Grotte aux Fées

Geschichte

The Grotte aux Fées in the cliffs above Saint-Maurice, Switzerland is a natural limestone solution show cave, featuring a 77m high underground waterfall, claimed as the world's highest waterfall in a show cave. The cave was the first show cave in Switzerland. The cave was known until the mid 19th century as the Trou aux Fayes or "Sheep Hole," as it was used as a sheepfold. The cave was known from Roman times, but was first publicized in 1863 as a tourist attraction, with the present name being used from 1865.The cave was explored in 1831 when a party mapped 600m of passages. From 1863 Professor Chanoine Gard of the Abbey College of Saint-Maurice cleared passageways and conducted tours on behalf of an orphanage that he had founded. From 1865 the cave was operated by the Sisters of Saint-Maurice, who coined the present name. In 1925 additional exploration extended the cave network from the top of the waterfall. The network includes the 504m tourist gallery, the 1200m Galerie des Morts and the 2184m Fairies' Cave section, with an elevation difference of 122m. A 2010 exploration linked the Grotte aux Fées to the nearby Grotte de Saint-Martin No.1, totaling 3630m in length and 249m in elevation.The guided tour follows a 500m trail, ending at the waterfall. The waterfall is fed by water from the nearby Dents du Midi peaks.The cave was connected to Fort du Scex, which occupies the same cliff, between 1935 and 1936. The cave in turn was connected to Fort de Cindey between 1941 and 1946, forming part of the fortifications of Fortress Saint-Maurice and providing an underground connection between the two fortifications. The cave and both forts may be visited during summer months.

"Ouverte du 15 mars au 15 novembre, la Grotte aux fées est la 1ère grotte touristique en suisse ouverte au public. Elle offre un spectacle naturel et merveilleux dont les principaux acteurs, la pierre et l’eau, se nourrissent de l’imagination des hommes pour rendre inoubliable ce voyage dans les entrailles de la terre. Après un demi kilomètre de sentier didactique dans une galerie éclairée, la promenade souterraine atteint son paroxysme lorsque le visiteur aperçoit un petit lac alimenté par une vertigineuse cascade."