Idar-Oberstein is a surprisingly large city situated just north of Baumholder. The twin cities of Idar and Oberstein were merged along with two other villages in 1933 to form a city that spans 20 km east to west. From A-62 North, take Exit 5, Freisen/Baumholder/Idar-Oberstein. The route from Exit 5 has been recently improved so that it bypasses all villages. Note: The city website still gives directions from the more northerly Birkenfeld exit (6), which takes you through several small villages. Idar-Oberstein is the site of the world renowned Edelsteinmuseum. Housed in a mansion that is historical in its own right, the museum has 3 floors of rough and faceted precious and semi-precious gems. The museum is easy to locate by following signs for the Edelsteinmuseum. Parking is available just down the street and across from the "sky scraper". It would be good to bring along a German dictionary to help you identify the stones. There are six rooms on the first floor, including the ticket office/gift shop. Beginning in the room to the left of the entrance, there is a display of how stones are cut and polished. The second room contains a beautiful collection of agates. Don't miss the landscape agates, which are stones that are sliced to reveal what appears to be a landscape. Next is a room displaying a tremendous number of known gems along with their elemental composition and yes, diamonds really can come in black too! Pay special attention to the cat's eye display in the middle of the room. I never knew that they came in so many varieties! It was impossible to pick a favorite. On the other side of the stairs is a room with more polished gems and a display of the variety of cuts that exist. Along with the displays in the 5th room, there are several displays that highlight a wide selection of rough and polished stones of a particular variety. The second floor will continue to amaze you with beautiful displays of individual stones. Did you know that any red sapphire is a ruby? All sapphires, including rubies, are corundum. They get their different colors from the presence of secondary chemicals. In the diamond room there is a great display of replicas of famous diamonds. Each stone faceted exactly as the original and is labeled with its name and carat weight. You have probably heard of the Hope diamond, but did you know it is blue? In a dark room near the elevator, the fluorescence of stones can be seen. View the stones through the window and then press the button to activate the dark light. It brings out the hidden beauty in the stones. On the wall opposite the display is a map indicating where the vast majority of stones come from. It is really interesting to see how gem mines tend to be clustered in certain regions and on islands. Although many types of gems can be found all over the world, a couple are mined only in certain mines. Tanzanite is mined only in Tanzania and Benitoite comes only from one mine in San Benito, California. The third floor is dedicated to cameos and sculptures made in stone. The first room to the left of the stairs has a display of ancient seals and crests. It helps to know that items labeled jahre vor or v. Christ are B.C. and those labeled jahre nach or n. Christ are A.D. Aside from cameos, stones can also be engraved with images and carved into figures and bowls. Although it seems a little out of place, don't miss the synthetic stone alcove on the 3rd floor. My favorite gem is the color changing synthetic Russian Alexandrite. Part of the display shows how boules are produced for cutting. Do you know the difference between synthetics and simulants? Synthetics must have the same chemical composition as the natural stone. It is simply man made. Simulants can be any gem/material used to simulate another gem. Thus synthetic Alexandrite and natural Alexandrite are the same in every way except for how they were formed, while cubic zirconium is a man made material used to simulate diamonds. Even in Egyptian times, glass and other chemicals were used to simulate precious gems. In warmer months it is also fun to visit the Cutting Mill (Weiherschleife) along the river on the north end of Idar. Make arrangements at the gift store next to the mill to view how cutters have worked for centuries. The Steinkaulenberg gem mine near Strassburg Kaserne above Idar is another great warm weather excursion. Bring a jacket since the mine maintains a cool temperature even in the summer. For a small price, you can tour the mine and see gems in situ. It really is amazing. If you make arrangements in advance, adults and kids over 6 can arrange to mine for gems for an additional fee. You are given time to select rocks from the mine and then break them open in search of gems. Anything you find, you keep. Bring your own hammer and protective eye goggles. The trail from the parking lot to the mine is also a designated nature preserve. Signs can be seen along the trail identifying local plants. Idar-Oberstein is also famous for its Chapel-in-the-Rocks. Built before Columbus sailed for America, this chapel with a bubbling spring inside was recommended to me by my sister. Be ready for the 230 steps leading up from the Oberstein marketplace! Even further up you can enjoy castle ruins and a lovely pond. A visit to Idar-Oberstein could easily be combined with a visit to Burg Lichtenberg, a nice castle ruin just to the south. |
