THE CRETAN LABYRINTH CAVE
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The quarry-cave called
"Labyrinth"
near the ancient town Gortyna on Crete
Anna Petrocheilou, 1990 († 2001)
President of the Greek
Speleological Society
PHOTO DOCUMENTATION
by
Thomas M. Waldmann
Basel 2006-2023
| PART 1 |
Preface
When - in the year 1997 - I heard for the first time about the "Labyrinth", a complex cave system with kilometres of corridors in the north of the Messara, I became immediately enthusiastic about it and I really had to check it out! For one reason it was because I had travelled in Crete for 18 years, especially in the area of the Messara, but never had heard anything about it. For the other reason I recognized immediately, that this was something special - I didn't change my mind up today. So I started to explore the cave intensively. I visited every niche and every corner several times and I entered a lot of fissures and holes, which aren't indicated on the maps. Since 1998 I have been several dozens of times inside the "Labyrinth" with different companions. So today I am one of the best experts on this cave and I find my way for years without any map. In the beginning, I especially tried to find out, what this mostly artificial cave was used for. After I very quickly had recognized the original use as a quarry, my interest changed and I started looking for missing and undiscovered parts of the cave, meanwhile with several successes. But as I am a passionate photographer, I would mainly like to show you a detailed photographic documentation of the Labyrinth Cave, what doesn't exist yet, although there are some publications about the "Cretan Labyrinth". As the "Labyrinth" is in danger to get completely inaccessible soon, this documentation is also a kind of call for help: SAVE THE "LABYRINTH" - before it is just left accessible virtually in my website!
I hope you enjoy your journey through the "Labyrinth".
Thomas M.
Waldmann
Basel,
2006 - 2023| ATTENTION:
THE LABYRINTH CAVE IS DANGEROUS ! Don't enter it off your own bat ! |
- NEWS (since July 2010):
- 29 Nov. 2022: - The Search for a sponsor is renewed
- 27 July 2021: - The Research around the Labyrinth is being dropped for the moment, but can be restarted at any time
- 26 July 2018: - The plan to clean the Labyrinth of the ammunition has been spiked - the search for a sponsor is going on
- 14 June 2017: - Will the Labyrinth be cleaned of the ammunition?
- 11 Aug. 2015: - "Forget the Labyrinth", says the minister of culture Nikos Xidakis
- 09 Aug. 2014: - A stone from the Labyrinth is being searched in the laboratory
- 24 Dec. 2013: - Comment und correctures of the film by Arte "Kreta - Mythos Labyrinth"
- 21 Dec. 2013: - The Film by Arte "Kreta - Mythos Labyrinth" at youtube
- 28 Nov. 2013: - Arte broadcasts the film "Kreta - Mythos Labyrinth" on we, 18 Dec. 2013 at 4.55 p.m. (german, length: 26 min)
- 17 Nov. 2013: - Arte starts the new series "Magische Orte in aller Welt" (german) with the movie about the Minotaur and the Cretan Labyrinth on 25 Nov. 2013, 4.55 p.m.
- 24 Aug. 2013: - Coat of arm identified on the wall with the old symbols?
- 24 Aug. 2013: - Readable inscription found on the wall with the old symbols
- 23 Aug. 2013: - Arte will show a documentary movie about the myth of the Minotaur and the Cretan Labyrinth
- 10 May 2013: - When was the Small Labyrinth Cave unearthed?
- 02 April 2013: - Quarry-Cave No. 7 discovered
- 21 Feb. 2013: - Search for a sponsor for the restoration of the Labyrinth
- 11 Jan. 2013: - Watch the film made by National Geographic in 2010 about the Labyrinth (sent in ZDF info) in the News of my website (German)
- 26 Dec. 2012: - The film made by National Geographic in 2010 about the Labyrinth in ZDF info (German)
- 20 June 2012: - Is there a lake in the Labyrinth Cave? - New dubious clue
- 13 June 2012: - "Schlodien" found
- 07 Dec. 2011: - Is there a lake in the Labyrinth Cave? - or: how mixing ups and errors create rumours
- 25 Nov. 2011: - Archeologist from Berkeley, specialized in Minoan archeology, says: There is nothing Minoan in the Labyrinth
- 16 Nov. 2011: - The Lore from WW II near the entrance of the Labyrinth has disappeared
- 15 Nov. 2011: - One more interesting (greek) inscription from 1943 found
- 09 Oct. 2011: - The entrance ist closed with stones
- 04 Feb. 2011: - The end of my researches in the Labyrinth Cave
- 13 Dec. 2010: - Subterranean quarries near Vicenza, Italy
- 18 Nov. 2010: - Summary of the most important results of my researches concerning the Labyrinth Cave (part 2, chap. 12): a supplement
- 17 Nov. 2010: - Danger of an accident in the Labyrinth
- 21 Oct. 2010: - Information event concerning the Labyrinth in Mires monday evening, 18 Oct. 2010
- 15 Oct. 2010: - Location of the Labyrinth Cave removed from this website for a certain time
- 07 Oct. 2010: - Four-page article about the Labyrinth in the newspaper enclosure "Phenomena" no 2 from 02 Oct. 2010
- 07 Oct. 2010: - Two-page articles in the "Antilalos tis Messaras" of 14 and 21 Sept 2010: the pictures
- 20/27 Sept. 2010: - Press conference of the prefecture of Iraklion on 17 Sept. 2010 concerning the inspection on 15 Sept. and the intended purge, closing and re-utilization of the Labyrinth
- 27 Sept. 2010: - Airing of the National Geographic-film with the strange title "The Holy Grail", concerning the "Labyrinth Lost"-project of summer 2009, in the USA on mo, 27.09.2010
- 26 Sept. 2010: - Two-page articles in the "Antilalos tis Messaras" of 14 and 21 Sept 2010
- 16 Sept. 2010: - Inspection of the Labyrinth by experts, police, public prosecutor aso.
