Veleda Cave becomes a partner of the GrenzWelten Geopark
For the 77th time, the curtain rises on Germany's oldest amateur theatre festival during Ascension Week. From The GrenzWelten National Geopark and the Veleda Cave in Bestwig are joining forces. At the end of February, representatives of the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg as the sponsor of the Geopark, the director of GrenzWelten, the mayor of Bestwig and representatives of the village community Velmede-Bestwig e. V. as the sponsor of the adventure cave signed an official co-operation agreement. The ceremonial signing lays the foundation for a long-term co-operation that will strengthen both the geotope management and the experience culture for guests in Bestwig. The partners are confident that this strong partnership for the underworld will further raise the profile of the geopark and cave.
This is precisely the aim of the collaboration: to make the geological features of the region more visible together. Both partners contribute their strengths in different ways and complement each other profitably, with professional exchange taking centre stage. "We are very pleased about the collaboration," the cooperation partners declare in unison. While the Veleda Cave benefits from the professional support, the Geopark gains an important highlight in its network. As a geotope that can be directly experienced by visitors, the cave is a valuable addition to GrenzWelten's tourist and educational programme.
The Veleda Cave is located in the upper Ruhr Valley south of Velmede in the municipality of Bestwig on the north side of the Ostenberg. A few years ago, another cave was discovered just two kilometres away in the narrow band of Devonian Sparganophyllum limestone. The limestone band is also known locally as the "Hohler Stein". The cave consists of a large hall divided into two parts and a side passage. The side passage ends after around 90 metres in the so-called Schusterstübchen. With a total depth of around 50 metres, the cave is one of the deepest in North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 2015, the Veleda Cave has been supervised by 15 volunteer cave guides from the Velmede-Bestwig village community. The cave is open to visitors on the last Sunday of every month from May to September. There is also a special guided tour at the end of September each year to mark Geotope Day. Detailed information is available on the Internet at www.veleda-hoehle.de.
Caption: Happy about the signing of the cooperation agreement (from left to right): Stephan Nüse and Michael Stratmann, cave guides from the Velmede-Bestwig village community; Bestwig's mayor Christoph Rosenau; Head of the Environment and Climate Protection Department of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district Ralf Enderlein; Head of the GrenzWelten Geopark Dr Georg Bresser. Photo: National Geopark GrenzWelten