HELP SAVE THE ARCHÄOPARK VOGELHERD!
The Archäopark Vogelherd is a key museum and site for the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage "Caves and Ice Age Art of the Swabian Jura".
An initiative has been formed to counteract its impending closure and to provide permanent financial support. Support the cause by signing the petition to the state government of Baden-Württemberg here: https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/wir-fordern-finanzielle-unterstuetzung-des-welterbes-hoehlen-und-eiszeitkunst-der-schwaebischen-alb
Using this link, you will also find the latest news and the open letter from scientists internationally.
Experience nothing less than the origins of art!
100,000 years it was one of the most sought places of the Stone Age - the Vogelherd Cave. Currently, it is the central attraction of the Archaeopark and no less prominent. This place is among the most important archaeological sites of Stone Age culture and opens a deep insight into our prehistory. Visitors can immerse actively in the Ice Age and get a fascinating insight of the era of our ancestors.
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
In July 2017, six caves in two valleys became UNESCO World Heritage. The caves of Hohle Fels, Geißenklösterle, and Sirgenstein in the Ach Valley, as well as Bockstein, Hohlenstein-Stadel and Vogelherd Cave in the Lone Valley are the sites where archaeologists since the late 19th century excavated important finds from the Aurignacian period, dating around 43,000 to 33,000 years ago. Among the thousands of finds from this period are beautifully carved figurines of animals, musical instruments, and items of personal adornment. Other figurines depict creatures that are half animal, half human. Another figurine is the statuette of a woman. These find are among the oldest evidence of figurative art, music, and religious beliefs worldwide. > More information
The Vogelherd cave
One of the world's most important archaeological sites of the Ice Age.
The cave is strategically located on a hill of 20 meters above the Lone and offers a perfect 180-degree view over the valley. For more than 100,000 years, the cave with its three exits gave shelter and refuge to our ancestors. From this dry and safe position, they could spot animals or dangers from a great distance, go hunting and follow their prey. The residents left behind - layer after layer - unique treasures to later generations and made the Vogelherd Cave one of the most remarkable archaeological sites of human prehistory.
The outdoor area
Exciting Ice Age. Experience for all senses.
What makes Archaeopark Vogelherd so impressive, exciting and instructional for everyone, is its unique experience-based concept. Stone Age-life is not presented to the visitor in the usual way one would expect in a museum, instead, the visitor can undertake an adventurous investigation, increase his awareness and make his very own personal experiences. The outdoor area offers all the possibilities for this. This area includes round trips with many impressions for all senses and the mind. Gripping and like a travel back in time, children, as well as adults, can experience how it was to live and survive during the Ice Age.
The Visitor Center
Unique - the mammoth from the Vogelherd cave.
Experts say it is among the oldest completely preserved figurative artwork in human history - the mammoth from Vogelherd Cave. Its age is estimated around 40,000 years, and it impressed archaeologists and especially aesthetes.
This artwork from mammoth ivory keeps us aware that about 40 000 years ago, people started to produce objects that were not only tools, but they were concerned about beauty and higher ideas. To produce a figurine like the mammoth, around 50 hours of work are needed. This shows us how important these objects were for the Ice Age people. Visitors can see the original mammoth figurine at the Archaeopark Vogelherd visitor center.
Similar to a cave, the building is “hidden” under a rolling hill covered with grass, fitting nicely into the landscape of the Lone Valley. The visitor enters the center by crossing a narrow entrance “through” the hill and finds himself in an arrangement of bright and open rooms. From here, a glass front is facing the site of Vogelherd revealing a view towards the cave. On the inside, the center presents surprising aspects of the Stone Age world. Exciting. Entertaining. And holistic.
