The Teufelshöhle (lit. English: Devil's Cave) is a dripstone cave situated in the Main-Kinzig district in Hesse, Germany. It is located approximately three kilometers north of Steinau an der Straße, nestled between the Spessart Mountains to the south and the Vogelsberg Mountains to the north, on the slope of the Kieskopf. This natural geological monument has an age of approximately 2.5 million years. The cave's discovery occurred unexpectedly in 1584. For a considerable period, local inhabitants avoided venturing into the cave due to a prevailing belief that the devil inhabited it. The first brief exploration of the cave took place in 1830. Subsequently, from 1905 to 1908, an access tunnel was excavated, leading to the development of the cave. In 1927, it was officially opened as an electrically illuminated show cave, spanning a length of 174 meters and comprising three substantial chambers, one of which contains dripstones.
History
Discovery
The cave's discovery in the autumn of 1584 is attributed to a cowherd named Jox Mellmann. The incident unfolded when one of the cows from Mellmann's herd strayed and fell through a thin layer of earth into a cavity. After an extensive search, Mellmann noticed a dark shaft where the cow had disappeared. He firmly believed that this occurrence could only be attributed to the devil, whom he thought had consumed the cow. The local population, steeped in superstition, shared this belief. Consequently, the cavity acquired the name Teufelsloch (Devil's Hole). In order to drive away the devil, the inhabitants threw stones into it. The peasants had to bring basalt boulders to the hole for several months, and even deceased animals were cast into the hole. Since the Wohnung des Teufels (devil's dwelling) could not be filled, it led the population to conclude that the devil was too powerful to be defeated in this manner. Such fear of the devil became so pronounced that farmers hesitated to venture into the meadow. The hole served for a time as a dog cemetery for the Count of Hanau, who resided in Steinau Castle.
Development
In 1830, Walter, a journeyman papermaker from Steinau, became the first person to descend into the cave using abseiling techniques. However, when bats began to fly around his head and water dripped onto him, fear prompted him to be pulled out of the cave. Another expedition to the cave occurred in 1898. On June 14, according to other traditions in July, three men participated. This group included road builder Lüders, who organized the expedition, road keeper Methfessel, and master roofer Scheer. They came equipped with ladders, ropes, crampons, and hooks, while torches provided the necessary illumination. Their exploration led them to a cone of rubble within the Great Dome of the cave. After this exploration, it was decided to make the cave accessible to the public. For this purpose, an almost horizontal tunnel was to be dug from the outside to the Great Dome. In 1905, when the required funding became available, excavations began.
Over three years, three Polish miners undertook the task of excavating into the mountain using a hammer and chisel as their tools and oriented themselves with a compass. The excavated material was transported out using hoists mounted on rails. After covering 45 meters, they made a remarkable discovery: an unknown natural cavity adorned with dripstones, which they named the chapel. They reached the Great Dome after excavating 54 meters. However, the Great Dome was initially filled with rubble and bones, making it impassable. To create a passage, a substantial amount of material, totaling 300 cubic meters, including basalt, clay soil, tree trunks, and animal bones, had to be transported out. This extensive effort resulted in the formation of a platform at the same level as the entrance gallery. During the excavation process, numerous animal bones from dogs, goats, cattle, donkeys, cats, and pigs were discovered, which underwent thorough examination and dating by Fritz Drevermann, a professor of geology and paleontology who also served as the rector of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.