- 10 Sept. 2010: - Press release of the Cretan Department of the Hellenic Speleological Society
- 14 Aug. 2010: - Article in the greek daily newspaper "Ta Nea" of we, 11 Aug. 2010
- 06 Aug. 2010: - Two-page articles in the "Apopsi tou Notou" und in the "Antilalos tis Messaras": Announcement to the prosecutor concerning (continued) illegal excavations in the Labyrinth
- 29 July 2010: - Article in the "Apopsi tou Notou" about a petition in the parliament concerning the promotion of the Labyrinth
- 28 July 2010: - Stones from the Labyrinth really harden on exposure to the outside air - and turn to a creamy white colour
- 27 July 2010: - Similar subterranean quarries in England, the Beer Quarry Caves, support presumptions concerning the Labyrinth
- 22 July 2010: - Two more photos: visiting the Labyrinth with a member of the Hellenic Speleological Society HSS (in Greek ESE)
- 20 July 2010: - Double-paged articles in the "Apopsi tou Notou" and in the "Antilalos tis Messaras" because of the 4 by me discovered rooms in the Labyrinth and their verification by a speleologue of the Hellenic Speleological Society ESE / Interview with Nikolaos Leloudas, member of the board of directors of the ESE
- 19 July 2010: - one more postcard showing the historic entrance to the Labyrinth of about 1900
- 17 July 2010: - Hole near Ambelouzos is an entrance, but not to the Labyrinth, but to a Roman watertunnel
- 16 July 2010: - Interview in the Cretan local radio "Dream FM 90,6" in Timpaki with Nikolaos Leloudas (and me)
- 15 July 2010: - Visiting the Labyrinth with a member of the Hellenic Speleological Society HSS (in Greek ESE)
- 13 July 2010: - Whole-paged article in the "Apopsi tou Notou" of 13 July 2010 about the 4 discovered rooms
- 08 July 2010: - One more fish found - the secret symbol of the Christians?
- 05 July 2010: - Do stones from the Labyrinth get harder, when they are carried out of the cave?
- 02 July 2010: - How 2,5 km of corridors change into 4 km of corridors
- 01 July 2010: - Mystery concerning "kalamia" solved? - It should be translated as "tube(s)" instead of "reeds"
NEWS - Table of contents since Oct. 2008
NEWS 04 (Jan. - July 2010)
NEWS 03 (Oct. - Dec. 2009)
NEWS 02 (June - Sept. 2009)
NEWS 01 (Oct. 2008 - May 2009)
Chapter 1 Introduction
a) The Labyrinth of the Minotaur
b) Importance and history
(This text was revised in january 2009 because of the informations kindly provided by Nick Leloudas. Nick was a member of two of the three Labyrinth-excursions in the Eighties, so his informations are first-hand !)
In earlier centuries, the cave system called "the Labyrinth" (in greek „ο λαβύρινθος“, in the book of Paragamian and Vasilakis „η λαβύρινθος“) was one of the most important things to be seen for people travelling in Crete. You can find the proof of this in several historical books, which tell about such travels. At the beginning of the 20th century the importance of our cave started to decline, after Knossos was dug up and claimed to be the labyrinth of the minotaur. During the World War II (WW II) the cave was abused by the German army as an ammunition dump. They changed partially the appearance of the cave mostly in the front section. Some rooms filled up with stones and rubble (therefore these rooms were not indicated in the ancient maps) were emptied and (re-) used. Some existing walls and columns were stabilized with cement, some walls and columns were built newly. They laid rails for small cave-trolleys and installed a generator producing electricity and a compressor to provide the cave-system with fresh air. They also built a new entrance, which is today the main entrance. You can watch photos from WW II in part 2, chap. 9. At the end of the war, the Germans left a large amount of ammunition (and obviously also weapons) in the Labyrinth. Some of the heavy ammunition was blown up on the 15th of Octobre 1944 by the leaving German army. This explosion caused some destructions and caving-ins in the cave, and outside the cave, the last part of the valley was built, which ends today in a perpendicular wall of rock. Before the explosion there was a slope (see the military map of 1942 in ch. 9, part 2, where the slope is well to be recognized because of the lines of altitude). Since then, the cave got dangerous because of the ammunition left in the cave and because of the permanent danger of caving-ins by geological reasons. 1945/46 the greek army built a tunnel by the new entrance and took some of the ammunition, which still was new and ready for use this time, out of the cave. In the fifties the greek company Kaminari "cleaned" the Labyrinth together with a British-Swiss association by order of the government. Obviously they also made interventions in the cave: walls and columns were built or stabilized with cement (thereby somebody engraved the numbers of the year 1957 into the fresh cement on one of the columns). Because of financial disagreements this work was not finished. Afterwards there were still a lot of ammunition and maybe also weapons in the cave, which attracted people again and again. On the 11th of april 1961 there was a serious accident because of an explosion, which caused 4 dead people and more damages in the cave. Two of the dead people, which were from Kastelli, were never found. So the cave became a sepulchre. Therefore the part of the Labyrinth, where the dead were guessed to be, was - as it seems - closed with walls (there are indications, which should be researched). After this accident, the area was sealed by the army: they closed both of the entrances with stones and cement. For nearly 20 years it was impossible to enter the cave. Because of all these happenings since the beginning of the 20th century, the Labyrinth began to get out of the public sight. Today it is more or less forgotten (in the year 2006, there was not one german guidebook, which mentioned the Labyrinth cave!).
In the year 1981 the cave got accessible again by a group of greek cavers (Nick Leloudas, Kostas Zoupis, Petros Romanas and Dimitris Morfiadakis). They dug up a new hole at the end of the valley, under the perpendicular wall of rock (you will see pictures of their entering the cave in part 2, ch. 8). 1982 the next group of greek cavers (Petros Romanas, Kostas Zoupis, Eleni Koniari and Nissam Dauacher) made the first modern map of the cave (see ch. 2i). They had to enter the cave by the hole, which was dug up a year before. The main entrance of today was "built" in 1985 by the third group of greek cavers (Anna Petrocheilou, Nick Leloudas, Vassilis Kalogerakis and Charalampos Nikolau). They opened again the entrance, which had been sealed by the army, by official permit. They made the second modern map of the cave (see ch. 2j). The historical entrance in the west was later opened by unknown people. 2001 grids were installed on each of the entering holes, but they were never closed by key. So the Labyrinth is accessible again since 1981, exept a short interruption in the winter of 2003/2004, when the entrance was blocked for a certain time by a piece of rock because of a landslide. The access is just made more "difficult" by some warning signs (see ch. 3).
