Cave dwellings Altenburg

Discover on your route:

1. Schäferhof
   Old manor from the Thuringian period (5th century). Later used as a Schäferhof. Stones from the Altenburg were probably used for the construction. Extensively restored after 1990.
2. Quarry
   Hidden behind the Schäferhof is the quarry from which stones for representative buildings of the bishop city Halberstadt were mined.
3. Altenburg
   In pre-Germanic times, the caves served as a refuge castle. In 1177, Bishop Ullrich built a castle. His opponent Heinrich the Lion, Duke of Saxony, destroyed the castle under construction. The princes of Saxony rebuilt it together. Later, it served as the summer residence of the bishops of Halberstadt. The castle was destroyed by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War.
4. Water cave
   Originally an underground room of the castle. There was a very productive well on the Amtshof. A concrete basin was built in the water cave. Water was pumped up from the Amtshof. The basin served as a reservoir. The Amtshof, school buildings, nursery, castle, parsonage, train station, and the inn "Deutsches Haus" were supplied.
5. Stairway to heaven
   Access to the Altenburg from the Amtshof. It was cleared again by ABM workers in 1990/91.
6. Pastor's rock
   Interesting rock formation on the western spur of the mountain. It is said to have been the favorite spot of a Langenstein pastor.
7. Cave dwelling on the Altenburg
   From 1746 to 1916, a guarding cave dwelling was verifiably inhabited. Hermann Heydecke was the last cave inhabitant and died in 1975. In 1990/91, the cave dwelling was restored according to an old postcard and received its current appearance again.
8. Ölmühlenteich pond
   It served as a water reservoir for the oil mill located on the other side of the street. The mill wheel was later replaced by an electric drive. Mill operation was discontinued in 1965.
9. St. Francis chapel
   The church in Langenstein was demolished in 1977. The Protestant congregation was allowed to use the Catholic St. Francis chapel. In 2003, the congregation received the bell of the old church back. This led to the idea of the bell tower. In 2003, the bell was mounted in the newly built tower. The topping-out ceremony took place on 31.10.2003.
10. Town hall
    The building was originally the village parsonage. Later it became the seat of the Langenstein municipal administration.
11. Cave dwellings on the Schäferberg
    In 1856, there was a severe housing shortage in the village. The mayor offered people looking for accommodation, following the example of the dwelling on the Altenburg, a piece of rock to carve out their own home. This was a temporary solution. The last dwelling was abandoned in 1912 after the last residents in the cave died.