One distinguishing quality about Central Europe that never fails to impress foreigners is the traditional emphasis on technical training. One reason the world is so enthusiastic about the economic possibilities of the countries that have entered the European Union only two years ago, is not just the lower labour costs, but the generally very high quality of manpower. This technical training is not something that was imparted to the population in the last few decades, there is a long tradition of it.

Quarriers and Master Quarriers in the Middle Age

In the Romanesque period the construction of churches used to be the responsibility of what was known as Magister Muri. He was represented with a Virga (baton in hand). The master had specific knowledge to complete the work, he was also in charge of organising the tasks, the transport of the materials, of the invention of new machines and new construction systems, etc.

Robert Mächtel

Even objects which are a functional requirement, can be designed in an attractive way. In the Saxon town of Schkeuditz, in Germany, a plain support for a slope has been built as a gigantic sofa made of granite, which invites one to sit down, linger and enjoy.

The biggest application of granite in most countries tends to be either in the construction industry or kitchen tops. Rare is the country where the biggest use of granite, measured in cubic metres or even value, is the tombstone industry. Poland is one such country.

The obelisk of Hatshepsut, built in the year 1457 BC, during the XVIII dynasty, is the second biggest of all the ancient Egyptian obelisks. Made of one single piece of pink granite, it has a height of 28.58 metres and its weight is 343 tons. It is located in the Big Temple of Amon, in Karnak.

Stone has been used to build churches and monuments in the three southern Caucasus republics since ancient times. Here we look at the decorative stones available today from quarries in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Report by Paul Daniel.

Living next to big countries has always been rather tricky anywhere but this is especially true in the South Caucasus.

Paul Daniel

With the remarkable growth in the economies of Latvia, Estonia and to a lesser extent Lithuania in recent years, the construction sector is seeing a lot of activity. Dolomite, used regionally for building castles, churches and manor houses since Medieval times, is still employed but its popularity has been completely overshadowed by imports of granite and marble.

Richard Watzler

Stone lives through its haptic. Customers not only want to see a stone, but also touch it – important to know when it comes to marketing finishes.

S. Siegesmund, D. Nikolayeb, S. Mosch, A. Hoffmann

Exports

The evolution of Brazilian exports of ornamental rocks during 2007 broke the tendency of strong growth registered in the last five years, practically repeating the results of 2006. The exports in 2007 reached US $ 1093 million, corresponding to sales of 2.5 million tons of rough and elaborated stone.

Compared to 2006, there was a positive variation of 4.62% in revenue and a negative index of 3.39% in the physical volume exported. This situation reflects the crisis in the housing market in the United States, which worsened in the second half of 2007.