Hundsheimer Berge

Nature lovers have long been familiar with the Hundsheimer Berge as a scenic hill country rich in rare plant and animal species. For around 100 years, botanists have been visiting the Hundsheimer Berg in particular to conduct vegetation studies. In the 1950s, work began on recording the more than 1000 species of butterflies. Speleologists and palaeontologists are interested in the endangered bat species and the fossil finds from the Ice Age. The scientific importance of the Hundsheim Mountains becomes clear when you consider that completely new plant (fungi and lichens) and animal (insects) species are still being discovered here today.

In 1965, the Hundsheimer Berg was declared a nature reserve. In 1989, the Council of Europe included the area in the network of biogenetic reserves in order to express the special value and worthiness of protection of the area.

When the colorful meadows threatened to become "overgrown" after the old pastures were abandoned after 1960, maintenance measures became increasingly necessary. A flock of sheep has therefore been at the service of nature conservation and biotope management for a number of years. The animals graze on the former hay meadows, continuing an age-old tradition of landscaping and thus ensuring the continued existence of a unique habitat.

The Güntherhöhle and the Zwergenloch are located on the southern slope of the Hundsheimer Berg. The skeleton of the Hundsheim rhinoceros was discovered in the Günther Cave in 1900. It lived in the Middle Ice Age around 500,000 years ago. The skeleton is on display in the Natural History Museum.
The Günther Cave is closed. If you want to visit the cave, you can borrow the key from the municipal office during office hours and from the mayor outside of office hours. Visitors enter the cave at their own risk.