Working conditions @museum.de

On the site of the former Königshain granite works, there was of course more than just a kitchen garden, a canteen and the quarry. We are about to walk through today's garden, where everything was done in small work huts to cut the same size - and of course as many as possible - paving stones from a block of granite. In fact, almost only granite stones for road construction were made here. But there were also exceptions. But more on that later.

So what is now the garden used to be a work site. Not even dandelions grew here, because there were granite blocks everywhere for processing and enough space was needed to stack the finished paving stones and, of course, to transport them further. We called the work huts Hundelbuden. They had three walls and a roof to protect the workers from the wind and rain. The stone blocks were placed there in boxes filled with sand. Although the stones are heavy, they can easily break at the edges. On the photo wall, you can see an old photo from 1920 showing a setting-down area with dog stalls and stone strips for further processing.

In other work huts, tools were built that were needed for stone processing. Back then, you couldn't go to the hardware store and quickly order a hammer, pliers or saw. Most things were made and repaired on site.

Did everyone who worked here actually live in Königshain back then?

My mother told me that her mother's mother often saw many workers from the neighboring villages coming in the morning. Imagine them walking all the way from Arnsdorf, Thiemendorf, Hilbersdorf and all the other villages around here. Some liked foxes and sometimes had a tasty hen's egg for my mom's mom or a few sweet berries. Others rode their bikes. But that was rather rare. Who could afford a bicycle back then?