In May 2010, 20 trainees from the ceramic industry class of the “Schule für Farbe und Gestaltung” located in Stuttgart, visited two quarries and preparation plants in the Westerwald area during their study trip. 

Under expert guidance, the visitors received a detailed insight into the Westerwald ball clay industry, beginning with clay mining at the “Petschmorgen” deposit and clay processing at the “Straubinger” blending plant which is situated close to Moschheim.

Mr. Michael Jung (graduate engineer) then guided the trainees around the modern SIBELCO Deutschland dry and wet preparation plants for ready-made ceramic bodies, in Ransbach-Baumbach and Höhr-Grenzhausen.

 

But what would be the present without the past? The next stop on the tour led them to the interesting Westerwald clay mining museum in Siershahn, where Mr. Hans-Georg Fiederling Kapteinat (graduate geologist) gave a historically illustrated lecture. The topics ranged from the origin of clay deposits to ancient and modern mining methods, as well as to mineralogical and technical items.