Basalt mining in Bad Marienberg (Dreisbach)
| Basalt mining in Bad Marienberg (Dreisbach) | |
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| GeoStation at the GeoRoute Tertiär - Industrie - Erlebnis Stöffel-Route | |
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| usable QR-Codes | |
| direct QR-Code: | www.qltr.de/qrka0203 |
Basalt from Bad Marienberg
The present-day town of Bad Marienberg lies on the heights of the Nister Valley. In 1867, following the Austro-Prussian War, the Duchy of Nassau was annexed. One of the new administrative districts created was the Oberwesterwaldkreis. The Prussian government established the associated district office in Marienberg.
At the beginning of the 20th century, as the demand for crushed stone for railway construction increased significantly, systematic basalt mining began here as well. Although the basalt deposits between Zinhain and Marienberg had long been known, it was only now that basalt was processed on a larger scale into paving stones and crushed rock. By 1905, around 100 workers found employment and livelihood in these quarries, and by 1909 the workforce had grown to between 180 and 200 men.
In 1906, when the Westerwald Cross Railway also passed through the Nister Valley, the desire for a dedicated railway connection to Marienberg grew. The sale of basalt products and the presence of the district office served as arguments for building the branch line, which was already operational by 1911.
The effort involved posed a technical challenge. Near Nistertal, a branch line was routed along the Stöffel hill, which could only be constructed with the maximum gradient allowable for railways at that time. Heavy water inflows and landslides further complicated the work.
The Nister Valley had to be spanned by the 40-meter-high Erbach Railway Bridge. Basalt Actien-Gesellschaft built an administrative building in Marienberg and managed many of its basalt operations in the Westerwald region from there. Basalt mining continued until 1975, when it was finally discontinued. Consequently, the branch railway line was also shut down.
The memory of the former basalt quarrying near Bad Marienberg is kept alive by the Geo Point Basalt Park, which opened in 1984. Along a circular trail through a former quarry, the volcanic origin of the basalt and the history of its extraction are vividly illustrated.