Dugouts in Langenstein, Underground living site in Langenstein, Germany

The dugouts in Langenstein are residential spaces carved into the hillside rock with multiple chambers within the natural stone formations. These rooms feature openings, entrances, and chimneys built directly into the rock face.

The first cave dwelling was built in 1787 in two former ice cellars at the abandoned Altenburg. Between 1855 and 1858, ten more dwellings were cut into the sandstone at the Schäferberg after the village council rejected a request for housing aid and sold rock faces for eight groschen each. Families and farm workers carved the roughly 30 m² homes by hand in two to five months. The last dwelling was abandoned in 1916, and the caves were used as animal stalls and storage cellars until around 1990.

One dwelling is called Schmidthöhle, after Karoline (1825–1909) and Ludwig Schmidt (1829–1910), who lived there; a plaque left of the entrance records their dates. Ludwig worked as a barrel-organ player. A local rhyme mocked the chimneys: "In Langenstein, in Langenstein, da schieten de Schaape in Schornstien rein!"

The underground spaces stay at a constant temperature year-round, protecting them from summer heat and winter cold. Visitors should expect uneven ground and limited natural light inside.

The rooms were carved out by hand without modern machinery, which explains the uneven walls and ceilings visible today. This manual effort is still evident in every detail of the spaces.