Jura Limestone Discover real earth history with Jura marble

About 160 million years ago, the beautiful limestone was formed in the middle of tropical lagoons. Various fossils and ammonites characterize the sedimentary rock that was formed around the Altmühl valley. Whether cobblestones, wall stones or floor tiles - discover the many different ways in which natural stone can be used.

Interesting facts about the formation of Jura limestone

The formation of Jurassic limestone began in the Earth's Middle Ages about 180 million years ago. Within the next 20 million years, a mixed lime product was deposited on the sea floor of the shallow shelf sea. During this period, the shelf sea formed the connection between the North Sea and the Alpine Mediterranean Sea, called Tethys. It extended over what is now southern Germany.

The deposits of limestone and clay formed the "Upper Jurassic" or also called "White Jurassic", which later gave the Jura stone its name. The lime mixture came from the Alpine Mediterranean and the clay from the North Sea.

In the chemical and warming sedimentation process, a precipitation of the lime from the water took place, which depended on the current climate. In the course of time, an approximately 500 metre thick layer of lime and marl formed, which became increasingly hardened by the inherent pressure.

The sedimentary rock itself consists of carbonated calcium, which contains other colouring earths and metal oxides. In between there are fossil fossilizations of plant and animal remains. These include siliceous sponges, belemnites and ammonites, some of which you can see with the naked eye!

The geological character of the popular natural stone gives the Jura limestone a very special charm.

And where exactly is Jura limestone mined?

The natural stone is mined in the region around Eichstätt, Kipfenberg, Treuchtlingen and Weißenburg. The rock layer near Treuchtlingen or Eichstätt is 250 to 300 meters thick.

The main quarrying area, in the central Franconian Jura mountains in Bavaria, is characterized by stone quarrying. Brightly shining quarries set a landmark today and reach back several centuries of human history. Learn more about the cultural history of the unique Jura limestone.

The long tradition of Jura limestone

Jura limestone has a long tradition. Already the ancient Romans appreciated the stable and durable stone. They used it not only for living areas. Remains of baths, towers and defence walls can still be found today. These include, for example, the Roman fort or the Roman thermal baths in the Bavarian town of Weißenburg.

Jura limestone can be used to create enormous buildings that can survive several centuries. Still today you can admire Willibaldsburg Castle, built around 1358, or the cathedral in Eichstätt, which was officially consecrated in 1060.

Many castles, churches and stately homes are also made of the popular natural stone.

The stone is also a popular building material for today's public buildings. It can be found in schools, hotels, theatres, museums and various administrative buildings.

Extraction of Jura stone

The mining method of the rock has hardly changed in the course of time. In stone construction the stone blocks are extracted by drilling and splitting or lifting. Today only more modern tools such as excavators, wheel loaders and circular saws are used.

The Altmühltal with the Frankenalb is one of the largest natural stone quarrying areas in Germany. Ecological responsibility and environmental protection are high on the agenda here. The stone extraction itself is carried out as nature-sparing as possible.

The carefully split blocks of stone are divided according to geological characteristics and size and processed with diamond circular saws. The sawn raw slabs are usually between one and four centimetres thick. They are then brought into the desired shape on grinding and polishing lines, depending on the application.

Polishable, durable and natural - the properties

Jura limestone captivates with beautiful colour nuances. The colour palette ranges from delicate light yellow to noble golden yellow and interesting grey-blue. Among the most famous variants are the Jura yellow and the Jura grey. In rare cases, the natural stone also occurs in a cream white, nut brown or reddish brown. The respective colour depends on the different iron compounds.

You can obtain Jura limestone from us in the following designs, among others: GaLa, yellow, grey-blue, grey-yellow-multi.

On the Mohs' scale of hardness, which ranges from 1 to 10, Jura limestone has a hardness of 3 to 3.5. Thus it belongs to the rather soft rocks. However, you do not need to worry about its robustness!

Thanks to its high density, the natural stone is excellent for working and polishing. This is also a reason why the natural stone is often called Jura marble.

Depending on its use, Jura limestone is available with brushed, polished, tumbled or sandblasted surfaces.

In addition to its excellent polishing properties and natural shades of colour, the stone is convincing with its many and varied uses. Be it facades, solid works or interiors - you can use Jura Limestone for a wide variety of purposes.

Thanks to its ideal heat storage properties, the natural stone is suitable as an optimal floor covering for underfloor heating systems.

But not only that - with Jura limestone you will find a very hard-wearing, ecologically safe and above all easy-care natural stone!

How to use Jura Marble

In interior areas, the popular stone is suitable for both floor coverings and wall cladding. It is also used for stairs, window sills and decorative elements. Interior designers and building owners like to use it here in ground and polished versions.

Jura limestone is used outdoors for massive buildings. The stone slabs are ideal for large facades and various surfaces. Here it is often found in sawn or ground form.

Besides that there are even more possible applications. Get an overview of the use of Jura limestone in the following.

Jura limestone slabs for interior design

Are you looking for a natural stone that creates a warm and pleasant room effect in beige shades? Then Jura marble is the perfect choice.

The popular Jura stone combines natural surfaces with noble and friendly design. Each stone is unique. The fossil inclusions and fine veins underline the naturalness.

With limestone tiles in Jura Yellow you create an elegant and unobtrusive look. These fit perfectly into classically furnished living areas.

If you choose a smooth and finely polished stone surface, you can create a particularly modern design.

Basically you can use Jura marble for entrance areas, kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and hallways.

