Interactive platform karst water - Fascinating insights into the world beneath the Alb

The Swabian Alb is characterised by karst - a landscape in which water travels underground and creates caves. The new interactive platform Karstwasser, developed by the Höhlen- und Heimatverein Laichingen e.V. (HHVL) now makes this hidden system accessible to everyone. The multimedia exhibition can now be seen in the speleological museum next to the Laichingen Deep Cave - also an information centre for the UNESCO Swabian Alb Geopark.

The platform was officially inaugurated on 17 May 2025 at the Laichingen Deep Cave. At the beginning of the event, Prof. Dr Wolfgang Ufrecht, Chairman of the Laichingen Cave and Heritage Association, gave an introductory talk in which he explained the origins, implementation and objectives of the project. He emphasised the involvement of Uwe Krüger-Spelefilm, whose concept, script and implementation made a decisive contribution to the success of the project.

The platform shows in an impressive way how water circulates in the karst mountains between Laichingen and the Blautopf near Blaubeuren. Films, pictures, texts and graphics explain how precipitation water moves underground through cave rivers, where it comes to light again - and how cave explorers open up this mysterious world.

One highlight is the interactive 3D map with a digitally reconstructed landscape model of the region. Embedded in it are the large cave systems behind the Blautopf - including the 18.5 km long Blauhöhl system, the Hessenhauhöhle and the Steebschacht. The data comes from years of research by several caving associations and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), which used dye experiments to scientifically investigate the paths of karst water.

The exhibition complements the Museum of Speleology and the Laichingen Deep Cave - Germany's only publicly accessible shaft cave - to create an ideal place of learning and experience in the Geopark. Around 35,000 visitors a year discover the geological and cultural depths of the Swabian Alb here.