© Mischa Crumbach© Mischa Crumbach

© Mischa Crumbach

© Mischa Crumbach© Mischa Crumbach

© Mischa Crumbach

© Mischa Crumbach© Mischa Crumbach

© Mischa Crumbach

© Mischa Crumbach© Mischa Crumbach

© Mischa Crumbach

The valley of hidden treasures

When crystals are mentioned, everyone immediately thinks of the well-known clear rock crystals or the mysterious smoky quartz. These quartz varieties occur in many different forms in the Binntal valley, as well as a whole host of other minerals, many of them quite small but often uniquely beautiful. To date, more than 300 different types of minerals have been found in the Binntal and directly adjacent sites on Alpe Devero and Alpe Veglia, around 150 of them in the world-famous Lengenbach mineral mine behind Fäld. 56 minerals have the Binntal as their type locality.

In contrast to the flower treasures and beautiful landscapes that are immediately visible to every hiker, the world of minerals usually remains hidden to the normal hiker - under vegetation, rubble and rock. It takes the knowledge and experience of "spotters" to track down the mineral rarities. Let yourself be introduced to the world of crystal hunters on a guided mineral excursion by a crystal hunter in the valley.

Lengenbach mineral mine

The Lengenbach mineral mine is one of the most important mineral sites in the world. It is not large rock crystals or valuable gemstones that are found here, but mostly very small but rare minerals. Of the more than 150 types of mineral discovered at Lengenbach to date, more than 40 were found here for the first time.

The Lengenbach is a small side valley of the Binntal, which rises steeply a little behind the hamlet of Fäld. At the bottom, the stream has exposed a special rock zone, an approximately 300-metre-long, mighty train of pure white dolomite marble. Ores of iron, lead, zinc and other metals were formed in these rocks when they were deposited around 240 million years ago. At Lengenbach, these ores were transformed in a very special way at high temperatures during the formation of the Alps. This resulted in many extremely rare and exotic minerals.

These minerals crystallized as crystals, usually only a few millimetres in size, in druses and fissures. In addition, there are large quantities of golden yellow pyrite (fool's gold) and striking crystals of bright red arsenic sulphide (realgar), which are extremely conspicuous and very attractive in the white dolomite. This is why the Lengenbach became known 200 years ago as a discovery site for "exotic" minerals - and has remained so to this day. The Lengenbach mine is still being mined for research purposes.

Rays as an intangible cultural asset of Valais

The canton of Valais has added the search for, exploration and valorisation of minerals to its list of living traditions. In doing so, it recognises an ancient craft closely linked to the mountains as an intangible cultural asset.

People have been searching for crystals in the high Alps for thousands of years. The first traces in Valais are around 10,000 years old and from then on, the search for minerals has run through the history of Valais. From the Romans, who used small flakes of crystals to strengthen their arrowheads, to the material remains of Neolithic settlers' tools, minerals have always found a purpose in the canton. Later, crystals became a commodity and blasting became an important sideline for Valais mountain farmers.

© Ewald Gorsatt© Ewald Gorsatt

© Ewald Gorsatt

Mineral patent

In the autumn of 2023, the Binn municipal assembly decided to introduce a mineral patent. The regulations came into force on 01.01.2025.

Guidelines for mineral prospectors in the municipality of Binn

Mineral patents can be purchased via the following link 
Purchase of a mineral patent for the municipality of Binn

Association Minerals Binn

The founding meeting of the Mineralien Binn association was held in Binn on 9 March 2024. The main purpose of the association is to organise and run the annual mineral fair in Binn and to represent topics relating to minerals and rocks in the Binntal valley.
Former organising committee members Ewald Gorsatt, Rolf Imhof, Janine Mann, Jonas Zeiter and Odilo Zumthurm were confirmed as members of the board.

Become a member

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Special edition of the magazine "Schweizer Strahler"

In 2017, a trilingual article entitled "Two nature parks, a pass with a bivouac and beautiful minerals" appeared in the magazine "Schweizer Strahler" published by the Swiss Association of Strahler, Mineral and Fossil Collectors. It deals with the search for allanite (Ce) at the Combi e Lanza bivouac and the finds of Alpine minerals at the Chriegalppass and the Passo di Cornera and on the surrounding steep flanks of the Helsenhorn and Gischihorn on the border between the Binntal Landscape Park and the Alpe Veglia and Alpe Devero Nature Park.

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