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WildkirchliCave / Rock Shelter
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Wildkirchli Caves - Fieldnotes Visited 18/09/2008 If Wildkirchli sounds like a wild place, that's because it is. Wildkirchli means "little church in the wilderness" and collectively refers to a system of caves in the Alpstein massif of Appenzellerland. This region lies in the northeast corner of Switzerland and is entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen. The town of Appenzell is at the heart of the Appenzellerland and can best be pictured as something out of Willy Wonka's chocolate land. The Wildkirchli cave system itself is found on the south east flank of the Ebenalp Mountain, which at 5,381 ft above sea level, is the most northerly summit of the Appenzell Alps. The mountains, with their clean air, became a popular tourist attraction and in 1955 a cable car was built from the village of Wasserauen in the valley below. The cable car station of Ebenalp allows access to the mountains' high plateau where hiking trails lead to a network of mountain huts and gasthauses,(guest houses). The Wildkirchli caves are a short 15 minute walk below the Ebenalp cable car station. Beyond the caves is a guest house serving light refreshments. The mountain is a popular hiking destination attracting up to 200,000 visitors a year. The Wildkirchli caves have been a refuge from the outside world for thousands of years. Their isolation at an altitude of 4770 feet cuts them off almost completely. Evidence suggests that the caves were inhabited by cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) throughout the various ice ages, dating back to 90,000 BC. The caves were first mentioned in a description of the Pilatus Mountains by Joachim Vadian in 1524; although the first detailed description by the Capuchin P. Clemns from Appenzell did not appear until 1716 in the book, Naturhistorie des Schweizerlandes, (Natural History of Switzerland) by Johann Jakob Scheuchzer. In 1621 the caves where first visited by P. Philipp Tanner, after which time the first altar was built. This so-called "cave shrine" consisted of a shallow barrel vault, and had an entrance porch which was later extended. Hermits sort refuge in the caves, the first being Paulus Ulmann in 1658 to 1660. From this time these hermits became known as Waldbrüder. In 1853 the last hermit died after he took a purler when collecting leaves. Various parts of the caves were re-modelled or sealed up with the current altar back wall dating from 1785. In 1860 a new bell tower and small "guesthouse" was constructed, which in 1972 became a small museum. Between 1903 and 1908, the caves were partly excavated by the St. Gallen archaeologist Emil Bächler (1868–1950). Bächler discovered evidence of habitation dating back to the Palaeolithic period, 50,000 to 30,000 BC. These included traces of Neanderthal humans who he believed may have co-inhabited the caves with hibernating cave bears. Bächler had carried out investigations at other cave sites and in 1940, published his findings in the book, Das alpine Paläolithikum der Schweiz im W., Drachenloch und Wildenmannlisloch. Although bear worship or arctolatry as it is collectively called, does exisit in many different forms and cultures throughout the world, Emil Bächlers' speculation on Neanderthal mans' practice during the Palaeolithic period is today regarded with some scepticism. I have included links to various web sites and downloadable pdf's with regard to this subject. |
Posted by Chance14th August 2010ce |
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Hiking information and maps Website showing the highlights from various Appenzerland hiking routes and a map of the Ebenalp area. All of the hiking routes begin at the Ebenalp Cable Car station and center in the valley east of Wasserauen. http://www.letsgo-europe.com/Switzerland/Appenzell/hiking.html Website giving the operating times and prices of the Ebenalp cable car. http://www.letsgo-europe.com/Switzerland/Appenzell/ebenalp.html The Wasserauen - Ebenalp cable car runs approximately every 10 to 15 minutes on the following schedule: Jan 1 - Apr 30: 7:30am - 5:00pm May 1 - May 31: 7:30am - 5:30pm Jun 1 - Jun 30: 7:30am - 6:00pm Jul 1 - Aug 31: 7:30am - 9:00pm Sep 1 - Sep 30: 7:30am - 6:00pm Oct 1 - Nov 1: 7:30am - 5:30pm Nov 1 - Dec 31: 7:30am - 5:00pm Ticket prices differ in the summer and winter, and the cable car station does offer group discount rates: SUMMER TICKETS May - Nov One-Way Round-Trip Single Ticket 18 CHF or 11 EUR 25 CHF or 15 EUR Group of 8 or more 14 CHF or 8.50 EUR 19 CHF or 11.50 EUR Group of 25 or more 13 CHF or 8 EUR 18 CHF or 11 EUR Students under 25 8 CHF or 5 EUR 10 CHF or 6 EUR Children 6-16 half price half price WINTER TICKETS Dec - Apr Adults Kids Morning (until 1pm) 25 CHF or 15 EUR 18 CHF or 11 EUR Day Pass 33 CHF or 20 EUR 26 CHF or 15.50 EUR Half-day after 11:30am 28 CHF or 17 EUR 20 CHF or 12 EUR Half-day after 1pm 25 CHF or 15 EUR 18 CHF or 11 EUR Night Ski-Pass 20 CHF or 12 EUR 15 CHF or 9 EUR Season Pass (ages 7-16) 240 CHF Season Pass (17 and up) 360 CHF http://www.ebenalp.ch/en/homesummer/ The offical website of the Ebenalp cable car is in German but contains a live web cam from the top of the Ebenalp cable car station and gives a clear indication of the current weather conditions |
Posted by Chance 14th August 2010ce |
Links |
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Wikipedia article on religion during the Paleolithic periodWikipedia article on religion during the Paleolithic period |
Posted by Chance 14th August 2010ce |
Wikipedia article on Neanderthal HumansWikipedia article on Neanderthal Humans |
Posted by Chance 14th August 2010ce |
Website on arctolatry or bear worshipWebsite on arctolatry or bear worship |
Posted by Chance 14th August 2010ce |
Wikipedia article on bear worshipWikipedia article on bear worship |
Posted by Chance 14th August 2010ce |
The Cult of the Cave BearThe Cult of the Cave Bear by PG Chase from the Penn museum in pdf format |
Posted by Chance 14th August 2010ce |
Bear worship during the Palaeolithic - University of HannoverArticle on cave bear worship during the Palaeolithic period from the University of Hannover in pdf format |
Posted by Chance 14th August 2010ce |
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