140 years ago, here at the Drewer Quarry, limestone—which is characterized by its great hardness—was quarried for the first time for road construction.
After being cleaned and cleared of debris, the quarry was designated a nature reserve in 1997 and sealed off with a solid metal gate. This measure serves to preserve the habitats—or biotopes—of certain wild animal and plant species, particularly rock-nesting birds, bats, and amphibians, as well as the plant and animal communities of the semi-arid grassland. Today, the Drewer Quarry is a vivid example of the renaturation of a former quarry through natural succession. Nature has reclaimed the site.