Mammuthöhle Buchenhüll

Mammuthöhle Buchenhüll is a cave near Eichstätt reached through a dolomite dome and a natural sinkhole opening. The passage measures roughly 20 meters long and 5 meters wide.

Scientists excavated the cave during 1911 and 1912, uncovering complete mammoth skeletons along with other Ice Age fauna. These discoveries date back roughly 50,000 years.

The cave gets its name from the mammoths discovered here thousands of years ago. Visitors can picture these enormous animals falling into the water-filled traps.

The cave itself is a protected archaeological site and closed to visitors, but the Prehistoric Museum in Eichstätt displays finds from here. The museum is located at Willibaldsburg castle within Altmühltal Nature Park.

The cave served as a fatal trap for animals that fell into water-filled sinkholes, including four woolly rhinoceros and ten reindeer. The remains reveal how creatures repeatedly fell victim to the same geological danger over millennia.

Location: Eichstätt

Elevation above the sea: 450 m

Length: 20 m

Width: 5 m

GPS coordinates: 48.91260,11.26850

Latest update: December 9, 2025 20:25