz Cave Association sold the cave and building to the entrepreneur and brewery owner Volker Reich. Following a positive safety assessment by the responsible State Office for the Environment, Mining and Nature Conservation, he intends to carry out extensive renovations to the site. Together with the town, the new owner wants to create a "world of cave experiences" with attractions for children and better marketing and accessibility for visitors. The reopening of the Goetz Cave and the "Zur Spalte" lodge took place on July 3, 2021.

The Meiningen merchant Reinhold Goetz had been busy for years creating a mountain garden there in keeping with the romantic taste of the time, with large terraces, lookout points and an artificial castle ruin. In August 1915, while mining rocks, he came across a large opening in the shell limestone of the Dietrichsberg. He investigated it, penetrated further into the mountain and discovered that the opening led to a fissure running parallel to the mountainside, today's main fissure 2.

By 1917, a tunnel had been created there, which according to the description was the tunnel used today as an exit. In April 1917, Goetz found animal and human bones embedded in the cave clay in a crevice, today's main crevice 3, about 20 meters from the entrance. During further driving of the tunnels, the main crevices 3 and 4 were approached. The cave was first explored by the Thüringer Höhlenverein in 1922. The initial tunnel was extended until 1925. From then on, friends of the family and other interested parties visited the cave. Reinhold Goetz died on December 31, 1925 and the development work was discontinued. In the following years, the Goetz cave went quiet.

In 1932, the state geologist Heß von Wichdorf mentioned the fissures in the Dietrichsberg in Die Thüringer Höhlen. He described them as the most significant fissures in Thuringia. He had gained these insights during a visit in October 1931. On April 23, 1932, members of the Thuringian Cave Association, the mayor of Meiningen Hermann Keßler [ de ] and other representatives of the city as well as cave enthusiasts from the Henneberg-Franconian History Association visited the cave. The tour was led by Heß von Wichdorf, who explained the geological conditions and the formation of the cave. He also pointed out that the development should be continued as soon as possible.

Further development of the cave began in May 1932. Martha Goetz, the discoverer's widow, who financed most of the further development work, was supported by the Thuringian Cave Association and the Henneberg-Franconian History Association based in Meiningen. The mining engineer Hermann Bender from Blankenburg (Harz) was the technical director, and Erich Marquardt, a teacher at Gymnasium Bernhardinum Meiningen, supported him. The work was carried out by Arbeitsdienstverpflichtete from Meiningen and the surrounding area and six workers with mining experience from the Ruhr area. In total, over 20 workers were involved in the construction under the guidance of miners and geologists.