The Eifel Calamine Violet

The copper town of Stolberg uniquely combines industrial history with the natural environment. For centuries, galena—a zinc-bearing ore—shaped the region’s economic development. Together with copper, it was processed into brass—a material that made Stolberg a major center of metalworking in the Middle Ages.
Along the Vichtbach stream, copper works, hammer mills, and smelting houses sprang up, traces of which you can still discover in the cityscape today.

From Ore to the City of Brass

Galena was a key raw material for brass production for a long time. Mining and metalworking brought prosperity to Stolberg and made the city an important hub of the European metal industry. Even today, historic buildings and former production sites serve as reminders of this formative era.

The Galmei violet – a botanical rarity

Centuries of ore mining have not only left economic traces but also given rise to an extraordinary flora. The so-called galena flora developed on the heavy-metal-rich soils of former mining areas. Particularly well-known is the galena violet, a rare plant found only in the region around Stolberg and Aachen that blooms from May into the summer.
You can discover this special botanical rarity primarily in the Schlangenberg Nature Reserve near Breinig. Here, the calamine violet grows on open ore dumps and dry grasslands—an impressive example of how nature adapts to extraordinary conditions.

Experience history: Stolberg Castle and Zinkhütter Hof

Stolberg also has a lot to offer culturally. Towering high above the old town is Stolberg Castle, whose origins date back to the 12th century. With an augmented reality app, you can join the castle’s former owner, Moritz Kraus, on an exciting journey through time straight back to the Middle Ages.
You’ll gain a deeper insight into the region’s industrial past at the Zinkhütter Hof, a museum dedicated to the region’s industrial, economic, and social history.

Active adventures around Stolberg

If you want to explore Stolberg on the go, you’ll find numerous hiking and biking trails around the city. They lead you to the Galmei violets, past historic industrial sites, and to scenic overlooks of the landscape.