Heimkehle

Useful Information

solutional forms in the entrance region.

photography — Lasershow in the **Großen Dom** (Big Dome).

Cave lake **Heimensee** with the typical green colour.

Location:	An der Heimkehle 3, 06536 Südharz, OT Uftrungen. A7 exit Seesen (Harz), B243 66 km to Nordhausen, B80 16 km to Berga, turn left towards Stolberg (north), between Uftrungen and Rottleberode, 9 km south of Stolberg. Turn left on road 2 km to the cave. Signposted. (51.4969510, 10.9546502)
Open:	All year Zue-Sun, Hol 10-17. Tours 10, 12, 14, 16. [2026]
Fee:	Adults EUR 9, Children (3-17) EUR 6, Students EUR 6, Apprentices EUR 6, Disabled EUR 6. With Kurkarte: Adults EUR 8, Children (3-17) EUR 5. Groups (15+): Adults EUR 8, Children (3-17) EUR 4. [2026]
Classification:	Karst Cave gypsum cave, World War II Bunker Factory
Light:	LED Son et Lumière
Dimension:	L=2,000 m, T=8°C. GR: H=22 m, L=65 m, W=65 m.
Guided tours:	L=700 m, D=45 min, MinAge=3, Min=5. V=50.000/a [200?] V=16.000/a [2016]
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:	A.A. (k.J.): Informationen Karstlandschaft Südharz und Die Heimkehle, Karstmuseum Heimkehle. Hrsg: Rat des Bezirkes Halle () W. Remus, M. Spilker, R. Zeising (1962): Die Heimkehle bei Uftrungen am Südharz, Hrsg.: Gesellschaft zur Verbreitung wissenschaftlicher Kenntnisse, Bezirk Halle, Bezirkssektion Geowissenschaften, Arbeitsgruppe Sangerhausen, Höhlenverwaltung "Heimkehle", Uftrungen () Reinhard Völker (1981): Die Heimkehle, Mitt. Karstmus. Heimkehle 1:1-40, Uftrungen () Reinhard Völker (1985): Die Erschliessung der Heimkehle, Mitt. Karstmus. Heimkehle 10:1-15, Uftrungen ()
Address:	NaturErlebnisHöhle Heimkehle, An der Heimkehle 3, 06536 Südharz, OT Uftrungen, Tel: +49-34653-305. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1357	first written mention.
1649	visited by the Prince of Anhalt.
1920	developed by Theodor Wienrich with electric light and paths.
12-SEP-1920	opened to the public.
1944	a factory for the production of aircraft parts installed in the cave by the Nazis.
1946	the entrances to the cave are blown up by the allies.
1953	cave developed again, new entrances built.
1954	reopened to the public.
1979	Karstmuseum founded.
1990	A laser and light show installed in the Großer Dom.
2019	cave is declared a Nationales Geotop.

Description

Green coloured **Thyrasee** (Thyra lake) with rubber boat.

**Kleiner Dom** (Small Dome) with the KZ memorial.

The Heimkehle is one of two big gypsum cave in Germany, which are open to the public. It is located at the southern rim of the Harz mountains, in a narrow area runnning from east to west, where gypsum is found at the surface. Here, the high solubility of gypsum leads to extensive karstification and, consequently, to the formation of large-scale cave systems. These gypsum caves are undoubtedly the most impressive in Germany due to their size. Furthermore, gypsum karst areas are quite rare due to their very short lifespan, and so these caves also play a special role worldwide.

The Heimkehle is located around the groundwater table, and so many chambers contain water. Once the cave was visited by boat, as most of the halls were filled with huge interconnected lakes. Today, mainly due to human intervention, this is no longer the case, and the cave is now accessed quite normally on foot.

The main lake was covered with concrete in 1944, when the Nazis built an underground factory here. At this time the allied air raids on Germany were intensified and a part of the production was moved underground. The airplane parts which were produced here for the Junkerswerke in Dessau, were used to build JU88 planes. The cave was big enough for three factory units. Several tunnels connected the cave with the surface, the biggest one was huge enough for lorries. Beneath the size of the cave chambers, the softness of the rock was argument why this cave was used. So it was possible to build the necessary huge tunnels in a very short time. After the war the Allied saw a military plant in this location and blew up all entrance tunnels. This caused additional destructions and the collapse of some side passages. Some time after the war, the status of the cave as a natural monument and a historic monument was recognized. So the cave was again developed as a show cave, by constructing new entrance and exit tunnels. Today the cave floor is covered by the debris of human destruction.

