The brown gold, Bad Bentheim

The brown gold. This is my GPS recording based on https://www.grafschaft-bentheim-toerisme.nl/fietsen-wandelen/wandelen/spoorzoeken/het-bentheimse-goud-op-het-spoor.html from the DS Hotel, recorded on May 1, 2017, and uploaded on January 3, 2020.

The town of Bad Bentheim is known for its high-quality sandstone, which is also called Bentheimer Gold due to its color (more about this in the sandstone museum). Since the Middle Ages, sandstone has been used for the construction of town halls, churches, manor houses, and other public buildings in Northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. Important buildings made of Bentheimer sandstone include, besides Bentheim Castle, the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, the Theater and the Church of Our Lady in Antwerp, as well as the Old Town Hall in Münster. According to legends, even the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York is made of Bentheimer Gold.
Since the 11th and 12th centuries, Bentheimer Gold has been extracted in various quarries. At its peak, there were more than 20 quarries here; today, two others are in operation that you can visit. In the guild hall and at the open-air stage in Bad Bentheim, the beige sandstone is still being excavated. The open-air theater is another highlight of this route. In the summer, plays are performed here in a unique natural setting – the former sandstone quarry.