EU project backs effort to draw visitors to Csaterberg opal

An EU-backed project will invest around 50,000 euros in research, marketing and hiking trails to attract visitors to the Csaterberg opal in Kohfidisch, ORF reports. The municipality hopes visitors will combine a look at the geological finds and local stone museum with hikes and a short holiday.

The opal was used in the region of what is now southern Burgenland as early as the Paleolithic period. People made knife and arrowheads from it, archaeologist Manuela Thurner said. She described it as the only stone in Burgenland that could be used for those tools.

The mineral also indicates the presence of iron deposits. Limonite, or brown iron ore, lies beneath the opal layers. It was mined at the surface and smelted in bloomery furnaces. In the early Middle Ages, the iron was used to make basic tools such as scissors and knives.

The opals have long been displayed in a museum on the Csaterberg. The stone’s monetary value is modest, but its historical significance is considerable, Thurner said. The project is due to be completed by the end of the year.