Notice:
on 25th of october 1990 the greek geologist Vassilis Giannopoulos
visited the Labyrinth for some hours and wrote a report by order of
the "Survey for Paleoanthropology and
Speleology for Southern Greece", a department of the greek
ministery of culture. In his report he wrote, that before the Germans
the British army used the Labyrinth as an ammunition dump. This must be
doubted because of the following reasons. 1) The inhabitants of the
villages near-by like for example Kastelli say, that the British (the
Allied Forces: British, Australiens, New Sealanders, Greeks) didn't
have been in the Labyrinth themselves. But they left back British
ammunition, when they had to leave the region because of the arriving
Germans. These ones took the British ammunition and stocked it also in
the Labyrinth, among their own ammunition. That's why there was also
British ammunition in the Labyrinth. 2) I found several documents in
the German military archiv in Freiburg in Br. belonging the Labyrinth
(see part 2, ch. 9). None of these documents contains any indication,
that someone else used the Labyrinth as an ammunition dump before the
Germans. 3) The report has got some (small) mistakes. For example, the
number of participants of the first expedition in 1981, which opened
the Labyrinth again after it had been inaccessible for 20 years, is
given by 3 instead of 4. Or the year of the explosion, made by the
Germans, when they left the Labyrinth at the end of the war (in Crete),
is given by 1945 instead of 1944. So it is possible, that the reporter
made one more mistake belonging the British in the Labyrinth.
Download
report of 25.10.1990
(greek, original)
Download report of 25.10.1990 (french translation)
c) Location
The
labyrinth cave includes a net of 2,5 kilometres of
corridors and rooms with an area of nearly 9000 square metres passable
on foot. It is
situated in the north of the plain called Messara, 413 metres
above sea level
d) Confusion with the Small Labyrinth Cave
On
the north side of the same hill there is another cave (see Google
Earth-picture above), which consists of a room with pillars,
but
without corridors, and which is not labyrinthous. But because of the
similar structures of hewing and it is much
more smaller, it was called "Small Labyrinth Cave", in greek
„Μικρή
Λαβύρινθος“
or
„Λαβυρινθάκι“.
There are some publications, maps and websites, which mix up the
big with the small Labyrinth Cave. Photos and more informationen about
the Small Labyrinth Cave are given in part 2, chapter 7
„Similar
hewed Caves“.
e) Dangers
At
the end of the Word War II some weapons and ammunition were left in
the Labyrinth, which were taken out of the cave again and again.
Sometimes the ammunition was opened to get out to the
dynamite-strings inside (so-called "maccaronia", photo on the
right). In the
year 1961 there was an accident with dead people (see above). Inside
the cave you can see
several heaps of stones created by caving-ins or even by explosions.
Nobody knows, if there still is some ammunition left under these heaps!
The ammunition left until today is
decaying in different ways and different speeds (there are no more
weapons left today). The chemical reactions in this decay are dangerous
and not exactly to be defined. The soft stone appearing in parallel
layers often created level ceilings and floors. At some places, parts
of the ceiling have fallen down. It is not possible to find out if
these caving-ins happened just like this or if there was one
of
the recurring earthquakes. But for
sure it is a additional danger, caused by geological reasons - which
always existed. Even visitors in
earlier centuries
wrote about plates hanging down from the ceiling (see next picture).
The explosion at the end of the World War II and the explosion at 1961
could have caused a
destabilisation of the complete hill containing the cave, so that the
danger of caving-ins even got bigger than ever!
The
following pictures from 2007 show plates fallen from the
ceiling, which still were up, when I visited the rooms for the
first time (1998)......
For
sure it must be said:
Η ΛΑΒΥΡΙΝΘΟΣ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΠΟΛΥ ΕΠΙΚΙΝΔΥΝH !
f) Characteristics
The Labyrinth Cave has got some typical characteristics. Some of
them can also be found in other caves, which are similar to
our cave. You
will find a short description of these caves in part 2, chapter 7. But
one
special characteristic (9) is solely to be found in our cave -
that's one of many reasons, why the Labyrinth is something special.....
1) The level
The most corridors and rooms are on the same level. The passage between the two entrances has several going ups and downs. Some Greeks say, that the Labyrinth has two or even three levels and there are more entrances, near Ambelouzos or elsewhere. Until now I never met anybody, who personaly saw a second or even a third level. None of the historical books, which tell about excursions into the Labyrinth, mention any other levels. So the story of a second and a third level seems to be a legend. Up today I couldn't verify it, although I tried to find other levels several times (but: the not-finding of other levels doesn't proove their non-existence!). The Labyrinth cave is situated nearly on the top of a hill. So if there were corridors leading far away, for example to Ambelouzos, they should descend inside the hill up to 100 meters or even more. But in this area this is geolocically untypical. So if there is a so called entrance near Ambelouzos, we must suppose, that it is very probably a similar cave - there are many similar caves in this region -, but without a connection to the Labyrinth.
2) The height
In most of the corridors and rooms, you can walk or stand upright (as you can see on several pictures).
3) The dryness
Most of the corridors and rooms are dry. There is a small niche with stalagmites and a wall with tracks of water entering from the ceiling. A few places have a slippery floor, but no indication of water. Some travellers of earlier centuries and eyewitnesses report that there were a source, flowing water and even reed plants (!). At first sight this seems to be incredible, because plants like reed need light for their existence. But it is not sure, whether it is living or applied reeds. Unfortunately this part of the cave system isn't accessible anymore because of a caving-in (I'm looking for a new access to this lost part of the Labyrinth, but up today I was unsuccessful). According to reports of witnesses, it was still accessible at the beginning of the eighties. A comparison of the two modern maps from Romanas and Petrocheiolou shows, that this part must have collapsed in the time between the making of the two maps, so between 1982 and 1985.
4) Level rock layers
There are level rock layers by nature. That's why there are also many level ceilings and many level floors by nature.
5) Artificial facility
The cave system showed in the maps with rooms and corridors is mostly artificial (see also the following points). Some parts of the cave off the passables corridors, which aren't marked in the maps and which are often just accessible by robbing on the venter, seem to be natural still today. The reason for this is the falling down of the first layer of the ceiling (10-20cm), so that the ceiling looks natural, because the traces of the hewing on the under side of the plates can't be seen anymore. Being in such rooms, robbing to the next wall, you will see there always the same traces of hewing. If there was at the beginning - probably more than 2000 years ago - a natural cave, which was enlarged by men, or if the cave was completely built by men, cannot be found out anymore today. According to my findings, it can't be doubted seriously, that it was a quarry (see point 8). But it cannot be ruled out, that after it wasn't used anymore as a quarry, it could have been used for different other purposes.
6) Soft rock
Most of the rock layers are limesandstone, limemarl or partially crumbly sandstone. Some of them are very soft and easy to work on. There is a room called „salle trapeza“, where visitors use this softness since centuries to scratch inscriptions on the walls. The most ancient inscription is from 1444. In Easter 2007 I found an inscription possibly from 1413 or 1419 (see part 2, Ch. 4).