In the chamber called Kleiner Dom (Small Dome), a monument for the prisoners of the concentration camp Mittelbau Dora near Nordhausen is located. Many of them were forced into slave labour here. At the end of the war the remaining inmates were divided into three groups. One group reached Schwerin, the second one got lost in the Harz mountains. The third group reached Gardelegen, where more than 100 people were locked in a barn which was then burned down. The monument for this history was created during the time of the German Democratic Republic. This is the reason for its socialist aura, which is even a little ridiculous from today’s point of view. But still this monument is very important and reminds people on a dark part of history. It is laudable that it is still kept in order. In addition, another monument was erected on the forecourt in 2005, which is open to the public, unlike the old one.

The natural entrance is high above the cave floor, with a deep entrance hall. This is the typical form of a cold trap. The cold air from outside enters the cave and cools down the cave below zero, while the rocks are still warmer and dripping water from cracks still enters the cave. The result are icicles all over this part of the cave.

The tour of the cave follows a 700-metre-long path, which begins with a tunnel on the right-hand side of the forecourt. From here, you reach the smaller passages of the cave, which, however, grow larger with every bend and eventually lead into the Großen Dom (Great Dome), the cave’s largest chamber. It is approximately 65 m in diameter and 20 m high. The path runs along the edge, as the central area is still a cave lake. This is the highlight of the tour, featuring a light show projected onto the 20-metre-high, almost white gypsum wall. As gypsum caves do not contain stalactites, the wall is also relatively smooth, making it an excellent screen. From here, the route continues through a side passage to the exit tunnel. This has been partially widened and fitted with display cases, and was originally the exhibition space for the Karst Museum. However, many of the exhibits have now been moved to the NaturErlebnisHöhle Heimkehle (Heimkehle Nature Experience Cave), which is located in an entrance building in front of the exit tunnel. Here you’ll find the ticket office, a souvenir shop, the new museum with many interactive exhibits, and a documentary film about the cave. This is the guided tour as it was conducted from the GDR era right up to the 21st century. Nowadays, however, the tour is different, although it follows the same trail.

During the GDR era and afterwards, the Karstmuseum in the show cave’s exit tunnel was famous. It was accessible without a guided tour; visitors could enter the tunnel freely during opening hours. It featured exhibitions and models on the geology of gypsum, copper slate mining and speleology. Of particular interest was a large number of cave cross-sections illustrating the principles of gypsum karstification. The museum was established by the geologist couple Christel and Reinhard Völker in the 1970s. Immediately after German reunification, a light show was also installed. However, like other show caves in the GDR, this one also faced a funding problem; in the GDR, staff were employed by the state all year round and the cave was not required to operate on a self-financing basis. Subsequently, the cave was run by the local council, which had to contribute significantly towards staff costs. Consequently, various changes became necessary, and for several years the show cave’s very was under serious threat. Eventually, however, the management was overhauled, the new entrance building was constructed, and a new karst museum was established within it. Even a new LED lighting system was installed, at least in part, a few years ago.

Things have become particularly curious of late, however, due to the simple fact that half of the cave lies in Thuringia, whilst the other half lies in Saxony-Anhalt. Consequently, all matters governed by state law are regulated differently within the cave. It began when, following the introduction of bat conservation measures, one half of the tourist cave was closed in winter to protect the bats, whilst the other half remained accessible. Visitors therefore had to enter the cave via a tunnel and turn back at the underground state border. The absurdity of this regulation is obvious to anyone with a modicum of common sense. For the authorities involved, this is evidently not comprehensible. Added to this is the fact that Thuringia generously subsidised the replacement of the electric lighting, whereas Saxony-Anhalt did not. When the local authority attempted to replace all the lighting, even without a grant, they were actually forbidden from doing so. And so a single tourist cave now has two different lighting systems. The same applies to the refurbishment of the footpaths. But the absolute disaster was that the existing entrance tunnel is said to no longer comply with safety regulations. As this is located in Saxony-Anhalt, there is of course no money available for its refurbishment either. And so, for years now, visitors have been entering and leaving the show cave via the former exit tunnel.

The parking lot of the cave is also an important station of the karst trail. The 10 km long section Heimkehle-Pölsfeld shows and explains virtually all karst features of gypsum karst. A small brochure is available at the cave. There’s also a rather good restaurant here with a beer garden, where you can pass the time nicely until the guided tour begins.