Brieglersberghöhle

The Brieglersberghöhle is a cave in the Toten Gebirge range, on land belonging to Bad Mitterndorf in the Steiermark. It lies just south of the Kleine Brieglersberg at 1,960 metres above sea level. Local people also call it the Bear Cave of the Kleine Brieglersberg, or the Hermann Bock Cave after its discoverer. The entrance is more than twenty metres wide and eight metres high, opening just west of a cliff where the Prielgruppe’s central plateau drops away to the east. Inside, bones of cave bears have been found. The cave is worth a journey for anyone interested in the Ice Age wildlife of the Alps. Researchers have identified the remains of several cave bears, linking the site to the large predators that once roamed these mountains. The cave’s name honours Hermann Bock, who first explored its depths in the 20th century. Its position high in the range shows how the landscape has changed since the bears lived here. The sheer size of the entrance gives a sense of the space beyond. Visitors find a wide, high portal framed by steep rock walls. Inside, the floor is uneven and the air stays cool even in summer. The cave walls show marks from past explorers and from the bears that once sheltered here. From the entrance, the view stretches across the plateau and down to the valleys below. The silence inside contrasts with the wind that often blows across the exposed ridge outside.