7) Stone worked
The softness of the rock and the easyness to work on it was used in the whole cave system. All columns are worked, so that you can't find out anymore if the columns were natural in the beginning or if they are completly artificial. Most of the perpendicular walls and niches with perpendicular walls show traces of working (see the next picture).
8) Quarry
9) Walls and rooms completely filled up with stones
The walls in the Labyrinth cave are as impressive as mysterious at first sight. There are several big and very big rooms with level ceilings and perpendicular walls, which are completely or almost completely filled up with stones. Some of them left a passage in the heap of stones. These passages are often stabilized by artificial stone walls on both sides (see also the second picture at the beginning of this website), which reduce the big rooms to small corridors. The walls are often as high as the room itself in a way, that there is just a small opening left between the wall and the ceiling. Mostly it's impossible to enter this opening, but you can look behind the walls. Sometimes you can recognize the astonishing big size of some of these rooms, when you see the next wall ten or twenty or even more meters away in the dark. After a detailed and systematic exploring of this cave I have to make a note of the following points: 1) The fillings are not everywhere such high, the walls are not everywhere so beautiful - the picture below shows probably one of the most beautiful parts in the whole Labyrinth Cave. 2) It seems to be "rubbish", which arose while hewing the stones. They had to build a way through the rubbish. After a certain time, complete rooms were filled up with this rubbish, what shows, that these rooms had no particular purpose and were not created by plan. They were the by-result of hewing the stone and had no further use, when the hewing of stones inside them was stopped. I hadn't seen such walls and stone-fillings before. By my researches showed, that such kind of methods are used in mining. Meanwhile I saw similar structures in the catacombs under Paris and on pictures of coal mines in the internet (pictures following; see also part 2, ch. 10).
Back to the table of contents
Chapter 2 The maps
Chapter 3 Photos of the Labyrinth Cave
General view: The division of the following chapters
For the locating of the pictures I use the map by Petrocheilou. I edited this map so that just the frame left in front of the white background. If it was necessary, I took the changings from my map.
a) Approach and entrance
Some years ago, the area was fenced in by this iron, large-meshed fence. Until 2005 these yellow signs were warning people not to enter the cave - but there was no ban (no prohibition). The meaning of „ΥΠΟΠΤΟΣ ΧΩΡΟΣ“ (photo on the left) is „suspicious place“; the meaning of „ΚΙΝΔΥΝΟΣ ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ“ (photo in the middle) is „danger of death". „ΠΡΟΣΟΧΗ ! ΕΔΩ ΣΚΟΤΩΘΗΚΑΝ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΙ" (photo on the right) means "Attention! People died here".
Since 2006,
there are new
white signs on the fence. There is even one with the english
inscription "No Trespassing". People who aren't originally speaking
english won't recognize that as a ban (prohibition). On the greek
signs, there is still no
ban:
Some people seem to like these signs for shooting exercises. 2007 the signs looked like this:
Back to the table of contents
b) The area behind the entrance
The
entrance is a small hole, which you have to pass through (see the photo
above). After this, you have to pass some other bars. Somebody made a
"joke" by putting two shells
at the bars, I
guess to shock visitors (photo on the right,
Easter 2007).
In the summer of 2007 there was just one shell left, at Easter 2008
both had disapeared:
After passing the bars you are in a tunnel, which was built by the
Greek army after the war, 1945/46 (photo on the left). On
the walls of the tunnel there are some inscriptions (photos on the
right). One of them has the figure of the year 1948, another one shows
the date 22.5.54:
At the end of the tunnel
you enter the
area behind the entrance, called
"ΠΡΩΤΟΣ
ΘΑΛΑΜΟΣ"
("first room"). The names are taken from the map made by Petrocheilou
as you can find them in the list
at the end of the second chapter:
In the first niche to
your left you can see - beside
some rusted shells - two platforms (marked red), where
the German soldiers
had put a generator (to produce electricity) and a compressor (to run
fresh air) in the WW II (as told by witnesses). A German report, which
I found in the German military archive
in Freiburg im Breisgau,
says, that the vibrations of the compressor could be felt clearly in
the rock still in a distance of 75 meters. This caused some cracks in
the walls of the cave (you
will find the documents of the German military
archive in a separate
chapter below).
The few steps back, opposite the pipes, we are heading east (photo on the left). In the gate there is a square hole in the ground (photo on the right):
On
th right side of the hole some ammunition is lying around (photo on
the left). The picture of the
yellow shell was taken in the year 1999. By 2006
it had "disappeared"... Xenophon, who had been working in the
Labyrinth during the WW
II as well as after the war for a Greek company cleaning the
area, told me 2007, when he saw this picture, that this yellow shell
was british! In Easter 2007 I read in a Greek report of 1990, that,
before the Germans, British
soldiers had been in the Labyrinth, also using it as an ammunition
dump. But Greek witnesses of these times told me, that the British
soldiers
hadn't been in the Labyrinth itself. But they had been in this area,
and when the Germans arrived, they left the area, leaving their
ammunition behind. Then the Germans took the British ammunition and put
it into the Labyrinth..... We want to look at the blue marked hole from
the other side. We pass the column on the right side and see two wegde
holes down on the rock face (picture on the right), one of the typical
features of the quarry, which we will see all over the Labyrinth Cave.
We pass the column and see straight ahead "Ariadne's room" (ΑΙΘΟΥΣΑ ΑΡΙΑΔΝΗΣ, with the marked "iron sculpture").....
.....and continue to the left (photo on the left):
We have a look into the next, nameless room (photo on the left) and then we go on (photo on the right):
After this "benches".....
.....we enter - on this way - the last room in this area. At the back on the right side, we enter the right corridor (see next chapter):
Back to the table of contents
c) The right corridor till the "room of the table" ("Trapeza")
At the end of the area
of the entrance we enter
the first real corridor, he's leading to the right, eastwards. First
some parts of this corridor are narrow
and going up and down. Later on some parts are more broad and even. In
the first part of the corridor we have to stoop a little bit.
After the first gate (photo on the left) it goes on narrow and of meagre height (photo in the middle). Then we arrive at the first branching (photo on the right).
On the way we stop for a break. Under the edge on the ceiling in the background (marked red, .....
..... photo on the left, red arrow) I'm crawling in to make a picture of that niche (photo on the right), where this blind alley ends.