Idar-Oberstein Battern Family Travels Idar-Oberstein |
Idar-Oberstein is a surprisingly large city situated just north of Baumholder. The twin cities of Idar and Oberstein were merged along with two other villages in 1933 to form a city that spans 20 km east to west. From A-62 North, take Exit 5, Freisen/Baumholder/Idar-Oberstein. The route from Exit 5 has been recently improved so that it bypasses all villages. Note: The city website still gives directions from the more northerly Birkenfeld exit (6), which takes you through several small villages. Idar-Oberstein is the site of the world renowned Edelsteinmuseum. Housed in a mansion that is historical in its own right, the museum has 3 floors of rough and faceted precious and semi-precious gems. The museum is easy to locate by following signs for the Edelsteinmuseum. Parking is available just down the street and across from the "sky scraper". It would be good to bring along a German dictionary to help you identify the stones. There are six rooms on the first floor, including the ticket office/gift shop. Beginning in the room to the left of the entrance, there is a display of how stones are cut and polished. The second room contains a beautiful collection of agates. Don't miss the landscape agates, which are stones that are sliced to reveal what appears to be a landscape. Next is a room displaying a tremendous number of known gems along with their elemental composition and yes, diamonds really can come in black too! Pay special attention to the cat's eye display in the middle of the room. I never knew that they came in so many varieties! It was impossible to pick a favorite. On the other side of the stairs is a room with more polished gems and a display of the variety of cuts that exist. Along with the displays in the 5th room, there are several displays that highlight a wide selection of rough and polished stones of a particular variety. The second floor will continue to amaze you with beautiful displays of individual stones. Did you know that any red sapphire is a ruby? All sapphires, including rubies, are corundum. They get their different colors from the presence of secondary chemicals. In the diamond room there is a great display of replicas of famous diamonds. Each stone faceted exactly as the original and is labeled with its name and carat weight. You have probably heard of the Hope diamond, but did you know it is blue? In a dark room near the elevator, the fluorescence of stones can be seen. View the stones through the window and then press the button to activate the dark light. It brings out the hidden beauty in the stones. On the wall opposite the display is a map indicating where the vast majority of stones come from. It is really interesting to see how gem mines tend to be clustered in certain regions and on islands. Although many types of gems can be found all over the world, a couple are mined only in certain mines. Tanzanite is mined only in Tanzania and Benitoite comes only from one mine in San Benito, California. The third floor is dedicated to cameos and sculptures made in stone. The first room to the left of the stairs has a display of ancient seals and crests. It helps to know that items labeled jahre vor or v. Christ are B.C. and those labeled jahre nach or n. Christ are A.D. Aside from cameos, stones can also be engraved with images and carved into figures and bowls. Although it seems a little out of place, don't miss the synthetic stone alcove on the 3rd floor. My favorite gem is the color changing synthetic Russian Alexandrite. Part of the display shows how boules are produced for cutting. Do you know the difference between synthetics and simulants? Synthetics must have the same chemical composition as the natural stone. It is simply man made. Simulants can be any gem/material used to simulate another gem. Thus synthetic Alexandrite and natural Alexandrite are the same in every way except for how they were formed, while cubic zirconium is a man made material used to simulate diamonds. Even in Egyptian times, glass and other chemicals were used to simulate precious gems. In warmer months it is also fun to visit the Cutting Mill (Weiherschleife) along the river on the north end of Idar. Make arrangements at the gift store next to the mill to view how cutters have worked for centuries. The Steinkaulenberg gem mine near Strassburg Kaserne above Idar is another great warm weather excursion. Bring a jacket since the mine maintains a cool temperature even in the summer. For a small price, you can tour the mine and see gems in situ. It really is amazing. If you make arrangements in advance, adults and kids over 6 can arrange to mine for gems for an additional fee. You are given time to select rocks from the mine and then break them open in search of gems. Anything you find, you keep. Bring your own hammer and protective eye goggles. The trail from the parking lot to the mine is also a designated nature preserve. Signs can be seen along the trail identifying local plants. Idar-Oberstein is also famous for its Chapel-in-the-Rocks. Built before Columbus sailed for America, this chapel with a bubbling spring inside was recommended to me by my sister. Be ready for the 230 steps leading up from the Oberstein marketplace! Even further up you can enjoy castle ruins and a lovely pond. A visit to Idar-Oberstein could easily be combined with a visit to Burg Lichtenberg, a nice castle ruin just to the south. |
