Bentheimer Gold Sandstone Quarry

The quarries from the eastern edge of Bad Bentheim extend about 1 km. This type is reddish and much harder. This was mainly used to make baptismal fonts, feeding troughs, wall blocks and blocks for hydraulic engineering such as locks and quay walls. The heyday was from the middle of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The quality of the stone was first confirmed by the Berlin Materials Testing Institute in 1890 and was used for locks in almost the entire Ems area. In 1897, 2,000 cubic meters of hewn blocks of the Bentheim type were delivered for the quayside promenade on Norderney. Today both types are dismantled, processed and sometimes relocated for large projects (Lingen Town Hall 2,400 sqm facade) by the company Monser Naturstein GmbH using standard machines. Valuable exhibits are displayed in the Bentheim Sandstone Museum. A sundial from the 18th century, coat of arms stones and mantelpieces, as well as of course old tools and much more.