The Schwedenhöhlen, also known as Schwedenlöcher, are artificial caves in the Rohrwald forest in the municipality of Harmannsdorf, Weinviertel, Lower Austria.Homepage of the municipality of Harmannsdorf: Schwedenhöhlen https://www.harmannsdorf.gv.at/Schwedenhoehlen They are cut into loess soil and are associated with the regional tradition of subterranean refuges known as erdstalls.
History The name Schwedenhöhlen refers to the Thirty Years' War. According to local historical accounts, inhabitants used the caves as hiding places during the Swedish occupation of the region. Swedish forces under Lennart Torstensson captured nearby Korneuburg in 1645.Otto Kamshoff: Ober-Rohrbach in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart für Schule und Haus dargestellt von Otto Kamshoff, Ober-Rohrbach 1914, p. XX.
The caves have also been linked in local accounts to earlier conflicts involving Hussites, Ottoman troops, and Hungarians, as well as to the Napoleonic Wars in 1809 and the final weeks of World War II in 1945.Manfred Kmoch: Neues von den Schwedenhöhlen im Rohrwald, Korneuburger Kulturnachrichten, 1979, part 1, p. XX.
Description
The cave system consists of several small man-made passages and chambers. Reported interior features include niches, benches, and a domed chamber with a central pillar.Die Schwedenhöhlen im Rohrwald bei Stockerau (Niederösterreich). Der Erdstall 17, 1991, pp. 15–36.
Some entrances have deteriorated over time. According to a 1991 report in Der Erdstall, alterations made in the 1970s to improve access changed the original entrance forms and contributed to erosion.Die Schwedenhöhlen im Rohrwald bei Stockerau (Niederösterreich). Der Erdstall 17, 1991, pp. 15–36.
Ownership The caves are owned by the forestry administration of Klosterneuburg Abbey.Homepage of the municipality of Harmannsdorf: Schwedenhöhlen https://www.harmannsdorf.gv.at/Schwedenhoehlen
In popular culture
The Schwedenhöhlen are a major setting in Johannes Grenzfurthner's 2022 horror film Razzennest, which was filmed in the Rohrwald region.Kultur aktuell, Ö1 Kultur, August 21, 2022
References
External links
Official Weinviertel tourism website Mensch und Höhle: Die Schwedenhöhlen "Zu den Geheimnissen des Rohrwaldes: Die merkwürdigen Schwedenhöhlen und Ausgrabungen auf dem Michelberg", in: Der Standard, March 18, 2011