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The Hunsrück-Nahe region, home to some of the most beautiful highland scenery in Germany, boasts a unique and fascinating "treasure trove": the German Germstone Route. Away from all the hustle and bustle, two circular routes (including a cycle trail) run for approx. 48 km, linking all the places around Idar-Oberstein associated with the gemstone industry. This area is one of the world's gemstone and jewellery centres and visitors will find themselves immersed in a world of glittering treasure and enthralled by every aspect of precious stones. Almost everywhere you look something sparkles and shines. Visitors are welcome at more than sixty traditional and modern gemstone cutting works and, without obligation, may watch craftsmen at work to discover a few secrets about cutting precious stones and designing jewellery.
Two well-preserved agate cutting works along the route retrace the history of local gemstone cutting, which goes right back to when rich mineral deposits - mined since the Middle Ages - were first discovered in the area. Today, it is still possible for visitors to go prospecting for their own shiny stones in the Steinkaulenberg mine, which is probably the largest agate mine in Europe. As well as agate, you can see rock crystal, amethyst, smoky quartz, calcite and other minerals in the visitor tunnel. There are courses in gemstone cutting, gold work and engraving, to enable anyone interested in designing their own jewellery to create a decorative piece from a raw stone, or in gold or silver - or perhaps to learn the art of jewellery design.
