Mühlstein Cave Rother Kopf 54568 Gerolstein-Roth
If you want to get a deep insight into the interior of the Vulkaneifel, you should visit this millstone cave at the Rother Kopf volcanic cone northwest of Gerolstein.
The Rother Kopf, located not far from the town of Gerolstein, famous for its mineral water, is a 566 meter high volcano that erosion has carved into a round shape. But it is home to caves with particularly angular lava scoria.
The hardware store of earlier times
The name “Kopf” is given to many older volcanic cones in the Vulkaneifel, whose originally rugged shapes eroded into gentler slopes. The Eifel people have always found material for houses, bridges, roads and even millstones in their rock. Mining at the Rother Kopf has been documented since the 13th century. Niches and caves formed in which cold winter air collects. It is heavier than warm air and so fills the interior of the caves cut deep into the rock.
The volcanism near Roth formed a particularly porous material full of bubble-shaped air pockets. The once glowing fragments of lava that were thrown into the air coalesced as they cooled to form hard, layered banks of slag. As a raw material, they were particularly suitable for millstones because the friction process of grinding opened new, sharp-edged pores and the ground material could be excellently crushed.
Highlights nearby