Granitabbaumuseum Königshainer Berge

About the museum

Granite was quarried in the Königshainer Berge west of Görlitz for more than 130 years. Industrial extraction began around 1880 and was shaped by two companies, the Königshainer Granitwerke C. C. von Thaden & Co. and the firm C. Besser & Nachfahren; production ended in 1976. Dimension stones from Königshain were used, among other things, in the Görlitz Neisse Viaduct, but above all paving stones were made here.

The museum is located on the former works site of the von Thaden company. In a former welfare and blacksmith building, the permanent exhibition tells of the work and daily life of the quarry workers and of the stone's journey from quarry to pavement, supported by tools, large equipment and eyewitness accounts. Another section explains the formation of Königshain granite and the geology of the small low mountain range.

In the outdoor area visitors can see three furnished stonemasons' huts, tracks with tipping wagons and the incline railway on which the stones once rolled down to the loading station, as well as remains of cable cranes, stone saws and air receivers. The compressor house contains a multi-tonne air compressor that supplied the quarries with compressed air. A nature and quarry trail leads through the former quarrying area around the Firstensteine. Until the end of 2025 the Silesian-Upper Lusatian Museum Association ran the museum; since 2026 it has been the responsibility of the municipality of Königshain. The museum is part of the Saxon Route of Industrial Heritage.

Highlights

• Multi-tonne air compressor in the compressor house
• Three furnished stonemasons' huts of the paving stone cutters
• Incline railway with tracks and tipping wagons
• Exhibition on the geology of Königshain granite
• Nature and quarry trail to the Firstensteine

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Steinarbeiter in den Königshainer Bergen – Development of the quarrying industry and the working and living conditions of the stone workers, with tools, large equipment and eyewitness accounts; plus an outdoor area with remains of cable cranes, tipping wagons and the incline railway.
• Die Geologie der Königshainer Berge – Formation and varieties of Königshain granite, minerals such as rock crystal and smoky quartz, and a stone quiz.

Operated by

Gemeinde Königshain

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Getting there & parking

Königshain is about 9 km west of Görlitz.

Amenities & dining

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