Unicorn Cave
Encyclopedia
The Unicorn Cave is the largest show cave in the West Harz
, about 1½ kilometres northwest of Scharzfeld
in the borough of Herzberg am Harz
in central Germany
. It is a karst
cave set in Zechstein
dolomite
rock.
, the mayor of Magdeburg
, wrote a newspaper article about the finding of some ancient animal bones in the Zeunickenberg, a Harz mountain near Quedlinburg
, in which he held the opinion that the bones were the remains of a unicorn. Based on Guerickes writings Leibniz drew a fictional reconstruction of the unicorn
's skeleton using the bones that had been found in the cave and published the drawing in his book Protagaea.
In 1872 Rudolf Virchow
carried out an excavation there and determined that the unknown bones actually stem from extinct animals like mammoths and cave bears. Over 70 species of animal have been identified from the many bones that have been found, including 60 species of mammal; amongst them the cave lion
and the wolf.
In 1905 the Unicorn Cave was made accessible to visitors by the construction of an entrance gallery. Since then 270 metres of the total length of 610 metres have been opened up as a show cave. The Unicorn Cave is one of the three information centres of the Harz - Brunswick Land - Eastphalia National Geopark.
The Unicorn Cave has a checkpoint (no. 101) which is part of the Harzer Wandernadel
network of hiking trails.
the discovery of the cave was linked to the nearby rock church at Scharzfeld
. In the cave-like rock church it is said that in heathen times there lived an old and wise woman, who helped people looking for advice. One day she was driven away by a monk in a black habit in the company of Frankish warriors. A unicorn
was supposed to have protected her from her pursuers. The woman joined the witches' community on the Witches' Dance Floor
on the Brocken mountain. Thereafter the black monk disappeared into a hole in the ground which led to the discovery of the Unicorn Cave.
In fact the cave had been known about since the Stone Age
and had never been forgotten.
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
, about 1½ kilometres northwest of Scharzfeld
Scharzfeld
Scharzfeld is a village in the borough of Herzberg am Harz in the district of Osterode am Harz in South Lower Saxony, Germany.Scharzfeld lies at a height of about 220 m above sea level and has 1,765 inhabitants ....
in the borough of Herzberg am Harz
Herzberg am Harz
Herzberg am Harz is a town in the Osterode district of Lower Saxony, Germany.- History :Herzberg castle was first mentioned in 1154. The town was part of the state of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, and the castle was for some time used as a residence by the dukes...
in central Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is a karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
cave set in Zechstein
Zechstein
The Zechstein is a unit of sedimentary rock layers of Middle to Late Permian age located in the European Permian Basin which stretches from the east coast of England to northern Poland...
dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
rock.
History
It was first mentioned in the records in 1541. In 1686 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz visited the cave and wrote a report about it mentioning the local trade with unicorn artefacts. In those days fossiled bones supposed to be from unicorns were grinded and used for making medicine. In the 17th century Otto von GuerickeOtto von Guericke
Otto von Guericke was a German scientist, inventor, and politician...
, the mayor of Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, wrote a newspaper article about the finding of some ancient animal bones in the Zeunickenberg, a Harz mountain near Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval court and the old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
, in which he held the opinion that the bones were the remains of a unicorn. Based on Guerickes writings Leibniz drew a fictional reconstruction of the unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
's skeleton using the bones that had been found in the cave and published the drawing in his book Protagaea.
In 1872 Rudolf Virchow
Rudolf Virchow
Rudolph Carl Virchow was a German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician, known for his advancement of public health...
carried out an excavation there and determined that the unknown bones actually stem from extinct animals like mammoths and cave bears. Over 70 species of animal have been identified from the many bones that have been found, including 60 species of mammal; amongst them the cave lion
Cave lion
Panthera leo spelaea also known as the European or Eurasian cave lion, is an extinct subspecies of lion known from fossils and many examples of prehistoric art.-Physical characteristics:This subspecies was one of the largest lions...
and the wolf.
In 1905 the Unicorn Cave was made accessible to visitors by the construction of an entrance gallery. Since then 270 metres of the total length of 610 metres have been opened up as a show cave. The Unicorn Cave is one of the three information centres of the Harz - Brunswick Land - Eastphalia National Geopark.
The Unicorn Cave has a checkpoint (no. 101) which is part of the Harzer Wandernadel
Harzer Wandernadel
The Harzer Wandernadel is a network of checkpoints for walkers in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It includes a system whereby the hiker can earn badges at different levels by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and recording them...
network of hiking trails.
Legend
According to a legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
the discovery of the cave was linked to the nearby rock church at Scharzfeld
Scharzfeld
Scharzfeld is a village in the borough of Herzberg am Harz in the district of Osterode am Harz in South Lower Saxony, Germany.Scharzfeld lies at a height of about 220 m above sea level and has 1,765 inhabitants ....
. In the cave-like rock church it is said that in heathen times there lived an old and wise woman, who helped people looking for advice. One day she was driven away by a monk in a black habit in the company of Frankish warriors. A unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
was supposed to have protected her from her pursuers. The woman joined the witches' community on the Witches' Dance Floor
Hexentanzplatz (Harz)
The Hexentanzplatz in the Harz mountains is a plateau , which lies high above the Bode Gorge, opposite the Rosstrappe in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.- History :...
on the Brocken mountain. Thereafter the black monk disappeared into a hole in the ground which led to the discovery of the Unicorn Cave.
In fact the cave had been known about since the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
and had never been forgotten.
Sources
- Ernst Andreas Friedrich: Naturdenkmale Niedersachsens. Hannover, 1980. ISBN 3-7842-0227-6