Hello. Before our Devil's Cave tour, we took a short stroll in the city of Nuremberg. If you see this magnificent city in the spring season, I am sure you will be amazed multiple times. By exploring the beauties of Nuremberg, we made an unforgettable start to our journey.
We visited the "Ship of Fools" fountain in Nuremberg, which is one of the city's important tourist attractions. However, despite its name, it never operates with water. Attempts to complete it as a fountain have failed, leaving it in a state without water. The sculpture depicts scenes from Sebastian Brant's work "The Ship of Fools".
After a short stroll in Nuremberg, we reached our bus and set off to see the cave. Devil's Cave is a stalactite cave located in the town of Pottenstein in Bavaria. It is 1,500 meters long.
There is a reason why this cave is known as the Devil's Cave. When animals living around the cave disappeared, various myths began to be told by the local people and the cave acquired this name during that period. Centuries later, when it was fully discovered, the bones of many animals from deer to bears were found inside. The skeleton of one of these animals, the bear, has been reconstructed and is now presented to visitors as part of the cave tour.
There is a spacious parking area for visitors at the entrance of the cave. If you come by car, you can park here and start exploring the cave. Since we came by bus, we headed directly to the entrance. The entrance fee was 5 euros per person. At the ticket office at the entrance of the cave, there were brochures containing information about the cave in various languages.
A sign at the entrance stated that the original equipment used during the discovery of the cave between 1922 and 1931 was preserved and the preserved equipment was on display. Despite being discovered in 1922, this cave had actually been known to locals for many years.
An English introduction recording was started at the entrance for the visitors and then the rest of the group members continued on the route on their own. There was only one path, so there was no chance of taking a different route. Everyone was progressing at a different pace and in many sections, apart from us, no one was visible ahead or behind. Last year in the Hallstatt region of Austria, we visited 3 caves and went everywhere with a crowded group, but this time, the opportunity to travel on our own made this trip extra enjoyable.
We learned that the growth process of stalactites and stalagmites is very slow. It is known that a stalagmite in Devil's Cave grows on average by 1 mm in 13 years. If you come, do not touch the stalactites, otherwise, they may not grow for about 13 more years.
There was a bear cave. In such caves, cave bears nest and hibernate. These are usually naturally formed caves and are used by cave bears for shelter and refuge.
We encountered the skeletons of a cave bear. This skeleton belongs to a cave bear that lived in the cave and fossilized over time. I think the bear definitely liked this place.
We were descending further into the cave. The moisture and wetness on the walls increased as we progressed deeper. The shadows stretching in the darkness and echoing sounds were somewhat unsettling but also exciting. With every step we took, the eerie atmosphere of the cave drew me in more and I was filled with a desire to explore.
As we progressed towards the exit, the dark corridors now carried a brighter atmosphere. As the moisture and wetness on the walls decreased, our uneasiness gave way to a little more peace. With excitement, curiosity and happiness within us, we continued to move towards the exit from inside the cave.
Here, there is also this mini cave. They charge for admission, but it's worth it. They take you directly into the depths of the cave and there's also a mini cave passage below.
The color of this lake is turquoise. The natural rocks and vegetation surrounding the lake frame these natural beauties, making the area a corner of paradise.
Our cave tour lasted about an hour. We really enjoyed it. The cave is quite cool and damp. If you come, I recommend dressing warmly. It requires climbing about 400 steps, but this journey is really worth it.