Kohlerhöhle

The Kohlerhöhle is a gypsum cave lying on the western slope of the Grosser Koller at about seven hundred metres above sea level. It sits below the old Rußwurmalm meadow in the Annaberg municipality, where the overlying Gutenstein limestone meets the underlying gypseous Werfen layers. The cave runs roughly six hundred and fifty metres through the rock, making it one of the most important alpine gypsum caves. The cave first appeared in speleological records in 1928 when R. Willner published a paper about it. Local members of the Naturfreunde then built walkways inside and opened the cave to the public in 1930. Since 1951 it has been protected under Austria’s Nature Caves Act, mainly because of its bat colonies. Visitors find a well-organised show cave with paths and lighting along the main passages. Four bat species have been recorded here, including the greater mouse-eared bat and the lesser horseshoe bat. The cool, damp air carries the scent of wet stone, and the walls show fine gypsum crystals in places. Outside, the surrounding woods and meadows belong to the Annaberg highland landscape.