Sturmannshöhle - Sturmartzloch

Sturmann's Cave

Useful Information

photography — Entrance of the Sturmannshöhle. Sturmannshöhle, Germany.

Location:	Haubenegg, 87538 Obermaiselstein. A7 exit Kempten, B19 direction Oberstdorf, in Fischen turn right, 2 km to Obermaiselstein. 1,5 km south of Obermaiselstein. About 30 mins walk from Obermaiselstein or Hirschsprung. (47.4360115, 10.2352466)
Open:	AUG to OCT daily 9:30-16:30, hourly on the half hour. NOV to JUL apparently a secret. [2024]
Fee:	Adults EUR 5, Children (6-14) EUR 3, Children (0-5) free, Hörnerdörfer Card free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave Fracture Cave river cave, middle Cretacius limestone (Schrattenkalk, Helvetikum)
Light:	Incandescent Coloured Light
Dimension:	L=460 m, VR=74 m, A=978 m asl, T=4 °C.
Guided tours:	L=574 m, St=360, VR=60 m, D=45 min, MinAge=4. V=3,000/a [1906] V=45.000/a [2003] V=50,000/a [2023]
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	J. Tauser (1955): Sturmannshöhle, der Schwarzenberg, Obermaiselstein, unweit Oberstdorf im Allgäu, Kempten 1955. Heinz Jürgen Goeres, Alexander Müller: Sturmannshöhle im Schwarzenberg bei Obermaiselstein, Obermaiselstein. Klaus Cramee (1975): Die Sturmannshöhle, Reihe: Kleine Schriften zur Karst- und Höhlenkunde, Band 16, 1975. Dr. J. Oertel (1877): Die Sturmannshöhle bei Ober-Maiselstein, In: Zeitschrift des Deutschen und Oesterreichischen Alpenvereins, Jahrgang 1877, Band VIII, S. 125–130. google Dr. J. Oertel (1878): Die Sturmannshöhle bei Ober-Maiselstein im Algäu, In: Zeitschrift des Deutschen und Oesterreichischen Alpenvereins, Jahrgang 1878, Band IX, S. 229–236. google
Address:	Sturmannshöhle Obermaiselstein, Haubenegg, 87538 Obermaiselstein, Tel: +49-8326-38309. E-mail: Gemeinde Obermaiselstein, Am Scheid 18, 87538 Obermaiselstein, Tel: +49-8326-385053. E-mail: Tourismus Hörnerdörfer GmbH, Am Anger 15, 87538 Fischen i. Allgäu, Tel: +49-8326-3646-0. 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

1815	first written report by Dr. Geiger about an attempt to enter the cave.
1854	exploration by Dr. Gross.
1877	Dr. J. Oertel and members of the Alpine Club build a path to the cave and build planks and ladders into the cave.
1886	exploration.
1904	explored to the cave lake by the teacher Franz Xaver Epplen from Obermaiselstein.
1905	developed by the new founded Höhlenbauverein.
23-JUL-1905	opened to the public.
1965	diving attempt in the cave lake by A. Wunsch.
2008	Naturpark Nagelfluhkette created.

Description

The Sturmannshöhle (Sturmann's Cave) is located above the village Obermaiselstein, at the foot of the nördliche Kalkalpen (northern limestone Alps). The walk from the village to the cave takes about 30 minutes. A road leads up to the ticket office and restaurant, from here it is 10 to 15 minutes to the cave entrance. The entrance portal is located in a vertical cliff face, the road goes up to the foot of the cliff in serpentines, then a roofed wooden catwalk leads to the cave entrance.

The rocks around the Sturmannshöhle, locally called Schrattenkalk, are fossil rich limestones from the Cretaceous. They were rotated by the orogeny of the Alps a little more than 90°, so the cave was formed along a layer boundary, not along a tectonic fracture. Nevertheless, the cave is called a fissure cave, with a typical narrow and high profile all along.

In the rear part of the cave, about 60 m below the entrance, a cave river is flowing. This lower and still active part is not explored, as it is completely submerged and narrow. The water reappears in the Fellbachsursprungshöhle. This was found out by dye tracing experiments. The karst spring has a yield of 15 l/s in average, the water a has a temperature of 4-6 °C.

The cave has no lower entrance, because of this it forms a cold trap. Because of the high altitude outside temperatures are rather low too, and so this part is much colder than the rest of the cave. Since the cave is visited, there always was a small amount of ice at the deepest point of the cave, probably a few cubic meters. A pollen analysis determined its age to be about 20,000 years. This is the time of the last cold age, locally called Würm-Eiszeit. But during the last years this ice melted completely.

