Top 11 Caves around Magdala

At the end of the 12th century, an artificial sewage tunnel system was created at a depth of 12 meters. It was used as an air raid shelter during World War II. Today, the cave is accessible and features an exhibition on its history, geology, and the Ice Age in the Weimar region.

Sewage Tunnel – Walkway – Air-Raid Shelter – Underground Museum The origins of the Park Cave date back to the desire of Duke Carl August of Saxe-Weimar and Eisenach to have his own brewery. Between 1794 and 1796, a roughly 500-meter-long tunnel was built in the park on the Ilm River for beer storage and the drainage of process water for the planned brewery. After the original project was abandoned, the tunnel was used for sand and gravel mining. A complex network of tunnels was created, which court members and park visitors occasionally used as an underground walkway between 1810 and 1830. Towards the end of World War II, part of the complex was converted into an air-raid shelter. The current museum rooms are located in this area. From 1992 to 1999, the partially filled and dilapidated tunnel system was reopened in an extensive renovation project. https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/parkhoehle/

The Einsielicher Weichberger lived here from 1937 to 1956. Two social systems allowed him to live here.

First mentioned in the early 14th century, the Teufelslöcher (Devil's Holes) are among the oldest documented caves in Germany. These are karst caves that have since been sealed. Several benches are located at the Teufelslöcher, and Jena's local history trail begins here, leading from here across the central Kernberg horizontal. You can find more information here: https://www.entdecke-jena.de/jena/teufelsloecher.htm.

Park Cave, Weimar The Park Cave is an underground tunnel system in the park on the Ilm. It is located twelve meters below the ground between the steep slope to the Ilm and Belvederer Allee. A staircase near the Liszt House leads down to the tunnel, which ends at the so-called "needle's eye", an artificially created rock gate on the Ilm. History The Park Cave owes its existence to Duke Carl August's desire for his own brewery. Between 1794 and 1796, a tunnel around 500 meters long was built in the park on the Ilm to drain the process water of the planned brewery. After the plan to build a brewery was abandoned, the tunnel was used for sand and gravel mining between 1797 and 1815. A complex system of passageways and tunnels was created. Towards the end of the Second World War, part of the complex was converted into a bunker. This area now houses the Park Cave Museum. Permanent exhibition: Park Cave Experience Through time and climate The permanent exhibition tells the story of the park cave: created in Goethe's time, unused for decades, converted into a shelter towards the end of World War II, it has been accessible again since 1997, interrupted by a pandemic and a comprehensive renovation. Text / Source: Weimar GmbH, Tourist Information Weimar, Markt 4, Weimar https://www.weimar.de/kultur/sehenswuerdigkeiten/museen-in-weimar/erlebnis-parkhoehle/

There are two beautiful caves to admire here. Above them is the Bastei viewing point with the Trompeterfelsen.

A little off the beaten track, but refreshing and interesting, especially in summer.

The white sand extracted from the caves was used as grit in the living rooms of the Middle Ages and was later used industrially.