Quarzpocher

Quarzpocher stands in Leutkirch im Allgäu as a historic device along the Glasmacherweg through the Adelegg. The trail follows the former route from Schmidsfelden to Eisenbach. Here, you see equipment connected to the demanding first stage of traditional glassmaking, preparing quartz for melting. Quartz from the nearby Eschach entered the device before workers reduced it to smaller pieces.

Pochermänner operated the mechanism by hand or with simple mechanical power, pounding hard stones into usable material. The work demanded considerable physical strength from its operators. Crushed quartz then travelled to nearby Glashütten, where workers mixed it with other ingredients and melted everything in large furnaces. Quality at this stage influenced the glass made afterwards.

The route also passes former glassworks, workers’ houses, and other buildings linked to regional glass production. Wood from surrounding forests supplied fuel for the industry. Quartz gathering, crushing, and glassmaking connected local resources with many workers and specialised skills. During a demonstration, the pounding action reveals the manual skill behind Leutkirch’s glassmaking history.