Ammergauer Wetzsteinbrüche
In the old quarries whetstones were mined in Unterammergau for centuries.
Description
The geotope "Ammergauer Wetzsteinbrüche" in the region of Scharten- Köpfel is one of the finest geotopes Bavaria. Even the way there, which leads through the wild romantic Schleifmühlklamm is worth a visit. Starting from Pürschlingparkplatz you reach the entrance of the gorge. Through Schleifmühllaine the path is leading to the old quarries where whetstones were mined over the centuries - an important basis of existence of the people in Unterammergau.
Basis for the whetstones are the occurring here, usually very thin, silica-rich layers in the Ammergau layers, the so-called Wetzsteinkalke. To gain access to these valuable layers, large amounts of rock first had to be broken, which still can be seen today at the mine sites and stockpiles.