Marbles around the world

White marble

Carrara marble is probably the most famous white marble in the world. One of the first white marble buildings was built in Carrara, the Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of Piazza Duomo. Around the city there are about 180 marble quarries. Carrara marbles were used for the Pantheon and Trajan’s Column in Rome, Siena Cathedral, Manila Cathedral, and the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.

Brač marble is mined in Croatia on the island of Brač. When Diocletian’s Palace in Split is being repaired, the quarry will be opened exactly where the stone was being mined to build it. Brač marble was used in the construction of the parliament in Vienna, the parliament in Budapest, the White House in Washington, D.C., it is used in many state and public buildings in Belgrade, hotels on the Black Sea coast and in Sochi, and also at the Panorama hotel in Prague.

Ruskeala marble (white-grey) was mined in Russian Karelia, which was part of Finland before World War II. It was used for many buildings in St. Petersburg, such as the marble hall in the Hermitage Museum. Today, there is a beautiful blue lake on the site of a former quarry.

Bianco Sivec – one of the whitest dolomite marbles mined in Macedonia near the town of Prilep. It was the Romans who already used it for their constructions.

Thassos marble has been mined on the island of Thassos in Greece since ancient times, and yet there are still active and productive quarries today.

Other white marble deposits are found, for example, on the island of Paros and in the mountains near Athens (Greece), Alabama, Colorado (USA), Bavaria (Germany), Carinthia (Austria), and Beijing (China), whose marble was used for construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Coloured marbles

Connemar Green Marble – The first green marble quarry in Ireland was opened in 1822 and is still mined today. Beautiful jewelry and gift products are made of the stone.

Swedish green marble is fine with a variable green colour and attractive grain. It has been used on many buildings and monuments in Stockholm and throughout Sweden. Deposits of green marble are also found in India, China, Guatemala, Finland, Greece and others.

Pink marble is found in Norway, Portugal, Romania, USA etc.

Grey marble can be found in Turkey, Cuba, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, etc.

Black with white veins is found in Spain.

Red and black marbles mined in Wallonia, Belgium have been used since the ancient times. They were used for the construction of Versailles and a large amount was imported to the Czech Republic.

MARMOTEC

The largest and most famous marble fair MARMOTEC is held every two years in Carrara. Companies from all over the world gather there to present their marble richness and modern technology for mining and processing this beautiful stone. The next MARMOTEC trade fair will take place in Carrara, Italy. A visit to the Carrara trade fair will certainly not disappoint you and the environment lined with marble mountains is guaranteed to enchant you.

Source: Lomy a těžba