Dechenhöhle und Deutsches Höhlenmuseum Iserlohn

About the museum

The Dechenhöhle was discovered by chance in 1868 during construction of the railroad through the Lenne valley, when a worker's tool fell into a crevice in the rock. It is named after Heinrich von Dechen, the chief mining official who studied the geology of the Rhineland and Westphalia. Of around 900 meters of known passages, about 400 meters are open to visitors as a show cave with stalactites, flowstone curtains and cascades; it is the only show cave in Germany with its own railroad stop.

A first speleology museum was set up in 1967 as a private collection in a restaurant, moved to the Dechenhöhle in 1979 and reopened in 1987 as the Höhlenkundemuseum Dechenhöhle. In June 2006 it was followed by the Deutsches Höhlenmuseum Iserlohn (German Cave Museum) in the former station building on the Letmathe–Iserlohn line, which has also served as the entrance to the cave ever since.

Across some 600 square meters, the museum explains how caves and karst landscapes form, how Devonian reef limestone became the Sauerland, and which animals lived through the ice ages here. Among the most important finds are the skull of a forest rhinoceros recovered from a side cave in 1993 and the skeleton of a newborn cave bear more than 212,000 years old. Life-size reconstructions of a female cave bear with her cub and a cave lion, copies of Ice Age cave art, dioramas, a cave fish aquarium and a sound room round out the tour.

According to the operators, almost 13 million people have visited the cave over more than 150 years. It is owned by the Märkischer Kreis (district) and the City of Iserlohn; it is managed by Dr. Stefan Niggemann.

Highlights

• Guided tour of the stalactite cave (approx. 40 minutes, 400 m underground)
• Skeleton of a newborn cave bear more than 212,000 years old
• Skull of a forest rhinoceros from an interglacial period
• Lifelike reconstruction of a female cave bear with her cub
• Concerts, lantern tours and flashlight tours in the cave
• Its own railroad stop, "Letmathe-Dechenhöhle"

Permanent exhibitions

• Höhlenwelten – Introduction to how caves and karst landscapes form, their shapes and distribution, all the way to world cave records.
• Archive der Erdgeschichte – Geological development of the Devonian massive limestone and fossil finds from cave deposits, including dinosaur remains.
• Eiszeitliche Tierwelt – Cave bear, cave lion and forest rhinoceros: bone finds and reconstructions tell of life in the Sauerland during the glacial and warm periods.

Founded

2006

Operated by

Dechenhöhle und Deutsches Höhlenmuseum Iserlohn (Betriebsführung Dr. Stefan Niggemann)

Director

Dr. Stefan Niggemann

Admission & discounts

Admission to the Deutsches Höhlenmuseum is included in the cave tour ticket. Payment in cash or by debit card (EC). The RUHR.TOPCARD is valid for regular tours, not for special events.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: not available
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchair users cannot take part in the regular tours; for groups with wheelchair users there is a special one-hour tour through large parts of the cave. The cave path (approx. 550 m, 400 m of it underground) is largely level but has two staircases with 37 and 27 steps. No accessible restroom. Animals are not allowed in the cave or the museum. Strollers cannot be taken along.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Kids’ birthday parties

No minimum age; toddlers and babies can be carried, strollers are not possible in the cave. During the North Rhine-Westphalia school holidays, adventure tours in the dark for children with parents, plus a St. Martin's lantern festival and candlelight tours in Advent. Exclusive birthday tours for 3- to 14-year-olds (approx. 1 hour), with a treasure hunt on request.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A46 (Hagen–Iserlohn), exit Iserlohn-Oestrich.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi: not available

Museum shop. The cave stays at about 10 °C year-round.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit