FRESH WATER THROUGH THE EYES OF ANNA PASZTA
Fairy-Tale Saxony and Its
GRANITE TRAIL Text and photos ANNA PASZTA
THE CROWN OF SAXONY’S QUARRIES is a true paradise for diving fanatics who love mysterious, cold, shadowy depths.
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t least once a year, we dedicate a few days to joyful splashing around in the water-filled basins of former mines, where the extraction and processing of plutonic rock has a history stretching back more than a century. In the 19th century, granite played a crucial role in construction, road surfacing, bridge building, and as crushed stone for railway tracks. Across Lusatia, numerous quarries were established, and mining and stonemasonry became significant industries in the region. Today, many of these quarries are no longer active, and the excavation pits created during mining have been filled with water. And this is where their newest story begins...
SPARMANN
After the bright and sunny Horka, the Sparmann quarry makes a striking impression with its dark and brooding atmosphere. Unusually, it is located right in the middle of a town, not far from
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the centre. The route takes you through residential buildings and garden plots, ending at a gate behind which, next to a gravel-covered parking area, rise the buildings of the Tauchbasis Sparmann dive centre. The quarry’s edges are surrounded by trees, bushes, and an abundance of flowering herbs, eagerly visited by bees, butterflies, squirrels, and birds. The centre is owned by the well-known and much-liked Jost Krauze, always smiling, helpful, and kind to visiting divers. On the fenced and well-maintained grounds are several heated wooden cabins for guests planning a longer stay. In the morning, you can order breakfast served by Jost – soft-boiled eggs and freshly baked hot rolls – and in the evening, enjoy a bonfire or grill in a large, comfortable shelter on the lakefront. From this shelter, you can admire the quarry’s steep walls and the deep, dark green waters below. The basin reaches 63 m in depth, making it a popular site for instructors conducting technical diver training. The water entry point is located right next to the cabins. Cobblestone steps lead down to a wide ledge, from which a metal ladder takes you to a small, grated platform – perfect for donning fins and taking a single step into the water. The dark, mysterious depths of the Sparmann quarry beckon divers downward. This is an old reservoir, and although the