.....we see on the left side the first strange kind of a dent in the edge of a rock, here even two, one on top of the other (marked red). I saw these dents for the first time in the year 2008. They could be the result of ropes pulling the vehicles transporting the stones through the corridors. This would be an indication, that the cave was used as a quarry. Such dents are specially to be seen in the right corridor and on both sides at the back of the right corridor. You will find them always at the inner side of curves in protruding edges of rocks (see the next two chapters). We continue in this corridor (picture on the right). The next dent we can see at this dangerously down hanging part of the ceiling (photo on the right below), where we have to pass under. Already Sieber wrote 1823 about this "hanging piece of rock" (in french "roche pendante", p. 514) und put this name also in his map.
Soon we pass this partially fallen slab with a small dome behind it:
After having passed the dome first we look back (left), the we look forward (right):
..... and then we walk till the next rooms:
Before entering the rooms again we look back.....
On
the left side, opposite the pentagon-slab, there are standing two
smaller stones. One has got an inscription of the year 1569, the other
one shows a drawing. Nearly the same year 1567(?) is to be seen on the
ceiling, shortly before entering this room (photo on the left). If
there are inscriptions on the ceiling, especially coat of
arms, symbols and so on, sometimes it is not clear,
which way
round we should look at them. The following inscription might also be
turned for 180° (photo on the right - we'd rather have to turn
ourselves for 180° - not the inscription - while looking at the
ceiling). But there is no
sense in the first sign of the year, which appears two times written in
the same way (it should be a "1"). The other way round this sign is
also strange - what does it mean?
On the wall opposite of the column (photo on the left) we can see a lot of white inscriptions. These white inscriptions are not engraved, but they consist of a white substance, which is on the rock, a result of lime blooming. One of the inscriptions is „Savary 1779". It is prooved, that Claude Savary was a visitor of the Labyrinth, because 1789 he published a book about his travels in Crete with the title "Lettres sur la Grèce". Obviously he was inside the cave with several companions, who also made inscriptions: the names of MacAllon, Savary and Kercy are written together. The names of Buffel and Simian are a little bit more to the right an to the left.
More
behind is room no. 1a, the "small secret chamber"
(ΚΡΥΦΟΣ
ΘΑΛΑΜΙΣΚΟΣ),
with these "benches", which Dumas called "Sopha"
(sofa?) on his map. This chamber ist a clear indication, that the we
must be careful with the writings of the ancient visitors of the cave.
Sieber, for example, wrote about this chamber, which got by him the
letter "q" instead of a name (p. 514): "Soon after we
enter the battle room, la Salle du Combat, which was called so to
follow the fable of the Minotaur. At q there is a corridor ending at a
staircase, which must have been leading outside, because there the
ending sandstone is covered by limemarl, which is the same
as outside on the top." Sieber's supposition contains several
wrong
conclusions. First it is easily to recognize - also on the pictures -,
that the chamber at the end of the "staircase" is closed all around by
hard rock. So the "stairs" couldn't go on here.
Second the steps are to big to be steps of a staircase (well to be seen
on the photo on the right). Third, if there is on the top the same
limemarl as in a chamber below, it isn't a compelling conclusion, that
there is a connection between these two places: the top is 30 meters
above this chamber! Forth: these benches are also the result of hewing
the stones - in the upper right corner we can see two cuts, which were
the beginning of the hewing a new ashler, what wasn't finished of
unknown reasons.
Then we go on following the corridor.
At the next branching we look back: in some places, the ceiling starts to fall down (on the photo above on the right side, you can see it in the background):
We enter the gallery to the right (photos 1 and 2). It is a blind alley, ending in a kind of dome (photo 3). We look upwards to see the dome (photo 4). The end of this short corridor was called "l'escalier" (stairs) by Sieber and "B" by Spratt in his map. Spratt wrote, that this would be a blocked entrance (see ch. 2e "Spratt 1865"). But this is hardly possible because of the location.
We go on in the corridor on the left. After the next left-curve .....
Further on in the corridor.....
After having passed the two on each side down hanging flagstones, we look back:
First we go on into the corridor to the right and see this niche on the left side:
On the most upper layer, quite on the right, above the red marked dent, I found something historical: the number of the year "1700", which ist very probably from Tournefort. It can hardly be recognized. Sieber didn't find it, as he wrote himself (p. 516).
I found this inscription there, where it is marked in Dumas' map. Below two pictures of the number, one with changed colours, to show the number better, and another one, where the number is marked red.
First we turn to the left, .....
.....turning round the corner and entering room No 3, the "resting room" (ΑΙΘΟΥΣΑ ΑΝΑΠΑΥΣΕΩΣ), we look to the right:
The other side of the room (we look to the left and straight ahead):
Also here several hewed stones ale lying around. On the ceiling, we see the number of the year 1938 (1738?):
Afterwards we go to the right into this "last" corridor on this side:
.....until we find the last column in front of the room "Trapeza":
In the book "Labyrinths" from Hermann Kern, there is a chapter about the Cretan Labyrinth (p. 43 - 67). On page 58 you will see a picture of the room "Trapeza". This photo was taken by W. H. Matthews about 1925. Kern calls this room as "center" - an error: if you look at the map, you can see easily, that the room "Trapeza" is not the center, but the opposit: it is the room the farthest away from the entrance at the right edge of the map, at the end of a corridor. The picture is also shown the wrong way up (photo on the left). To the right of it, you see the picture in the correct way, turned for 180 degrees. If you compare it with my picture above, looking at the structures and the signs on the wall, you can verify that.
Also in the best known room of the Labyrinth Cave, there are many hewed stones (see above) as well as partially hewed stones. Sieber wrote (p. 515): "Here it is without doubt to be seen, that the stonehewers did their work, even how an with which kind they did it. Completely and half-completely hewed stones, rather big plates are still lying around here and there."
The right (west) side of the room "Trapeza" ist from partially until almost completely filled up with stones:
Back to the table of contents
d) From the right corridor until the caving-in
English text under construction, last update 12.09.2009
Wir gehen zurück bis zur Verzweigung mit der Nummer 50, um die restlichen Räume auf der rechten Seite anzusehen. Wie auf dem Plan zu sehen ist, war die Labyrinth-Höhle früher ein Kreislauf. Dieser Kreislauf wurde jedoch durch einen Einsturz im hintersten Bereich unterbrochen, so dass das Labyrinth heute aus einem linken und einem rechten Teil besteht. In den Jahren 2006 und 2007 fanden wir Verbindungen zwischen dem linken und rechten Teil, die es ermöglichen, den Einsturz notfalls zu umgehen. In den rechten Teil gelangen wir am einfachsten durch den oben beschriebenen Haupteingang. In den linken Teil gelangen wir am besten durch den zweiten, weiter westlich liegenden Eingang (siehe weiter unten). Zwischen den beiden Eingängen gibt es aber noch eine Verbindung, die begehbar ist, so dass von beiden Ausgängen das gesamte Labyrinth zugänglich ist.
