The Story of Rauriser Natural Stone: Where It All Began
Where It All Began
Muddy paths, strong arms, and an eye for business: what sounds simple began 60 years ago and led to the creation of today's Rauriser Natural Stone Centre. Discover the heritage of Rauriser natural stone, why dairy cows played an unexpected part, and why Italian stone experts met their match in Rauriser marble.
The Discovery of Rauriser Natural Stone
With every step, the cows sank into the mud, and inevitably the dirt found its way into the house. Johann Lohninger Sr. Sr., grandfather of today's managing director, had had enough. A particular local stone that split exceptionally well caught his eye. Working with hammer and chisel on the light-green quartzite, he cleaved enough rough slabs to pave the farmyard. From then on, family and livestock walked across a bright, shimmering surface – and before long, neighbors and farmers as far as Bavaria took notice of this extraordinary stone.
From Homestead Use to a Family Enterprise
Sensing a viable business opportunity, Johann Lohninger Sr. Sr. obtained an official quarrying permit from the district authority in Zell am See in 1958. Johann Lohninger OHG commenced quarrying quartzite, soon securing initial large-scale commissions and its first export delivery to Germany.
Johann Lohninger Sr., the founder's son, carried the business forward and expanded its operations. Another milestone arrived in 1963: during the construction of an alpine forestry road up to the Hochalm at 1,900 meters altitude, a rich marble deposit was discovered. Marble quarrying began immediately, and by the mid-1970s, up to 65 craftspeople were employed at Johann Lohninger OHG. The core product line consisted primarily of cleaved slabs and walling stones created by hand-splitting. Drawing on their accumulated expertise, in 1967 the family business engineered and built Austria's very first hydraulic stone-splitting machine in-house. Johann Lohninger OHG had become one of the most technologically advanced stone processors in all of Europe.
Stone Intact, Machine Broken
Demand for rare Rauriser quartzite and marble surged. The next ambition: producing calibrated slabs in slimmer thicknesses with an even, smooth surface. There had to be a way to saw Rauriser natural stone cleanly. Johann Lohninger had a bold idea: he took the wheel of a truck fully loaded with massive marble blocks and drove south to Italy. The master stonecutters of Italian marble surely knew how to conquer dense stone – after all, Carrara marble cut like butter. But the moment their saw blades bit into Rauriser stone, they seized up completely. The blades stalled in the dense Austrian marble, and Johann Lohninger returned empty-handed, enduring several more failed attempts with traditional marble circular saws.
Rauriser Natural Stone: Hard as Granite
Ultimately, it took a heavy-duty granite circular saw to master Rauriser stone. With viable commercial cutting achieved, Johann Lohninger OHG phased out its other divisions – agriculture and timber – in 1985 to focus entirely on natural stone quarrying and processing. Investing in a specialized primary block saw tailored specifically to Rauriser stone, co-engineered with German diamond-tool specialist Koken, dramatically boosted throughput. This laid the foundation for today's wide-ranging architectural collection.
Today, around 80% of stone blocks at the Rauriser Natural Stone Centre are processed into sawn architectural products. And traditional hand splitting? It remains an integral craft, offering the most authentic and cost-effective approach for select natural finishes.
