Stoneware clay is is the material which I use to form my ceramic sculptures on the wheel. And I’m not the only one who has daily contact with this natural product. An average human uses in his lifetime according to the BKRI about 18 tons (18,000 kg) of clay. It is difficult to make an accurate estimate, but that it is much, I am more than willing to believe.
Clay is the main component of plates, bowls and tiles (“fine ceramics”), for bricks, roof tiles and drainpipes (“coarse ceramics”) and as auxiliary raw material in among others soaps, toothpaste and cosmetics.
In addition, clay in modern times is used in technical ceramics such as implants (bio-ceramics), insulators and superconductors (electro-ceramics) and in various ceramic composite materials (such as solar cells and heat shields on the space shuttle).
So a life without clay is not only unthinkable for me. Where does all this clay come from? For this blog, I went on a journey to the source.
Westerwald in Germany
Vast meadows and fields, valleys and hills, basalt mountains, blue lakes and rivers define the image of the Westerwald in the west of Germany. It is a low mountain range which is forested for 40%. In the area are historic sites, cultural heritage and many hiking and biking trails.
It is not only a beautiful nature area, it is also the place where the “white gold” has been mined for thousands of years. The Celts did this already about 1000 BCE. And from approximately 1300 until the present clay has been extracted in the Westerwald continuously.
Glück auf: Stoneware clay
Nowadays about 3.5 million tonnes (= 3500.000,000 kilos!) Stoneware clay is excavated in the Westerwald per year. This is pure, very plastic clay which can be fired at a high temperature.
This clay is dug with large excavators from the ground: “surface mining”. But until about the fifties of the last century, clay was mined in mine shafts underground (“Glock Shaft”), see below historical video.
or see this video on THE TIB|AV-PORTAL.
This was hard and dangerous work: the traditional miners’ greeting “Glück auf” (good luck with climbing up) was not a luxury.
Tonbergbaumuseum Siershahn
In Siershahn the clay mining museum (“Tonbergbaumuseum”) is located. Here you can learn in detail how the clay mining has developed in the Westerwald. Also you will find information about the clay, the historic quarries and the tools used.
The museum and the tour are a must for the true clay fan but note that the museum is only open by appointment.
Clay extraction: environmentally friendly
Moreover less than a stone’s throw from the tonbergbauwmuseum is a modern clay pit from Sibelco (one of many scattered throughout the Westerwald). Here you can see how the clay is dug nowadays.
Modern clay mining has an eye for the environment. After the excavation of the clay the quarry is recultivated and given back to nature. Because of this are i.a. special habitats created for the protection of rare amphibians, including the tree frog.
Clay gives inspiration
As a ceramic artist and (small) user of these stoneware clay, it was a real adventure this summer to see, feel and smell the clay in the Westerwald. Clay is the source of all ceramic and that continues to inspire me.
It was not the first time I had the white gold beneath my feet, and it is certainly not the last time. In the Westerwald there is always more to experience.
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