St. Margarethen Quarry, Austria

20-30 million of years ago, this quarry was part of the seabed. The limestone rocks contain a wealth of marine fossils. If you are lucky, you will find prehistoric mussels, corals, sea urchins and coralline algae. The limestone from the quarry was used for building St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, and the grandest buildings along the Vienna‘s Ringstraße. The colours and shapes of the rocks appear to change, according to where the sun is shining.

Ever since 1996, the St. Margarethen Quarry has been a favourite meeting place for international opera lovers. This open-air stage in beautiful Burgenland (65 km southeast of Vienna) provides a natural forum for bringing together cultures and people from East and West.