Wir gehen also bei der Verzweigung mit der Nummer 50 (Foto links) geradeaus weiter (Foto rechts). An der Decke hängt eine Fledermaus:
Der Eingang führt in Raum 5, den "Raum der Fledermäuse" (ΘΑΛΑΜΟΣ ΝYΧΤΕΡΙΔΩΝ):
Beim Verlassen sehen wir den EIngang noch von innen:
blicken noch zurück (Bild rechts):
Wir gehen zunächst nach rechts, Richtung Norden, bis zu der Wand auf dem Foto rechts.
Auf dieser Wand, an der eine Fledermaus hängt (Foto links), finden wir eine Zeichnung des originalen "Kretischen Labyrinths" (Foto rechts):
Achtung: Das folgende Bild geht rechts über den Rand hinaus: um das ganze Bild zu sehen, muss der Bildschirm gescrollt werden!!
Wir beginnen mit dem Raum ganz rechts, Raum 6, dem "Schlupfwinkel des Theseus" (ΑΝΤΡΟ ΘΗΣΕΑ), in dem wie an vielen anderen Stellen in der Labyrinth-Höhle fertig behauene Quader herum liegen:
Dann gehen wir noch in den dritten Raum, Raum 8 (bei Petrochilou ohne Namen):
Bei der Nr. 41 sehen wir Raum 9, den "Altar-Raum" (ΘΑΛΑΜΟΣ ΒΩΜΟΥ):
Wir werden später
sehen, dass auf
der anderen Seite des Steinberges ebenfalls Schnüre unter
dem Steinberg verschwinden. Und
die letzte Nummer auf der anderen Seite ist
die 39 (siehe Kap. 3h Gang
links bis zum Einsturz).
Nummern und Schnüre wurden also vor dem Einsturz
angebracht.Dann gehen wir in die letzten zugänglichen Räume auf der rechten Seite (siehe Miniplan rechts), Raum 10 oder "Wasser-Raum" (ΘΑΛΑΜΟΣ ΝΕΡΟΥ). Dass Petrochilou diesen Namen wählte, ist nur bedingt nach zu vollziehen: es gibt zwar in Form von Mini-Stalaktiten Spuren von Wasser an der Decke. Aber heute gibt es kein Wasser (mehr) in diesen Räumen - sie sind trocken:
Achtung: um das folgende Bild ganz zu sehen, muss der Bildschirm ev. gescrollt werden!!
Nach dem Durchgang mit den vielen Mini-Stalaktiten an der Decke.....
Wir wagen es trotzdem und legen beim ersten "Engpass" eine Pause ein:
e) zwischen den beiden Eingängen
Weiter:
An der nächsten Verzweigung (mit der Nr. 6, Foto links, grün markiert) treffen wir gerade aus auf eine Nische mit Einsturz (Foto rechts):
Wir halten uns nun (bei der Nr. 6 auf dem Stein am Boden) links, .....
Nach wenigen Metern sehen wir vor uns eine Verzweigung, die auf dem Plan Petrochilou fehlt:
Wir gehen zuerst in den nach Norden führenden grösseren Stollen, an dessen Ende ein Einsturz-Abhang wartet (Foto links). Auf der linken Seite bearbeitete Felswände.
Erst hier oben sehen wir, dass es nach Westen noch weiter geht (Foto links). Wir klettern also hinein, doch es ist eine Sackgasse (Foto rechts).
Nun verlassen wir den Eingangsbereich in den Gang Richtung Süden, durch die "geheime Tür" (ΚΡΥΦΙ ΠΟΡΤΟΥΛΑ) bei der Nr. 8 (Foto links). Dieser Durchgang wurde wahrscheinlich durch die Deutschen im II. WK freigelegt, da er auf den alten Plänen fehlt (Foto Mitte). Ein erster Blick nach links über die Mauer zeigt eine Säule, die mit Zement befestigt wurde (Bild rechts):
Wir kommen in einen Gang (Foto links). Blick zurück (Fotos Mitte und rechts):
Nach einigen Metern Kriechen treffen wir Mauern, die durch Zement verstärt wurden. Nach links geht's in eine Sackgasse (Fotos links und Mitte). Doch gerade aus, bei der gekippten Wand, da sieht es spannend aus (Foto rechts):
Wir kriechen hinter der gekippten Wand durch (Foto links) und werfen zuerst einen Blick zurück (zweites Foto), dann nach rechts (drittes und viertes Foto):
und dann nach vorne, wo alles irgendwo unter Trümmern endet. Hier einige Bilder:
Fotos vom Rückweg zum Gang, wo ein Kollege wartet:
Am Ende dieses Gang-Abschnittes (Bild links) gibt es zwei interessante Stellen. Am Boden sind noch die originalen Geleise der Stollenbahn vom zweiten Weltkrieg zu erkennen mit beiden Schienensträngen und zwei Schwellen (Bild Mitte und rechts). Dass sie quer zum Gang liegen, zeigt, dass die Struktur der Gänge und Räume in diesem Bereich nach dem Krieg verändert wurde (wahrscheinlich durch die griechische Armee).
Die zweite interessante Stelle ist in der selben Ecke (Foto links). Auf der linken Seite der Ecke ist beim Blick in die Öffnung erkennbar, dass es unter der nächsten Felskante weitergeht (Foto Mitte). Wir kriechen also hinein (Foto rechts).
Wie so oft ist es eine Sackgasse. Hier einige Bilder davon:
Weiter im Gang:
Bei der Nr. 13 gibt es eine Verzweigung. Unter der Nr. 13 sehen wir das Signet der zweiten griechischen speleologischen Gesellschaft "Speleo", die 1982 den ersten, allerdings bisher unveröffentlichten modernen Plan erstellte (Foto links). Wir gehen nach links und müssen zuerst etwas nach oben klettern (Foto Mitte). Auf der linken Seite können wir in einen kleinen Dom hochklettern (Foto rechts):
Oben drehen wir uns um und blicken nach unten in den Gang hinunter (Foto links). In der linken Ecke (wenn wir vom Gang her kommen, ist diese Ecke rechts) finden wir einen Abstieg (Foto Mitte und rechts):
Wir steigen wieder etwas nach unten durch den "Tunnel" (Foto links) und gehen zuerst nach rechts (Fotos Mitte und rechts).
