Höhlenmuseum Frasdorf

Cave Museum Frasdorf

Useful Information

Location:	Altes Schulhaus, Schulstraße 7, 83112 Frasdorf. (47.8023756, 12.2856882)
Open:	All year last Sun of month 16-18. Internationaler Museumstag, Tag des Geotops. [2026]
Fee:	Adults EUR 3, School Pupils EUR 2, Children EUR 1, Students EUR 2, Disabled EUR 2. [2026]
Classification:	Cave and Karst Museum
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Klaus Cramer (1955): Weitere Forschungen im Laubenstein/Zellerhorngebiet (Chiemgau), Die Höhle Band 6 1955, Seite 26-27. pdf Robert Darga, Doris Döppes, Gaëlle Rosendahl, Wilfried Rosendahl (2005): The Neue Laubenstein-Bärenhöhle (NLB), Chiemgau Alps/Bavaria - Results of the palaeontological excavation 2004 In: Neue Forschungen zum Höhlenbären in Europa, Abhandlung Band 45, Sete 65-72, Naturhistorische Gesellschaft Nürnberg e.V., Marientorgraben 8, 90402 Nürnberg. ISSN 0077-6149 pdf
Address:	Verkehrsbüro Frasdorf, Schulstr. 7, 83112 Frasdorf, Tel: +49-8052-1796-25. 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

1920	The Schlüssellochhöhle was first explored by Josef Aiblinger, Florian Aiblinger, army chaplain Stefan Gmeiner and Fritz (surname unknown).
1933	Ernst Göser finds the skull of an adult male cave bear in the Schlüssellochhöhle.
1952	Start of research in the Laubenstein/Zellerhorn area by Klaus Cramer from the Verein für Höhlenkunde in München e.V.
01-MAY-1997	Museum opened to the public.
2003	Episode of Willi-wills-wissen (Willy wants to know), a German Documentary for children, entitled Who dares to venture into dark caves? filmed in the Schlüssellochhöhle.

Description

The Frasdorfer Höhlenmuseum (Frasdorf Cave Museum) has been in existence for a very long time and is dedicated to the Laubenstein karst region. This region lies between Hochries, Spitzstein and Laubenstein in the western Chiemgau Alps. In addition to numerous sinkholes, ponors and karst fields, it also features two large and many smaller caves, as well as the Grubalm polje. The museum displays photographs, maps, models, videos and, of course, all manner of objects such as minerals, fossils, caving equipment and so on. The museum’s themes generally cover geology, caving, flora and fauna, cave rescue, environmental protection and alpine farming.

The best-known cave in the Laubenstein area is the Schlüssellochhöhle (altitude 1,275 m), which takes its name from the striking keyhole-shaped profile at the entrance. Such profiles are actually quite common; they arise almost inevitably as the cave develops. Initially, there is a passage completely filled with water, which therefore erodes in all directions, automatically resulting in a circular profile. As soon as the passage reaches a size where the water no longer completely fills it, erosion can only occur at the bottom, as the water no longer reaches the ceiling; a sort of gorge forms at the base of the circular passage. It is also referred to as a pressure pipe with an erosion channel. However, such profiles rarely form such a beautiful keyhole shape as seen here, which is why a visit to this cave is so popular. It is 1,870 m long and has a significant elevation gain of 156 m. For this reason, a visit requires climbing equipment and should only be undertaken by cavers or as part of a group accompanied by cave guides. Another well-known cave is the Große Spielberghöhle, which features significant differences in elevation; in the early years of exploration, it was briefly one of the deepest caves in Germany. But as always, such superlatives are relatively short-lived. An important site for fossilised cave bear bones is the Neue Laubenstein‑Bärenhöhle (NLB). The bones have been dated some 36,000 years old. The first cave bear skull, discovered in the Schlüssellochhöhle in 1933, is on display in the museum, along with various other finds.

The museum was established in the 1980s by speleologists from Frasdorf and Munich, who had been exploring this karst region since the 1920s, with the aim of sharing their work with the public. However, it was not officially opened to the public until 1997. It is located in the Old Schoolhouse at Schulstraße 7 in Frasdorf. The same building also houses the Village Museum, a local history museum which is open at the same time as the Speleological Museum. It is therefore now known as the Höhlen- und Dorfmuseum Frasdorf (Frasdorf Cave and Village Museum), although the name Höhlenmuseum Frasdorf is also used. The Frasdorf Tourist Information Office is also housed in the same building.

If you enjoy hill walking, you might want to explore the Laubenstein area, there are walking routes available on Komoot and other websites. Naturally, the diverse rock formations are freely accessible and well worth a visit. It is also relatively easy to visit the entrance area of the Schlüssellochhöhle cave, with its distinctive keyhole-shaped profile. Please observe the basic rules for safe caving.