The Wolf Cave (Susivuori, Other areas)

The Wolf Cave of Karijoki in Kristiinankaupunki is a fascinating place. Excavations in the cave have revealed stone artifacts and coal accumulations suggesting inhabitation in the cave prior to the last ice age. This would imply that the inhabitants were Neanderthals, and as such it would be one of the most northern locations of Neanderthal inhabitation and the only known location later covered by continental ice.

Did you know that?

• Traces of a human peresence before the last ice age have been found inside the Wolf cave. The finds include several stone tools and the bottom of the campfire site.
• During the ice age, Susivuori was covered by a three-kilometer-thick layer of ice. The cave withstood the weight of ice because it was full of earth and ice.
• The Susivuori hill consists of granodiorite. It is a granite-like stone that was formed deep under a large mountain range 1,900 million years ago.
• The cave is closed by a fence for security reasons. However, the interior of the cave is illuminated, the switch is located by the fence.
• The wolf cave as a whole is almost 30 meters deep, 25 meters wide and at most more than two meters high. Only part of it has been studied.
• The path to the lookout tower starts from Susiluola on the left. The trail passes in places in demanding rocky terrain.

Nearby attractions: The viewing tower of Susivuori

Coordinates (WGS84): 62.30300, 21.66253