The last of their rank
Our
History
The last of their rank
It all started with Johann Georg Gapp, born 1820, a tailor with a passion for collecting fossils. He was also the founder of the Gapp collection.
Leopold Gapp, born in 1872 founded the stone and fossil grinding shop and turned his vocation into a profession. He worked together with geologists and various paleontologists such as Felix, Kittl, Spengler & Co, for whom Gosau was considered the Eldorado of geology. He still had to walk miles to carry the stones home. He had built a foot-operated lathe himself for the processing, there was no electricity at that time. Even Emperor Franz Josef could not resist the offer to buy his "stone snails" on hunting trips to the Gosau Valley.
Gustav Gapp, born 1900, expanded the business. He was very inventive and had built an electric motor, as well as turning and grinding spindles for processing the stones. In the interwar period, he came up with the idea of building a stone saw that was powered by water power. He built the water wheels himself.
Gustav Gapp, born in 1933, modernized the business and collected fossils throughout Austria. In search of special finds, he and his son Gustav Helmut Gapp traveled all over Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America. Together they expanded their private collection considerably and made it accessible to the public.
Gustav Helmut Gapp, born in 1966, took over the company in 2003 and has continued his family's passion for stones ever since. Inspired and shaped by the unique family history, he creates new, unique colors, shapes and centerpieces every day with passionate dedication.
All have learned the trade of wood turner, since there is no separate stone turner training.
So we have developed the skill of working stones and making the hidden beauty visible to everyone and have perfected it over generations.
Gosau, in the heart of Austria, is a geological treasure trove with its "Gosau strata". Such an abundance of fossils can only be found here in the Eastern Alps, where the sea threw its waves in shallow basins 100 to 130 million years ago.
A large number of ammonites, snails, shells and corals in all imaginable shapes and colors can still be found in the bedrock today.
The Tradition behind it, with how much of Love each piece is created and how specifically what it feels like to own one has continued to delight more and more customers and has now led us to want to continue our story - in the form of one Online shop.
Knowing where your new favorite vase comes from, telling visitors that the new decorative balls were lovingly handcrafted by Austria's only stone grinder, smiling every time you look at the new watch because you know that the stone is proud 250 million years old - these are the moments and many more that we want you to experience through our shop.
The to revive old craftsmanship, this core idea drives us every day.
creativity and passion are at the heart of everything we do. And if we manage to pass on even a little bit of this feeling to you with our products, that fills us with joy.
An infinite amount of love, time and thought flow into each unique piece. Knowing that it was worth it and that these treasures are getting a new, beautiful home - that's what drives us.
Gustav Helmut Gapp
Gosauseestrasse 9
4824 Gosau
Austria
Main business:
Mon-Fri: 8.00:12.00 a.m. – 15.00:18.00 p.m. and XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. – XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.
Sa: 8.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m.
Lake Gosau:
May – October daily 9.00 a.m. – 17.00 p.m
