Gußmannshöhle

Small cave with glittering treasure

The Gußmannshöhle cave is a typical fissure cave with several narrow and high passages leading into four large halls. It has a length of 91 metres. Deep shafts, ceiling crevices, picturesque dripstones and a water-filled sinter pool make the visit a special experience. At one point in the cave, very beautiful calcite crystals can be discovered.

Special feature: Fascinating crystals

The mineral calcite is the basic material of limestones and we encounter it everywhere in the Swabian Alb. However, it is much rarer to find it in its natural crystal form. Mostly, crystals form in cavities or joints in the rock. Molecules or atoms regularly arrange themselves in geometric shapes around a nucleus of crystallisation, which then gradually grows into a crystal. It can take several thousand years for such magnificent calcite crystals to form.