Show Cave Meeting 2025 in Honau: Exchange, ideas, and setting the course for the future

This year's show cave meeting took place in Honau at the Olga Cave and was organized by the dedicated local team. At the start of the event, the show cave network and the office of the UNESCO Global Geopark Swabian Alb thanked the associations for the successful organization.

Challenges and new ideas

A recurring theme reported by almost all show caves was so-called “no-shows” – booked tours that are not attended without cancellation. The Charlottenhöhle, Bärenhöhle, and Nebelhöhle caves are particularly affected. In order to better cushion the resulting effort and costs, the introduction of a uniform cancellation fee form for all show caves is being considered.

The report from the Geopark looked back on an eventful 2025, with the 10th anniversary celebration of UNESCO in July as the highlight. In addition, the popular discovery map will also be published in English in the future. Another important topic: the EGN Weeks, which take place every year from the end of May to mid-June. Iris Bohnacker from the UNESCO Global Geopark Swabian Alb suggested that the show caves should also participate more actively in the European Geopark Weeks in future. This would not necessarily require organizing separate events – rather, existing offers could be communicated under the common heading of the European Geopark Weeks during this period. A thematic link with geology, geotope protection, and the regional landscape would further strengthen the visibility of the show caves in the international network of UNESCO Global Geoparks.

Reports from the show caves

The show caves reported stable visitor numbers overall and a varied program of events, including concerts, readings, and special tours. The decline in school visits is attributed to factors such as increased travel costs and limited public transport connections.

In May, a new exhibition entitled “Life in the Dark” opened in the Charlottenhöhle cave in Höhlenschauland, while guided tours with theatrical elements were very well received in Lenningen. LED torchlight tours and action days were particularly popular at the Hohle Fels cave. Thanks to subsidies, various infrastructure measures were implemented. The Olgahöhle cave, which is particularly popular with families, has been “actively promoting” the cave explorer card and now offers a treasure hunt as a special price for the “full” cave explorer card. There is agreement that the cave explorer card should be continued in the future and expanded to include original gift ideas.

The Schertelshöhle, Sontheimer Höhle, and Tiefenhöhle Laichingen caves reported stable visitor numbers and new projects: a bat nature trail is planned in Sontheim, while in Laichingen, the museum has been expanded to include an interactive platform on the topic of karst water. The Tiefe Stollen cave in Aalen had a particularly successful year in 2025 thanks to modern public relations work with online articles and TV instead of traditional print media.

At the show cave meeting, outdoor boards with geological maps that could be set up outside the caves were also discussed.

Note: The next show cave meeting will take place in fall 2026 at the Sontheim Cave.

Info: European Geopark Weeks (EGN Week)

More information about our caving map Höhlenforscherkarte (PDF)