Obernkirchener Sandstein®

a piece of European construction history

Sandstone has been produced in Obernkirchen since the 11th century.  The then owner of the sandstone quarries in Obernkirchen was Prince Adolf III of Holstein and Schauenburg (now known as Schaumburg). In the 12th century, he founded the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, following in the footsteps of his father, who founded the Hanseatic city of Lübeck.

Dating back to the middle ages, Obernkirchener Sandstein® has been also a product of the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic cities of Bremen and Hamburg ensured the supply of customers beyond the borders of Germany. Intensive export to the whole of Europe began by the 15th century.  After the opening of the "Transatlantic Shipping Route" by the Bremen merchants (1783), export was further expanded to America.

Since February 2016, the Wesling Obernkirchener Sandstein GmbH & Co. KG has been operating the sandstone quarry on the Bückeberg elevation and the production facility in Obernkirchen. Sandstone is extracted from an open-pit mine and processed at the plant in Obernkirchen. In addition to traditional craftsmanship, we offer state-of –the-art manufacturing processes. With our machining centre and 3D scan service, we are already fully equipped to deal with complex and demanding tasks. In the future, we will adapt our plant engineering equipment to meet the requirements of tomorrow.