Hachenburg

Event

"Westerwald rich in stone. More than basalt"

Special exhibition at the Westerwald Landscape Museum
21.05.2023 until 31.12.2024
In the Westerwald, you encounter stones at every turn. In a special exhibition, the Landscape Museum in Hachenburg presents the different types of natural stone in the local region, their extraction and further use.
This text was translated with the free translation tool deepl.com.

Description

"Westerwald rich in stone. More than basalt"

Special exhibition at the Westerwald Landscape Museum

21.05.2023 until 31.12.2024

In the Westerwald, you encounter stones at every turn. The Landscape Museum in Hachenburg presents a special exhibition on the different types of natural stone in the local region, their extraction and further use. In this context, it quickly becomes clear that the range of rocks found in the Westerwald extends far beyond the well-known basalt deposits of the Upper and High Westerwald and that the landscape, as part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains, has far more to offer than just slate.
The rather "unknown" rocks of the low mountain range landscape, which had and still have a certain economic significance, are presented here on the basis of their cultural-historical dimensions.

Quarry stone or natural stone is a "mixture of minerals" extracted by human or machine power from naturally occurring rocks. Depending on their appearance, there are loose or rocky stones. In the case of engineered stone, a distinction is made between hard and soft rock.

Three classes of rock are distinguished according to their formation, examples of which can be found in the Westerwald district:

1. volcanic solidification rocks (magmatites): Basalt, andesite, phonolite, trachyte, pumice, tuff
2. sedimentary rocks (sediments): Greywacke, clay, sticky sand
3. metamorphic rocks (metamorphites): Clay slate, quartzite

In the museum's large exhibition hall, these natural rocks are introduced in more detail using samples presented in historical wheelbarrows. The mining and transport of the stones then take centre stage. A large photo transports the visitor to a trachyte quarry and the tools on display quickly reveal the hard work that was once carried out in the local quarries. The handcarts and lorries on display as well as a reconstructed tripod with chain hoist reinforce this impression. In addition, two sections are dedicated to the specialists involved in quarrying stone. On the one hand, it is about the explosive expertise of the blaster and on the other hand about the blacksmiths and metalworkers, because without iron, stones could not be extracted.

The situation in the exhibition hall is exemplary of the once numerous quarries in the region and, on closer inspection, the remains of numerous former quarries can still be seen in the local forests today. Until well into the 20th century, almost every village had its own quarries from which the villagers could extract stone for building houses or material for paving paths and roads for a fee.
In addition, numerous local communities or even ecclesiastical and aristocratic landowners leased their quarries to private individuals, who then quarried the respective types of stone as their main occupation.

In addition to the presentation in the exhibition hall, the adjoining vaulted cellar focuses on the further use and processing of the various stones. Several stone-working trades are presented here using typical tools and products. These include road builders and pavers, potters, slate roofers, stonemasons and sculptors, bricklayers as well as pumice stone and brick manufacturers.

A further exhibition unit is dedicated to the types of natural stone found in the wider geographical area of the Westerwald with selected samples. Here you can see marble from the Lahn as well as diabase from Leun or limestone from Erdbach and Runkel-Steeden.

A "treasure trove" gives visitors the opportunity to bring in their favourite stones from their home town or souvenir stones brought back from their travels.

The modern pottery workshop, which is integrated into the approximately 250 square metre exhibition area, makes the leap into the present. Here, children can turn vessels on the potter's wheel in workshops and as part of group visits during the summer holidays.

This text was translated using the free translation tool deepl.com.

Brief description

Special exhibition at the Westerwald Landscape Museum
21.05.2023 until 31.12.2024
In the Westerwald, you encounter stones at every turn. In a special exhibition, the Landscape Museum in Hachenburg presents the different types of natural stone in the local region, their extraction and further use.
This text was translated with the free translation tool deepl.com.

Contact and directions

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Leipziger Str. 1
57627 Hachenburg