Nun gehen wir noch in den linken Teil. Auch stecken Granaten in den Wänden.
Wir passieren einen kleinen Dom (Blick nach oben), auf den wir hoch steigen......
.....und dann einen Blick nach unten werfen (Foto von 1999):
Bei der Nr. 16 geht es rechts in diesen "Sack" hinein:
Weiter geht's:
Nun folgt die engste Stelle des ganzen Labyrinthes. Im unten gezeigten Abschnitt ist auf einer Länge von ca. 5 Metern nur auf den Knien vorwärts zu kommen (Bild links und Mitte, Höhe < 1m). Ausgerechnet an dieser engen Stelle gab es 2004 einen kleinen Einsturz. Ungefähr ein halber Kubikmeter Gestein fiel von der Decke und türmt sich nun am Boden auf. Da bei diesem Einsturz ein Loch in der Decke entstand, kann man die Stelle jedoch etwa gleich gut wie vorher passieren. Wir kriechen also auf diese Erhebung hinauf und werfen in der Mitte auf der höchsten Stelle einen Blick nach vorne und unten (Bild rechts):
Dann folgt eine Verzweigung mit Sackgass-Stollen auf beiden Seiten:
Der geradeaus führende Gang sieht natürlich aus (Foto links). In der nächsten - der zweitletzten - Sackgasse finden wir wieder behauene Wände, die wie eine Säule anmuten (Foto rechts):
Wir gehen weiter. Auf dem Foto rechts sind wir bei der letzten Verzweigung in diesem Gang angelangt:
Bei dieser Verzweigung gehen wir nach links in den Stollen Richtung Süden. Dabei müssen wir einige absturzgefährdete Felsen unterqueren.
Kurz vor dem Ende des Ganges finden wir Topfscherben. Ein Luftzug zeigt an, dass uns nur eine dünne Felsschicht von der Aussenwelt trennt.
f) Der zweite, westliche Eingang
g)
Die Räume
ganz links
Bei der nächsten Verzweigung (in der Übersicht als 4. Verzweigung bezeichnet), die schon 5m nach der ersten folgt, gehen wir zunächst in den linken Gang hinein, .....
Wir gehen zunächst nach rechts in diese Sackgasse hinein:
Unterwegs zweigt ein kleiner kurzer Stollen nach rechts ab (Foto links), am Ende der Sackgasse sehen wir behauene Wände und die Nr. 30a:
Wir gehen wieder zurück (Foto links) und werfen rechts einen Blick zwischen Steinberge und Decke - hier gibts was zu robben......
Nun gehen wir gerade aus (Foto links) und steuern auf die Nische im Hintergrund zu:
Nun die untere, südliche Hälfte der Minotaurus-Gemächer:
Achtung: Das folgende Bild geht rechts über den Rand hinaus: um das ganze Bild zu sehen, muss der Bildschirm gescrollt werden!!
Dahinter sehen wir diese Nischen:
Wir beginnen den Rückweg zwischen Wand und Wandsäule hindurch in Richtung auf den Durchgang im Hintergrund:
Zurück zum Inhaltsverzeichnis
h) Gang links bis zum Einsturz
Wieder bei der
Verzweigung angekommen, gehen wir diesmal nach rechts (linkes Bild) und
spähen
in der nächsten Kurve in das Loch auf der linken Seite
(rechtes
Bild). Es befindet sich unter einer eindrücklichen, schief
stehenden Felsplatte (diese ist auf dem nächsten Bild
besser
zu sehen):
Wir
gehen ein Stück weiter und
blicken zurück (Bild links). Gegenüber der roten
Inschrift sehen wir im
Hintergrund eine Kante an der Decke (Foto rechts, rot B.4), unter der
ein mühsam zu überwindender Durchgang zu jenem
letzten
Stollen des Ganges zwischen den Eingängen führt, in
dem wir
Topfscherben fanden (siehe Kap. 3e):
An der nächsten -
der "fünften" -
Verzweigung sehen wir auf der linken Seite einen Eingang (Foto links),
der sich unmittelbar dahinter verzweigt (Foto rechts).
Wir gehen hinein. Die Verzweigung links endet nach wenigen Metern in einem unpassierbaren Loch (Foto links), das allerdings in den Hauptgang zurück führen würde. Nach rechts treten wir in einen leicht zugänglichen, genau nach Norden führenden Gang (Foto rechts), der erstaunlicherweise in beiden modernen Plänen, also in jenem von Petrochilou wie auch in jenem von Romanas et al., fehlt (siehe Miniplan).
Nach 26m teilt sich der Gang (Bild rechts). Der linke Ast endet schon bald (Bild links).
Wir gehen zuerst in den nördlichen Ast (Foto links), biegen um die Ecke (mittleres Foto) und gelangen nach 12,5 m an dessen Ende:
Nun gehen wir noch in den letzten Stollen an dieser Kreuzung, er führt Richtung Südwesten und endet nach 7,5 m:
Zurück im Hauptgang gehen wir weiter Richtung Norden. Hier sehen wir einige Wände und Säulen, die (im II. WK) mit Zement verstärkt wurden.
Wir biegen um die Ecke nach rechts.....
...und gleich um die nächste Ecke nach links. Wir befinden uns nun in einem recht hohen, dom-artigen Gang-Abschnitt (Bild links). Wir gehen zunächst daran vorbei und blicken zurück (Bild rechts):
.....sehe ich schliesslich im Hintergrund an der Decke Tropfstein-Gebilde, also Spuren von Wasser, die etwas weiter hinten im Haupt-Gang aus einem bequemeren Blickwinkel zu sehen sein werden:
Dann gehen wir weiter. Bei der nächsten Gelegenheit klettere ich links den Hang hinauf (Bild rechts)
Auch hier finden wir hinter dem zu überwindenden Steinwall auf beiden Seiten behauene Wände:
Zurück in den Hauptgang und erst mal einen Blick zurück.....
.....dann geradeaus (Bild links) und nach rechts (Bild rechts):
Nach kurzem müssen wir aber bereits wieder über Steine kraxeln (Bild links).
Dann gehts links der Zementsäule weiter. Wir stossen wieder auf bearbeitete Wände.
