Ettringer Lay, Basalt quarry in Ettringen, Germany

Ettringer Lay is a basalt quarry area near Ettringen in the Mayen-Koblenz district, part of the Vulkanpark and the Laacher See national geopark. Quarrying has left pits across about 20 hectares, including the "grosse Wand", a wall 100 metres long and 20 metres high. The walls expose columns of basalt from the Ettringer lava flow of the Bellerberg volcano.

The first quarries opened around 1850 to produce millstones; stone breakers reached the basalt walls on long ladders and loosened columns by muscle power alone. Electrification at the start of the 20th century brought pneumatic hammers and pit cranes, and output shifted to building and paving stone. Many small firms worked separate parcels until the 1970s.

Life-size steel sculptures set throughout the quarry depict stone breakers and soup carriers, representing the daily work and routines of former mining workers. These figures serve as reminders of the people who labored here.

The site is accessible year-round without entry restrictions or designated hours. Visitors should be prepared for uneven ground, steep paths, and potential rockfall hazards.

The "great wall" of the quarry is 100 metres long and 20 metres high, a remnant of the stone breakers' work. Until the 1970s the site was split into many small plots worked by separate firms. Today the walls hold 798 climbing routes graded IV to XI, mainly for crack and corner climbing.