Leichenhöhle

The Leichenhöhle in Balve is an approximately 35 m long tube cave that ends in a room of about 20 m².

Balve

The Leichenhöhle in Balve is an approximately 35 m long tube cave that ends in a room of about 20 m².

Characteristics

• Type: Cave
• Municipality: Balve
• Record updated: November 13, 2026

Caves are protected biotopes (§30 BNatSchG). Caves used by bats as winter quarters must not be entered from 1 October to 31 March (§39(6) BNatSchG), except show caves and their developed parts.

Location

The Leichenhöhle is located in Balve on a rock face of Devonian mass limestone near Binolen, east of and about 25 meters above the valley floor of the Hönne. The owner is the company Rheinisch-Westfälische Kalkwerke, Oberrödinghausen.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

1. Leichenhöhle

   51.374724, 7.859187
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Photos

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© Clemense1980 · CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Wikimedia Commons · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leichenh%C3%B6hle_innen.jpg

© Clemense1980 · CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Wikimedia Commons · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:H%C3%B6nnetal_Leichenh%C3%B6hle.jpg

© Clemense1980 · CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Wikimedia Commons · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leichenh%C3%B6hle_aussen.jpg

Image 1 of 3

Description

Morphology

The cave is about 35 m long. At the end of the tube cave there is a room of about 20 m².

History

Skeletal finds indicate that the room was used as a burial site during the Bronze or Iron Age.

Bio

From November to April, bats hibernate here.

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Contains information from © OpenStreetMap contributors, www.openstreetmap.org, made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0, https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/), modified. · https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/1680268332 · data as of 2026 · Source: German Wikipedia – article leads (cave descriptions) (de.wikipedia.org), modified. CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Wikipedia contributors (de.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text by Wikipedia contributors (Leichenhöhle) · adapted by Espeleoworld (normalized, translated); the adaptation is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · description · obtained 2026-11-13 · https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leichenh%C3%B6hle · data as of 2026 · The derived data is available on request under the ODbL: [email protected]