Idar-Oberstein

Agate and jasper were found in the volcanic rock of the Hunsrück and worked here from the Middle Ages on water-driven grinding wheels; when the local deposits ran out in the nineteenth century, emigrants to Brazil sent back agate and later other stones, and Idar-Oberstein reinvented itself as a cutting and trading centre for gems from around the world, a role it still holds. The Felsenkirche of 1482 is built into a recess in the cliff above the town, reached by a tunnel and steps. A historic water-powered cutting works operates at Weiherschleife, and an agate mine at Steinkaulenberg is open to visitors.

History

Oberstein grew out of the lordship of the Lords of the Stone, first recorded in 1075, whose seat was the castle now called the Altes Schloss above the cliff where the Felsenkirche, mentioned as early as the 12th century, was later built; after 1323 they called themselves von Daun-Oberstein and extended their lands south of the Nahe and into the Idarbann, and Idar and Oberstein belonged to them, later Counts of Falkenstein, until 1670. The area was a patchwork of small lordships until the French reorganisation from 1794, after which the Congress of Vienna made the Nahe a border and placed the north-bank villages in the Principality of Birkenfeld, an exclave of Oldenburg. Idar and Oberstein each received town rights in 1865, and in 1933 they were joined with Algenrodt and Tiefenstein to form the present town (Wikipedia, Idar-Oberstein).

What to look for

• The Felsenkirche - a church built into a recess in the cliff face.
• The water-driven cutting works - historic grinding wheels still turning.
• The agate mine - a visitable mine in the Steinkaulenberg.
• The gem museums - collections covering worldwide stones and the trade.

When to go

April to October; the mine and cutting works run seasonally. The church is reached by steps and a tunnel. Museums keep normal hours year-round.

What to expect

The mine and cutting works close in winter. The town is spread along a narrow valley and needs transport. Much stone sold is imported, as it has been for over a century.

Nearby

The Geierlay bridge lies north; the Nahe valley runs east.

Key facts