The Sophie’s Cave (Bavaria, Germany), is one of the oldest show caves in
Germany, and even one of the famous Late Pleistocene cave bear den caves in Europe.
The cave is situated with several other famous and larger cave bear den caves, such as
the Zoolithen Cave and Große Teufels Cave (latter also show cave) in one of the most
cave-rich regions of Germany, the Franconia Karst especially along the Wisent and
Ahorn River valleys. The confusing names of the “Rabenstein Cave” (because of its
close topographic situation to the Rabenstein Castle), and later named Sophie’s Cave
cave parts were renamed systematically. Along the historical wooden steps and trail
several sherded ceramic lamps and pottery pieces were found, which are from the
“oldest cave lighting system” known in a German show cave reaching back to its discovery
in 1833. After the first report of the cave by the German priest Esper in 1774,
several famous European natural scientists such as Rosenmüller, Goldfuss, Graf zu
Münster, Buckland and Sternberg collected or started to describe first bone finds from
the first discovered cave parts, which material went partly to Prague, Bayreuth or are
lost. The youngest historical finds which seem to be in connection with the visitor show
cave are few militaria from the King Ludwig I (1825-1848) regentship time.
Keywords: Sophies’s Cave (Bavaria, Germany), large cave bear den Franconia
Karst, show cave, cave discovery and exploration history since 1833, renaming of
cave parts, oldest German cave lightening lamps preserved, militaria finds.
