Bärloch quarry
The Bärloch quarry is one of the best-known and most active quarries in Switzerland. Thanks to its location in the middle of nature above Lake Constance, it is one of the most impressive quarries. It is known far beyond the Lake Constance region. The location above Buechen-Staad and the Bay of Rorschach, surrounded by the magical Kreienwald forest, is unique and well worth seeing. The historic quarry opens up a large sandstone deposit that will provide material for many generations to come. Bärlocher manages, maintains and cares for the quarry with great appreciation for nature, which gives us the unique Rorschach sandstone.
Historical quarry
Rorschach sandstone has been used since the 9th century. The Bärlocher family has been running the historic quarry and stonemasonry business in Kreienwald since 1890. We are committed to natural and sustainable management, with a focus on both securing the site and ecological enhancement. Heavy construction machinery moves around the quarry site, while Rorschach sandstone and other natural stones are worked in the stonemason's workshop. In our offices, too, everything revolves around natural stone.
Professional quarrying
With modern drilling technology, diamond wire saws and the expertise of an experienced team, Rorschach sandstone is quarried carefully and in clearly defined stages. First, precise boreholes are drilled. A diamond wire is pulled through these, which is set in rapid rotation by a drive motor and cuts the stone precisely. We need a cutting area of around 100 square meters for one extraction stage. Bärlocher extracts an average of 250 cubic meters of rock per week, which is then processed further.
Experienced specialists work in the Bärlocher quarry. Quarrying specialists, machinists and stonemasons. The fifth-generation family business has helped shape safe extraction methods in Swiss quarries. The quarried stones weigh up to 600 tons and measure around 8 × 12 × 3 meters. The stone slabs and blocks are sorted according to their quality. Heavy construction machinery takes the sandstone to the quarry for further processing or loads it onto transporters.
Heavy machinery
Modern technology has made work in the quarry much easier in recent decades. Wheel loaders, excavators, forklift trucks and other vehicles are part of everyday life and ensure that everything runs smoothly. in 2025, Bärlocher commissioned the largest machine in the company's history: a 54-tonne wheel loader - the Cat 986 Blockhandler - which can now move even the largest blocks of stone and use them as a whole for our customers.
Sustainable management
The natural design of the quarry area and the sustainable management of the quarry and quarrying operations are key corporate goals. We regularly set ourselves new environmental goals and review their implementation. The focus is on environmental protection, energy efficiency and biodiversity. The renaturation of quarrying sites creates valuable habitats. In recent years, we have planted around 4,000 trees to reforest the area around the quarry.
Bärlocher recycles almost all of the quarried material. Products such as stone and gravel baskets also contribute to this. Chippings and gravel from the quarry are used in the creation of ruderal areas or in the renaturation of riverbanks and lakeshores. Rorschach sandstone is a valuable piece of nature from the treasure trove of our quarry.The quarry in Kreienwald is also a habitat for many animal and plant species. The quarrying process is constantly changing the terrain, creating new biotopes in which native pioneer species thrive. We take targeted action against neophytes. Protecting nature and the environment is a matter close to our hearts: We value nature and the fairytale-like Kreienwald forest that surrounds us. We have been certified by the Nature & Economy Foundation for the nature-oriented design of our company premises. We also regularly seek advice from nature conservation experts, implement specific environmental measures and are actively committed to biodiversity.