The historic lime kilns on the country road between Flörsheim and Hochheim are unique in Hesse: There are no other in our federal state that are as well preserved as these. As an industrial monument, the lime kilns are a piece of craftsmanship history as well as local history - after all, they provided the plastering material for countless Florsheim houses.
The mighty round buildings are impressive witnesses from pre-industrial times. Its history goes back to the 18th century, when the lime kilns belonged to a local brickworks. This plant, which is important in terms of industrial history, provided the basis for the lime plaster of many houses in Flörsheim. However, the history of the limestone economy in this place most likely goes back much further. The Romans probably already quarried limestone here and burned it.
Lime burning used to be a tedious business. Burnt lime is an extremely important building material. Before industrial processing began at the beginning of the 20th century, lime was usually burned in family businesses. The raw material was poured from above through the filling openings. The accessible roof construction made of glass and steel above the exposed plant conveys exactly the same view as the lime burner had when it was being filled and emptied.
In order to keep the kiln running, the family members took turns loading it day and night. The Flörsheim lime kilns were on fire until 1921. Then the Martinis, the last family to do this backbreaking job, went out of business. The slumber of the massive wall ensemble lasted for three quarters of a century. In the years 1997 to 1998, the Regionalpark RheinMain GmbH had the ruins uncovered and conserved. Today they are designed as a monument and can be visited.