Ober Bockstein Sandstone Quarry

At this point there is a sandstone pit, which can be accessed from the back through a tunnel. In the pit there is a fireplace and various wooden chairs made from tree trunks. In the summer a shady place to grill."You enter the pit through a tunnel that the users once excavated. Mining began in the 16th century. At that time, a lot of millstones were needed, a pit near Oberramsern could no longer meet the demand. This was the decision of the Great Council of Solothurn In 1527 a local miller was commissioned to quarry stone near Ober Bockstein on its land. After a few years, however, the miller gave up, as it turned out that his sandstone was too soft for millstones. In 1777, operations resumed in the Upper Bockstein Bockstein-Grube. Above all stove plates were now made from the sandstone. The last stone carver, the "Grubendurs", lived with his wife, the "Grubenänni" until 1890 on site, where the two had set up makeshift in a cave-like niche, as stated on the information board." Source: web.