lime oven Lenggries

The lime oven consists of an anteroom, which was used for storing firewood but also as a living and sleeping area for the lime burners. A short corridor leads to the actual 3-metre-high fire chamber. In the past, the raw material, limestone from the Karwendel mountains, had to be transported and carefully piled up in the burning chamber. Then the dome-shaped cavity was filled with logs and the fire was lit.

During the burning process, the heat was more than 1000 degrees. A fire lasted between 3 and 5 days. The regulation of the air supply and the re-laying of firewood had to be done with great care around the clock. Afterwards, when the heat had decreased after a few more days, the stones had become snow-white.

After the stones had cooled down, they were thrown into large wooden tubs to be "slaked" and water was poured over them - the result was marsh lime. In the case of the Lenggries lime oven, a single fire produced about 60 m3 of marsh lime, for which about 40 - 50 steres of firewood were used.

Lime burning was first mentioned in the Isarwinkel in the 14th century. The last lime oven in Lenggries went out in 1958.

Opening times

Open April - October 9am - 5pm