Barbarossa Cave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barbarossa Cave |
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| Barbarossahöhle | |
Flakes of gypsum in the Barbarossa Cave (2005)
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| Location | Kyffhäuser, Germany |
| Length | 1,100 m (1,200 yd) |
| Discovery | 1865 |
| Geology | Anhydrite (Werra Formation) endogenous stratigraphic boundary cave (Schlotte Wimmelburger Type) |
| Show cave opened | 1866 |
| Show cave length | 600 m (660 yd) |
| Lighting | electric (since 1895) |
| Visitors | 70,000 (2011) |
| Features | • Gipslappen • Alabasteraugen • Schlangengips |
| Website | www.barbarossahoehle.de |
The Barbarossa Cave (also known as Barbarossahöhle in German) is a really cool cave in the Kyffhäuser Hills. You can find it near Rottleben in eastern Germany. It's special because it's an anhydrite cave, which means it's mostly made of a mineral called anhydrite.
This cave is full of huge rooms, hidden grottos, and even underground lakes! Inside the cave, the air is a bit moist. This moisture makes the anhydrite slowly change into another mineral called gypsum. When this happens, the gypsum expands. It forms layers that peel off the walls and ceilings, looking a bit like wallpaper.
Contents
Discovering the Cave
How the Cave Was Found
The Barbarossa Cave was discovered by accident in 1865. Workers were digging a tunnel to look for copper. They were searching for a special rock called kupferschiefer, which contains copper. Instead of copper, they found this amazing cave!
Opening as a Show Cave
Just one year later, in 1866, the cave was made ready for visitors. It opened as a show cave and was first called Falkenburg Cave. The cave is huge, covering an area of about 25,000 square meters.
What You Can See Inside
Visitors love to see the underground lakes in the cave. The water in these lakes has a lot of gypsum, which makes them glow with a cool green color. There's also a unique stone structure inside. It looks like a table and chair, and people call it "Barbarossa's Table and Chair."
The Barbarossa Legend
Why the Cave is Famous
The cave is located in the Kyffhäuser Hills, which are famous for a special legend. This legend is about Frederick Barbarossa, a powerful emperor from long ago. Because of this legend, the cave was renamed Barbarossa Cave in the late 1800s. It's also very close to the Kyffhäuser Monument, which celebrates the emperor.
The Sleeping Emperor
According to the legend, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa isn't really gone. He's actually sleeping in an underground palace right here in the Kyffhäuser Hills! He's waiting to wake up when Germany needs him most, especially when the country is fully united.
The Growing Beard
The legend says that Barbarossa sits at a round table. His long red beard is growing around it. So far, his beard has wrapped around the table twice. When it wraps around a third time, the world will either end, or Barbarossa will wake up and rule again. Until then, the legend says there won't be any other truly great emperors.
Exploring the Area
The Karst Trail
The Barbarossa Cave is part of a special path called the Karst Trail. This trail takes you through areas with unique landscapes. These landscapes are formed by water dissolving soft rocks like gypsum, creating caves and sinkholes.
Images for kids
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Flakes of gypsum in the Barbarossa Cave (2005)
See also
- List of show caves in Germany
