Shaping the economy and society

With the economic miracle, work in the quarries quickly resumed. The reconstruction of the destroyed cities and transport routes consumed large quantities of materials. Investments in excavators, wheel loaders and lorries ensured competitiveness against Belgian and Swedish imported stone. At the same time, railway tracks, tipper wagons and mine carts disappeared from the quarries. Many small, often still family-run businesses couldn’t afford the necessary investments. As a result, they ceased their operations.

In the 1950s, a growing labour shortage became apparent. In 1954, Basalt AG recruited the first Italian quarry workers after the Second World War. They were followed by workers from Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey. Shortly after, gang saws were introduced, using a mixture of water and fine-grained steel sand to gnaw through the stone at a rate of up to 15 centimetres per hour. More flexible wire saws also came into use. As a result, increasingly powerful machinery displaced a growing number of workers. Today, massive transport vehicles and computer-controlled processing plants shape the image of modern companies.

There are currently still about a dozen active quarry operations in the Bergisches Land. While gravel for infrastructure projects is produced in Gummersbach and Reichshof, the two Lindlar quarry operations at Brungerst specialise in manufacturing high-quality products from Grauwacke. The domestic natural stone offers diverse applications and designs, including countertops, flooring and window sills.

In the 1980s, the massive forest die-off and the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl also deeply concerned many people in the Bergisches Land. The emerging nature conservation movement rediscovered the old quarries: the first nature reserves were created. These areas became important habitats for endangered animal and plant species.

Lindlar Grauwacke is a versatile and vibrant natural stone.