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Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura

Archaeological sites in GermanyCaves of GermanyGeography of Baden-WürttembergLandforms of Baden-WürttembergPaleoanthropological sites
World Heritage Sites in Germany
Höhle Hohlenstein Hohlensteinstadel
Höhle Hohlenstein Hohlensteinstadel

The Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura are a collection of six caves in southern Germany which were used by Ice Age humans for shelter about 33,000 to 43,000 years ago. Within the caves were found the oldest non-stationary works of human art yet discovered, in the form of carved animal and humanoid figurines, in addition to the oldest musical instruments ever found. One statuette of a female form, carved figurines of animals (including cave lions, mammoths, horses and cattle), musical instruments and items of personal adornment have been discovered. Some of the figurines depict creatures that are half animal, half human. Because of their testimony to the development of Paleolithic art and culture, the six caves were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017.The caves are seen as the first centre of human art, were named "craddle of civilization" and are among the first settlements of modern humans in Europe.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura
B 492, Gemeindeverwaltungsverband Blaubeuren

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N 48.387777777778 ° E 9.7655555555556 °
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B 492
89143 Gemeindeverwaltungsverband Blaubeuren
Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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Höhle Hohlenstein Hohlensteinstadel
Höhle Hohlenstein Hohlensteinstadel
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Blauhöhle
Blauhöhle

The Blauhöhle is the largest cave system in the Swabian Alps in southern Germany. The Blauhöhle presumably originated in a time when the Danube still flowed through the Blau valley. Since the shifting of the Danube, several small rivers, the Schmiech, the Ach, and the Blau, have flowed through this valley. The cave system begins about 21 meters under water at the base of the Blautopf. It continues west and northwest, rising and falling several times until after a horizontal distance of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) it comes above the level of ground water and opens into the second big air-filled chamber. The maximum depth of the cave under water is 42 metres (138 ft). This chamber was first discovered in 1985 by Jochen Hasenmayer, who named it Mörikedom (Mörike Cathedral, named after Eduard Mörike). Hasenmayer's diving accident in the Wolfgangsee resulted in a long break in its exploration. For several years the cave has been explored by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Blautopf (Blautopf Study Group, or Consortium), a team of cave divers from several different regional groups. This group has made progress exploring the cave, including making exact measurements of the way to the Mörikedom. The improvement of underwater breathing technology, especially the rebreather, has allowed for longer dives carrying less weight. The discovery of the Wolkenschloss (Castle of Clouds), another large, air-filled cavern, and the so-called Landweg (land-way), a long, open cave river behind the Mörikedom, were great successes for the Arbeitsgemeinschaft. Hasenmayer continued his attempts to explore the cave system in his cave submarine, Speleonaut. Since 2002 the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Höhle und Karst Grabenstetten (Cave and Karst Consortium of Grabenstetten), as a part of their work on a neighboring cave system, the Vetterhöhle, have attempted to dig a dry entrance into the Blauhöhle. In 2006 several large caverns were discovered in the Vetterhöhle, and in the autumn a connection was discovered between the Vetterhöhle and the Wolkenschloss. Also in the autumn of 2006, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Blautopf discovered an enormous cavern at the end of the Landweg, measuring 170 m (560 ft) long by 50 m (160 ft) wide by 50 m high, which was named Apokalypse. The groups are now also working with yet another Arbeitsgemeinschaft on a sinkhole north of Blaubeuren, which is believed to be connected with the Blauhöhle behind the Apokalypse.