Whether a silk-matt kitchen wall, robust stone staircase, natural floor tile or luxurious bathtub cladding - there are almost no limits to your creativity.

In the area of art and culture there are many variations. Due to the excellent processing possibilities, Jura limestone is also often used for sculptures.

And what about bathrooms and wet areas? Architects like to use the beautiful natural stone for bathroom fittings, floors and various design panelling.

Here the rule is: the smoother and finer the material is ground, the more slippery it can become when wet. If you decide on something rougher, such as Jura stone, nothing stands in the way of your building project for your new bathroom.

Outdoor use

Jura limestone is a very classic building material for outdoor areas. The large stone blocks have been used by builders for centuries for massive buildings and balustrades.

But the stone is also very popular in the private sector. However, please note here that the natural stone is exposed to natural weathering and can change slightly. Particularly with yellow Jura marble there are limitations in frost resistance. However, most of the Jura stone types are suitable for outdoor floors.

Are you not sure? If you are wondering how frost-resistant your desired limestone slabs are, please contact us.

Changes due to weather conditions will not bring your building project to a halt. The surfaces of the natural stones can be provided with appropriate sealants, impregnations or even nano-coatings.

If you do not wish to do so, you can obtain limestone slabs which, due to natural weathering, will blend in even more beautifully with the surroundings of your garden and terrace. How about an idyllic garden fountain or a rustic garden wall, for example?

But also terrace floors, stone stairs, panelling and outdoor sculptures can be optimally implemented with the durable limestone.

Processing possibilities of Jura limestone

The appearance of natural stones does not only depend on the grain and colours.

With the help of different surface treatments, very different haptic and optical effects can be created. Jura limestone is available with the following surfaces:

Diamond sawn

With the help of diamond mats, tranches with fine surfaces are produced when the stone blocks are sawn. Diamond-sawn Jura limestone slabs, for example, are ideal for modern construction projects.

Honed

Grinding Jura limestone results in a flat surface that is often used for floors or stairs. The coarser the grain size, the more the stone loses its clay intensity and becomes whiter or lighter.

Polished

A polish provides the rather matt natural stone with a high gloss. Polished Jura limestone tiles go very well with elegant and clear furnishing styles.

Hatched

Sharpened surfaces are fine, linear indentations. The refractions of light create interesting new structures that create a pleasant and natural look.

Stacked

A stick hammer is used for this type of surface treatment. The teeth of the hammer create a rough surface when it is knocked, which in turn increases the slip resistance. Stockhammered Jura stone is therefore very suitable for bathrooms and other wet areas.

Sandblasted

The limestone is also roughened during sandblasting. Here the natural stone is sandblasted with the help of a compressor and appropriate abrasive. Depending on the pressure used and the grain size, a very rough to fine surface can be achieved. Sandblasted Jura marble, in contrast to polished stone, has a rather matt appearance.

Fluted

In this form a mechanical roughening with a longitudinal structure is carried out. Corrugated Jura limestone gets a very interesting look, which is ideal for decorative design elements.

Antiqued

Feel like you're in another age. In this surface treatment, the Jura limestone is subjected to an artificial ageing process by tumbling the surfaces and brushing the edges. The result is an impressive antique marble that looks rustic and Mediterranean at the same time.

Laying Jura limestone

Whether square, railway or Roman - you can lay Jura limestone in very individual patterns.

You can obtain the stone from us in the following formats:

Squares
Rectangles up to 100 cm side length
Excess lengths (webs)
Window sills up to a length of 300 cm

You can also choose between different thicknesses: 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm or thicker.

Don't know yet which format is suitable for your building project?

Then here is a tip: If the room allows it, particularly large tiles create an optical width and calm in the room. If you want a uniform look, it is best to use Jura limestone tiles of the same format in a square or rectangle. When laid in a cross pattern, your surface will have a uniform look. Do you want to achieve an interesting and unique eye-catcher? Then why not use the Roman bond, for example?

When laying the tiles yourself, you should make sure that you create a very even and dry surface that can easily support the weight of the stones.

Would you like to lay Jura limestone in outdoor areas? Then choose a frost-proof type of Jura stone. In addition, keep to a professional laying gradient of around 2 - 3 percent so that no water can collect and run off optimally.

For a perfect result you should use a hardening natural stone adhesive, silicones without plasticizers and quartz-free grout. In this way you can prevent stains and impurities.

After laying, you should carefully remove any building dirt and cement residue. After grouting, allow sufficient drying time, which can last up to eight weeks for natural stone. These depend on the substructure and the residual moisture.

You can find more information about laying Jura limestone tiles under: Altmühltaler Kalksteine e. V.

How to impregnate and clean Jura marble

Professional impregnation protects against unwanted discoloration, scratches and unsightly stains. With the right impregnation agent, your natural stone will retain its unique character over a very long period of time. Here you can find impregnations that are especially suitable for limestone.

The right impregnation creates a nano-effect in which liquids roll off and dirt cannot penetrate the stone surface at all.

So you can easily wipe off impurities with a little water.

Make sure to use only a few additives for cleaning. Cleaners should be absolutely wax and acid-free. Acidic cleaners cause limestone to clog and attack the surface. Therefore, avoid any form of limescale cleaners, caustic bath cleaners or vinegar cleaners.

Even alkaline cleaning products (pH value > 9) are taboo.

It is better to use soft and gentle cleaning products so that your Jura natural stone will continue to shine in its unique and warm appearance for many years to come.