Quarzitbruch Glossen

Useful Information

Location:	Glossen, Mügeln, Nordsachsen, Sachsen. (51.24373675524624, 12.997640711630543)
Open:	Easter, Ascension, Whitsun, Open Monument Day 10-17:30. [2021]
Fee:	Adults EUR 3, Children EUR 2, Families EUR 8. Open Monument Day: Adults EUR 5, Children EUR 2, Families EUR 12. [2021]
Classification:	Clay Mine Kaolin Quartzite
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Feldbahnschauanlage Glossen e.V., Zum Steinbruch 1a, 04769 Glossen, Tel: 0173-6125848. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1770	Beginning of kaolin mining around Mügeln.
1936	Beginning of quartzite mining.

Geology

The quartzite of Glossen was formed by precipitation of silicic acid in tertiary sand layers. Its SiO₂ content is over 95%. It is deposited in 1 m to 4 m thick beds and is covered by Pleistocene loess clay.

Description

The Quarzitbruch Glossen (Quartzite Quarry Glossen) is a former quarry, i.e. a special form of a mine. Nevertheless, it is operated today by railway enthusiasts as a light railway display. However, as they maintain mining machinery such as the bucket chain excavator and the crushing plant in addition to the light railways and demonstrate them on opening days, we have classified the quarry as a mining museum. The rooms of the former social building of the Glossen quarry operation house the Steinbruch-und Feldbahnmuseum Glossen (Glossen Quarry and Light Railway Museum). The former dining room serves as a vehicle hall and the adjoining room houses a permanent exhibition on the quarry's history. On the first floor there is a model railway layout depicting typical sections of the "Wilder Robert" (wild Robert) narrow-gauge railway.

The quartzite was quarried as raw material for the refractory lining of blast furnaces. For this purpose, the overlying loess loam was removed and then the quartzite was removed with a bucket chain excavator. The material was crushed in a crushing plant. After the end of quartzite mining, kaolin, an important raw material for the production of porcelain and industrial ceramics, was mined in nearby Gröppendorf for a long time. As a result, the light railway from Gröppendorf to the historic loading ramp at the stop of the narrow-gauge railway in Glossen remained for years after quartzite mining had already ceased.