An dieser Stelle kann Richtung Süden auf Knien und Bauch weiter gerobbt werden. Selbst hier finden wir noch bearbeitete Wände (rot markiert).
Ich werfe einen Blick durch die Löcher und sehe, dass es es noch beträchtlich weiter geht. Ich klettere durch das obere Loch. Da eine grosse Deckenplatte am Stück herunter fiel, lässt es sich einigermassen bequem auf ebenem Boden robben, obwohl es zunächst eng wird (Foto rechts). Dabei muss ich an einer Fledermaus vorbei zirkeln.... (Foto links).
Ich finde zunächst eine bearbeitete Nische (Foto links), krieche weiter....:
Dann kann ich mit etwas mehr Platz weiter absteigen an den Ort, den ich vom Loch aus sah - ich finde noch eine bearbeitete Nische (Foto links). Hier endet der Ausflug, da die Steine sich bis an die Decke türmen (Foto rechts).
.....und muss bald nach oben steigen (Foto links). Hier ist einiges eingestürzt, aber es blieb genug Platz, um durchsteigen zu können. Oben angekommen (Foto rechts).....
.....geht es nun Richtung Südwesten wieder runter (Foto links). Unten angekommen (Foto rechts), sehen wir im Hintergrund.....
.....einen Raum, in dem wir bearbeitete Wände finden. Sieber's Raum "La pugnée" ist also gefunden, die neue Übereinstimmung der Pläne mit einem weiteren Fund bestätigt.
Zurück in den Gang. Ab dieser Rechtskurve gibt es auf beiden Seiten nur noch neue Mauern, die immer schlechter werden, so dass wir eben von Steinwällen sprechen sollten.
Die beiden "Wandsäulen" links und rechts passen gut in die neu erkannte Übereinstimmung der Pläne von Sieber und Petrocheilou:
Auf der rechten Seite - sogar noch bevor wir die Pforte betreten - sehen wir ein Keilloch in der Wand (Foto links). Wieder in der Pforte, gehen wir an der Nische auf der linken Seite vorbei. Nach einigen Metern, bei der schwarzen Nr. 36 links an der Wand (auf dem Foto rechts oberhalb des roten Pfeiles knapp nicht mehr zu sehen, auf dem Breitbild weiter unten aber gut zu sehen) werfen wir die ersten Blicke in die hintersten Räume. Der Trampelpfad führt zwar nach rechts, wir gehen aber erstmal gerade aus, Richtung Norden.....
Wir gehen zurück bis zur letzten Verzweigung. Auf dem Breitbild sehen wir rechts die Pforte, durch die wir in diese hintersten Räume eintraten. Wir betreten nun den Gang links im Bild. Achtung: Das folgende Bild geht rechts über den Rand hinaus: um das ganze Bild zu sehen, muss der Bildschirm gescrollt werden!!
Am Ende des "Tunnels" müssen wir etwas herunter steigen (Bild rechts, Blick zurück). Hier können wir in alle Himmelsrichtungen weiter gehen (aus dem Westen sind wir gekommen, d.h. Blick zurück, Bild rechts).
Wir gehen zunächst nach links, Richtung Norden.
Wir gelangen zur hintersten Säule, neben der eine Art Krater liegt. Das ist die Stelle, wo unser neuer Verbindungs-Stollen von 2007 rauskommt (siehe Schluss von Kap. 3d "Rechts hinten links bis zum Einsturz"). Eine genauere Untersuchung des "Kraters" ergibt aber, dass seine Wände aus Mauern bestehen, die teilweise einstürzten.
Wir gehen zur letzten Verzweigung zurück und steigen durch diese Passage (Foto links im Hintergrund) in die südlich davon gelegenen Räume ein:
Bevor wir einsteigen, werfen wir noch rasch einen Blick auf die Mauer rechts des Durchganges, wo wir einige Inschriften sehen, eine davon vielleicht arabisch?
Dann betreten wir via den Durchstieg die dahinter liegenden Räume (Raum 12a), die im Plan von Petrochilou vernachlässigt wurden, während sie bei Romanas et al. eingezeichnet sind - ich nenne sie daher "Romanas' Räume".
Noch einen Blick zurück zum Einstieg, dann folgen wir der Mauer im Süden:
Nun können wir nur noch links über einen Steinberg in den Gang zurück klettern (Bild links). Da wir den ganzen Gang dokumentieren wollen, gehen wir also zurück zur letzten Verzweigung.
Wir betreten jetzt das letzte Stück Gang auf dieser Seite, das Richtung Osten führt und schliesslich an einem Einsturz endet (siehe Miniplan darüber). Bald sehen wir rechts die Luke, durch die wir in Romanas' Räume einsteigen könnten (Bild rechts, Bild darüber von der anderen Seite).
Wir gehen an der Luke vorbei und sehen nach einigen Metern links an der Wandkante die letzte Nummer auf dieser Seite, die Nr. 39.
Bei der Nr. 39 wurde die 3 auf die linke Wand und die 9 "um die Ecke herum" auf die Stirnwand aufgetragen. Darum ist auf diesem Foto die 9 nicht als solche zu erkennen. Wir robben unmittelbar vorher auf der linken Seite in einen Spalt hinein zwischen Gestein und Decke, zunächst auf den Knien und weiter innen auf dem Bauch.
Der Versuch ist von Erfolg gekrönt: nach etwa 10 Metern gelangen wir in den Raum 10a (ΜΥΣΤΙΚΟ ΑΝΤΡΟ bzw. Geheim-Kammer) mit der Bodenplatte, den wir von der anderen Seite her kennen (Foto links). Wir haben also 2006 einen Weg gefunden, wie (notfalls) der Einsturz umgangen werden kann (2007 fanden wir hier hinten eine weitere Verbindung, siehe Schluss des Kapitels 3d). Foto rechts: René auf dem Rückweg:
Weiter im Gang. Ab hier verläuft ein ausgeprägter Riss an der Decke, nicht besonders gemütlich........
Wir sind am Ende angekommen: ein Einsturz (grün markiert) verhindert jegliches Weiterkommen. Es ist der selbe Einsturz, den wir schon von der anderen Seite her kennen lernten: ein bis zur Decke reichender Steinberg, unter dem Schnüre verschwinden. Die letzte Nummer auf unserer Seite ist 39, die erste auf der anderen Seite 41.
Die Besichtigung des Labyrinths ist hiermit beendet.
Zurück zum Inhaltsverzeichnis
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