Badlhöhle, Cave in Peggau, Austria

The Badlhöhle is a cave on the north side of the Tanneben near Peggau, at 495 metres above sea level. It is about 500 metres long and divided into stacked levels, with a second entrance 52 metres above the main one. It is a protected cave under the Natural Cave Law.

The cave was reportedly rediscovered in 1827, though locals already knew it. In summer 1837 its owner Ferdinand Freiherr von Thinnfeld and his brother-in-law Wilhelm Ritter von Haidinger dug for scientific purposes and recovered over 400 bones, examined by botanist Franz Unger. In 1870 Carl Ferdinand Peters identified two polished bone points as human-made needles. Phosphate earth extraction in 1918, during the Austrian cave-fertiliser campaign, badly damaged the layers.

The cave is closed off with a barrier to protect its bats and to stop repeated illegal digging. Nearby lies the Repolusthöhle, the site of Austria's oldest known traces of settlement, which is far more important archaeologically than the Badlhöhle itself.

The cave is reached via the Badlgraben from Badl an der Mur, and a second entrance lies 52 metres above the main one. It is locked under the Naturhöhlengesetz to prevent looting and protect bats, so entry is not open without authorisation. The nearby Repolusthöhle holds Austria's oldest known settlement traces.

The cave was sealed off to protect its bats and to stop repeated illegal digging and vandalism, so it is a protected cave under the Naturhöhlengesetz. Its second entrance lies 52 metres above the main one, and the passages total about 500 metres across several stacked levels.