Top 8 Caves around Teuschnitz

After the German armaments factories in Peenemünde on Usedom were severely damaged by the British Operation Hydra, the Nazi government decided to relocate war-critical factories underground. The factories found space primarily in old mines, railway tunnels, or newly constructed galleries. The Rentschen quarry, which had been used for slate mining and closed in 1925, was also designated for the "underground relocation." It was codenamed "Rutte." The Chemnitz-based company Reinecker was supposed to produce armaments on a 3,000-square-meter site. But this never happened. Reinecker found a home in another nearby slate mine. In total, around two dozen underground relocations were occupied or at least planned around Probstzella.

In the Rentschenbruch near Probstzella, the underground relocation for armaments production was approved under object number 1074, codenamed "Rutte." The Rentschenbruch underground mine had been idle since 1925. A production area of 3,000 square meters was planned for the expansion into an underground armaments factory. A fish name was chosen as the codename, fitting for a mine. The "Rutte" is a critically endangered bony fish from the burbot family and is also called "Trusche" in southern Germany. The Rutte only occurs in freshwater; other names include "Ruppe" or "Aalrutte." But that's just a side note. Originally, the Reinecker company from Chemnitz was supposed to move into the Rentschenbruch slate mine near Probstzella. However, this never happened, so Reinecker was ultimately housed in a bomb-proof slate mine (codenamed Rotfeder) nearby. At times, the Rentschenbruch was also closed for storage purposes by the Wehrmacht. The Geilenberg staff was also interested in the underground cavities of this slate mine. Source: http://www.stollenhausen.de/u-verlagerung-rutte/mobile/

Mary's Grotto at the entrance to the Tiefenbach Valley. In the 1950s, the existing niche in the slate rock of the Roßlacher Berg was converted into the Mary's Grotto by the Steinberg parish. Every year at the beginning of May, the statue of the Virgin Mary is ceremoniously carried from the parish church into the grotto.

A small pond with an entrance. Unfortunately, it is mostly under water and I have not yet been able to explore how far it leads into the earth 😱

On the parish pages on the Internet, it says: At the entrance to the Tiefenbachtal there is the Mariengrotte embedded in a rock. In the fifties, the existing niche in the slate rock of the Roßlacher Berg was expanded by the parish of Steinberg into the Mariengrotte. Every year at the beginning of the month of May, the statue of Our Lady is solemnly carried into the grotto by the parish church. Even today people meet here to worship the rosary. Adjacent neighbors take care of the decoration and maintenance of the grotto. Source: https://st-pankratius-steinberg.de/kirchen/kapellen

Rock cellars are found quite often in the Franconian sandstone. It was the earlier refrigerators. Today they are often prepared as shelters for bats by nature conservationists.

The largest of some "mountain holes" that were beaten (probably in the Middle Ages) at Nordhalben. Probably they were looking for degradable rock or ore, but was not successful. It could also have been storage cellars. Or the entrances to the cave system of Schrözlein, the legendary dwarfs who once lived in the Franconian Forest?