Ziegenburghöhlen

Three small caves lie side by side at the western foot of the Hardtberg in Wuppertal’s Elberfeld district. The entrances open in a limestone outcrop where the Hardtstraße meets Neuenteich. The spot is named after the former Ziegenburg settlement, commemorated by a street that climbs the hill above. Above Cave I a layer of sandstone caps the cliff, while the caves themselves lie in 385-million-year-old reef limestone. The three openings do not connect underground, though each shows signs of air exchange. The Arbeitskreis Kluterthöhle e. V. found the first cave in September 2015 while surveying the slope. Cave I stretches seventy metres eastward before a collapse blocks further progress. Cave II proved difficult to explore because of heavy clay deposits; at first only eight metres were mapped, later extended to ten. Cave III was opened in January 2016 and extended to seventeen metres by July of the same year. Each cavity was secured against unauthorised entry once it was discovered. Visitors walk along the fenced edge of the outcrop above Cave I. The sandstone layer above provides a natural roof over the entrance, while the limestone walls show the original reef structure. The site is quiet, with only the sound of the nearby Hardtstraße rising up the slope. The three caves remain separate, each ending where rockfall or clay halted exploration. The whole area is now protected as a geotope, marked by a simple wooden fence.