Monte Kaolino
The Monte Kaolino (jokingly from Monte , Italian for 'mountain', and kaolin ) is a dump in the urban area of Hirschau in the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria , just under two kilometers southeast of the city center. Most of the dump is located in the Hirschau district , to the east in part also in the Scharhof district . It protrudes 120 m from the surrounding area and consists of around 35 million tons of quartz sand from the neighboring kaolin pits.
Origin and geology
The Monte Kaolino created by the stockpiling of quartz sand, which is a waste product of Kaolingewinnung in space Hirschau. Here, initially weak solidified, kaolinic sandstone (kaolinite, "kaolin") is the Middle Bunter ( Triassic ) in the open pit mined. This sandstone was as more than 240 million years feldspar -rich sand deposited. The kaolin emerged from the subsequent chemical weathering of the feldspar grains, whereas quartz is generally relatively resistant to chemical weathering and has therefore been preserved to this day.
When kaolin is extracted, it is separated from the quartz sand- clay mineral mixture in a plant of the Amberger Kaolinwerke , which is located in the immediate vicinity of the kaolin pits . Although quartz sand is a raw material for glass production and in the building industry , significantly more quartz sand is lost during the extraction of kaolin than is consumed by the corresponding consumers. Therefore, a large part of the sand had to be and still has to be dumped. This is how Monte Kaolino was created, which is still growing today, as long conveyor belts continue to deposit sand on the northern slope of the dump.
Geotope status
The “Monte Kaolino” near Hirschau is designated as a geotope worthy of protection by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment , as are the immediately neighboring kaolin pits near Hirschau-Schnaittenbach , in which the kaolin sands were and are mined. The kaolin pits are also included in the official list of “ Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes ”.
See also the list of geotopes in the Amberg-Sulzbach district .
amusement park
The town of Hirschau established a leisure area on the southern slope as early as the 1950s. In 2007 the leisure area was completely renovated.
outdoor pool
The old outdoor pool, built in 1959, was demolished in 2007 and replaced by a new one. The new, so-called dune pool, includes a 50 m long water slide, a 70 m² children's pool and an adventure pool with bubble jets and water jets. In addition, a new swimming pool with 25 m and a diving area was built. The outdoor pool is heated. The energy required for this comes from solar absorbers and a biogas plant .
Sand ski run
As early as 1957 it was discovered that the sandy slope is suitable for skiing and sandboarding . Monte Kaolino has a funicular , the so-called Monte Kaolino Railway. Every year, international championships in sand skiing and sand boarding take place on the 260 m long and around 35 degree steep downhill run. Climbers can also climb the summit and enjoy the view. However, climbing is very difficult as the sand gives way with every step.
High ropes course
There are five courses available to visitors to the forest high ropes course. Depending on the level of difficulty, the heights of the courses range from around four meters to over twelve meters.
Inline course
In 2008 an inline route was completed in the northern area of Monte Kaolino. Depending on the season, this can be used with roller skis, inline skis, cross-country skis or on foot.
Summer toboggan run
On September 27, 2008, an Alpine Coaster route was put into operation. This overcomes a height difference of 120 m over a distance of about 800 m with an average gradient of 8 to 9 degrees (max. 24 degrees). The track is equipped with 42 rail-guided coaster sleds. The operator of the so-called Monte Coaster is SC Monte Kaolino Hirschau .
Adventure golf
Since 2014 there has been an 18-hole adventure golf course in the lower area of the southern slope of Monte Kaolino.
Geopark
The "GeoPark Kaolinrevier Hirschau-Schnaittenbach" is characterized as a geopark by the fact that a constant change in the industrial landscape is still going on and this process can be clearly traced at the 12 stations of the park. The Geopark sets accents that show the importance of the use of raw materials for the space even after the mining activity has ended.
camping
The campsite, which was also laid out in the 1950s, was significantly enlarged in 2007. Long-term camping is also possible.
Color forest
The color forest is the meditative area of the leisure facility on Monte Kaolino. In a birch grove on the plateau of a former spoil dump, a circular path was laid out, which can be reached by stairs from the leisure area. Ten large colored steles were set up along the circular route, coated with colored quartz - a by-product of kaolin mining. The color forest was designed by the artist Evi Steiner-Böhm.
Experience and adventure playground
There is a children's themed playground on the theme of kaolin in front of the entrance to the restaurant.
1210 club
Until it closed on December 31, 2005, there was a techno club called the 1210 Club at the foot of Monte Kaolino .
gallery
Monte Kaolino seen from the western part of the kaolin pits
Cell phone towers on Monte Kaolino
Cable car on Monte Kaolino
Cable car vehicle
Light mast on Monte Kaolino
View from Monte Kaolino to Hirschau
View from Monte Kaolino to the outdoor pool
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Bavarian State Office for the Environment: Kaolin pits near Hirschau-Schnaittenbach. Datasheet Geotope Register Bavaria, as of October 21, 2014 ( PDF 1.51 MB)
- ^ Bavarian State Office for the Environment: "Monte Kaolino" near Hirschau. Datasheet geotope register Bavaria, as of May 8, 2014 ( PDF 855 kB)
- ↑ Kaolin pits near Hirschau-Schnaittenbach in the section "Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes" on the website of the Bavarian State Office for the Environment, accessed on October 18, 2013
- ^ SPM Verlag eK in cooperation with the city of Hirschau (ed.): Hirschau . Information. 1st edition. SPM Verlag eK, Schwabach 2015, p. 11 .
- ↑ Amusement park Monte Kaolino: Summer toboggan run ( Memento of October 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b SPM Verlag eK in cooperation with the city of Hirschau (ed.): Hirschau . Information. 1st edition. SPM Verlag eK, Schwabach 2015, p. 13 .
- ↑ Coaster and lift system. Skiclub Monte Kaolino Hirschau eV, accessed on March 14, 2018 .
- ↑ a b SPM Verlag eK in cooperation with the city of Hirschau (ed.): Hirschau . Information. 1st edition. SPM Verlag eK, Schwabach 2015, p. 15 .
- ↑ 1210 Club in the Bayern-Subkulturwiki
- ↑ Goodbye 1210 Hirschau Sylvester 2005. Recordings from the last event in the 1210 Club on YouTube
Coordinates: 49 ° 32 ′ 4 " N , 11 ° 58 ′ 1" E