The large saw blade in front of you cuts granite. Such circular block saws have long been found in the workshops of granite companies, along with many other processing machines. On the desk in front of you, you can view selected examples of how people today work with granite quarries and during further processing.
What can be done in a modern operation in just a few minutes by one person using the appropriate machinery would have taken three stonecutters and a blacksmith at least three days in the times before the Second World War. These fully automated systems move as if by magic within spacious factory halls.
Productivity has risen sharply. At the same time, however, the number of jobs in the Bavarian Forest’s granite industry has fallen from 12,000 to around 600.
Soon after the Second World War, a problem that continues to affect the natural stone industry to this day had become increasingly noticeable: imports from other European countries and, soon afterwards, countries outside Europe, as well.
Despite this global competition, there is still an efficient granite industry in the southern Bavarian Forest. The local industry endures because it doesn’t rely on mass production but on high-quality and innovative products. Rising transportation costs worldwide and the increasing enforcement of international social and environmental standards have also had a positive effect. We can be confident that the traditional granite industry here still has a bright future.
This brings us to the end of the broad, historical arc that’s shown us how the people in our region have worked with stone.
But we haven’t reached the end of our tour. Now I’d like to invite you to explore the quarry with me. Walk along the glass façade up to the lectern. There you’ll find a very special view to the outside. See you soon!
