German pumice museum

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Museum of the pumice industry, aerial view (2017)
Conveyor belt on the premises of the pumice museum

The German Pumice Museum in Kaltenengers near Koblenz deals with the history of pumice mining and alluvial stone production in the Neuwied Basin from its beginnings in the mid-19th century to today's production. The museum is located in a former pumice factory and is one of the information and experience centers in the volcano park .

Pumice deposits

Pumice stones stacked to dry on arken

The large deposits of pumice in the Middle Rhine basin go back to the eruption of the Laacher See volcano around 12,900 years ago. About 16 cubic kilometers of tephra , volcanic loose material, were lifted into the air, which then covered the Neuwied basin as a meter-thick layer of pumice.

Pumice as a building material

From the combination of pumice and milk of lime , the alluvial stone was developed in the 19th century , which is characterized by malleability, lightness and good thermal insulation. This invention probably goes back to the Prussian building inspector Ferdinand Nebel from Koblenz, who is said to have applied for a patent for the "artificial alluvial stone" in 1845. Thanks to the invention of the floating stone and the large deposits of the volcanic raw material pumice in the Neuwied Basin, this region experienced an economic boom. The former agricultural landscape developed into an industrial location. As a result of the reconstruction after the Second World War, pumice production reached its peak in the early 1960s. Rhenish pumice building materials were used in almost half of all newly built apartments in Germany in 1955.

From the factory to the museum

Initial discussions on the creation of a Bimsmuseums there was in 2006 between Lambert Mohr , Bimsunternehmer and Member of Parliament and former district administrator of the district Mayen-Koblenz , Albert Berg-Winters . In February 2011, the “Kulturelles Erbe der Bimsindustrie eV” association was founded, chaired by the Mayen-Koblenz district administrator, Alexander Saftig . It was a concern of the founding members, who come from the political and entrepreneurial environment, to preserve the genesis of the pumice industry for posterity. With voluntary helpers, the former pumice business of the Dott company in Kaltenengers was transformed into an open-air and indoor museum and opened on April 16, 2014.

Pumice Museum

The 150-year history of pumice stone production is presented at 30 stations, both inside and outside the former pumice factory. Using original machines, historical pictures and stories from contemporary witnesses, the development of industry is explained: from the invention of the alluvial stones to mass production and reconstruction after the Second World War. The promotion of pumice as well as product development from four-inch stone to thermal insulation stone are discussed and the various areas of application of pumice outside the building materials industry are shown. The exhibits include, for example, knocking tables, hand-held machines and other original machines, a conveyor shaft, old scales, boilers and a modern ring system.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Hildegard Brog: From the natural phenomenon to the economic miracle. 2013, p. 15.
  2. Milestones in the pumice industry . In: Förderverein Kulturelles Erbe e. V. (Ed.): Chronicle . ISBN 978-3-9814623-0-2 .
  3. Kaltenengers. A museum for the raw material pumice. Rhein-Zeitung, accessed on February 11, 2015 .

Coordinates: 50 ° 24'12.8 "  N , 7 ° 32'27.1"  E.