A work of art - Cahrlottenhöhle
"Charlottenhöhle" (Charlotte´s Cave), now one of the most famous show caves in the region, is situated in the Hürbe valley near Giengen-Hürben. At 587 metres it is one of the longest accessible caves in the Southern Germany. The variety of dripstone formations make it to one of the most beautiful.

The discovery
The cave was discovered in 1893 by the forester hermann Emil Sihler. A first ettempt to enter the three metre wiede "Dog´s hole" failed. Then three carpenters from Hürben managed the descent with a rope-ladder. However a huge pile of bones blocked the further passage.

The developement
The significance of the discovery was quickly recognized. The well-known geologist and palaeontologist Professor Dr. Eberhard Fraas gave a recommendation to open the cave to the general public. Electric lighting was installed and on the 17th September 1893 the cave was opened to the public. It was named after Queen Charlotte of Württemberg.

The formation
"Charlottenhöhle" was formed about two and a half to three million years ago by a great underground river. Later the cave dried out. Animal bones from the Ice-Age (Pleistocene/ 1.8 Million up to 11500 years ago) were found in the interior, for example from cave bears, cave lions, wild horses, rhinoceros, deer and bisons.