The cave name is derived from the Medieval word Sturmatz, which means noise or roar. There are numerous legends around the cave. One tells about a treasure deep inside the cave which is guarded by a dragon. Another legend tells about three wild ladies, which lived in the cave and the nature around. In the last years the path from the ticket office to the cave was transformed into a fairy tail path. Huge boards with the legends along the trail make the rather strenuous ascend a little more pleasant.

The Legend of the Gold Treasure
The old people tell of an incredible treasure of gold that lies there. It is a barrel full of golden ducats, and anyone who could lift it would become a rich man. However, a boulder hangs above the barrel on a thin thread, and anyone who dares to reach for it will be struck dead by the stone. Others tell of a dragon that lives in the Schwarzenberg and drops the stone on adventurers. Still others tell of a sinful soul—a little man who sits in the belly of the mountain forever as penance and has to count gold coins from his coat pocket into his trouser pocket, over and over again, and the number is never right.

The legend of the mirror
The old people say that a farmer once found a mirror. He picked it up and saw the mountainside and the forest on the Schwarzenberg. The trees in the forest were full of cones of pure gold and shone even more splendidly in his eyes than sparkling icicles in winter. He saw a little man busily collecting the golden cones in a heavy sack. When the little man realized his observer, he begged him to throw away the mirror, otherwise he would die. The pious farmer did as he was told and the golden cones disappeared in no time. However, he did not have to regret his good deed, as the Mine Venedigermännle gave him a thick gold cone as a thank-you and the farmer and his family have not suffered any hardship since.

The legend of the Wild Maidens
The old people say that the Wild Maidens lived on the slopes of the mountain. They were wrongly called that, because they were friendly and good to everyone. Their names were Maringaa, Tschudre Mudre, Stuzze Muzz, and Ringgede Bingge. They were skillful in many things, but sometimes they needed help from humans. One day, farmers found a Schäfflein (a bucket) from which several hoops had fallen off. They thought it belonged to the Wild Maidens, had it fixed and put it back in the place they had found it. The next day, they found a bowl of sweet doughnuts in the same place as thanks.

The Wilde Fräulein (Wild Maidens) are widespread in the area, and almost every village has its own legend. There is even a mountain named after them. You have to imagine them as a kind of Alpine fairies. Normally they were quite shy, only the smoke of their cooking fire could be seen at remote places, but there was also other contact, including marriage.

The history of exploration begins with various more or less unsuccessful attempts. The district court physician Dr Geiger was also a local historian, and he was the first to attempt to enter the Sturmannshöhle in 1815. But he didn't get far, as there were several vertical chasms immediately after the entrance, which he could not cross. In the 19th century, there was no equipment for abseiling, let alone for climbing back up, so he had to leave without having achieved anything. And he was not the only one; there were several unsuccessful attempts over the course of the 19th century. Some were made with great effort and included the construction of a trail with planks to the cave entrance as well as planks across the abysses in the upper passage and wooden ladders for the descents. But they were not able to climb down to the cave river, which could only be heard in spring. The district forester Wacker from Fischen almost suffocated during his investigation of the cave, ‘because his companions had the idea of lighting a fire at the cave entrance’. It was not until 1904 that a group consisting of the parish priest Janser, the teacher Franz Xaver Epplen, some farmers and the blacksmith were able to explore a little more. They carefully lowered Hans Rietzler into the abyss, who was able to reach the cave stream with a torch. So he is the actual discoverer of the cave. But once again, the exploration was difficult, and progress was slow, which made it all the more interesting for the public. The men of Obermaiselstein recognized the potential, overcame legal and financial difficulties and founded the Sturmannshöhlenverein (Sturmans Cave Club) to develop the cave into a show cave. And just one year later, the cave was opened to the public. The paths consisted of wooden walkways, and the lighting was provided by 200 lanterns. Later electric light was installed, which has since been replaced by a modern LED light. The steps and walkways are now made of sturdy gratings and galvanized iron railings that can easily withstand the annual flooding.

Like many show caves after the pandemic, the cave now has an online booking system. However, this is only used to manage reservations; tickets must still be paid for in cash at the ticket office. Anyone who has made a reservation should pay 30 minutes before the tour, otherwise they will lose their priority. However, if you arrive too early, you can also join an earlier tour if there are places available. Unfortunately, the operators have adopted the extremely customer-hostile habit of only displaying the current opening times. At least the opening hours for the next quarter are ‘mentioned’. However, it was not possible to find out what comes after that. Unfortunately, we can only assume that the cave will continue to be open all year round. This was already a special feature in the past, and as the region also has ski resorts, the number of visitors in winter is quite considerable. This is only possible because the cave is not a bat roost. And another annoying change: the cave now has coloured light. Thankfully only at the very end, but it would certainly have been better if they had done without it.