During the fair Euroc Expo, held in the French town of Castres last June, the first edition of the Funerary Design Competition "René Gargi" also took place, in memory of the ex-editor of the French magazine "Le Mausòlèe" who recently passed away.
This is the second part of our report on the marbles in Ancient Greece that were used in the classical age in the elaboration of monuments that constitute the cultural patrimony of an entire civilisation, and some of which continue to be used today. Our gratitude to the Greek magazine Marmor and Panos Tomaras for their help in this report.
Gesa Todt
More than two centuries ago in the history of lithography, natural stone was brought to the printing press. On August 4th and 5th 2002, however, for the first time it was the other way around, and, as a result, the world biggest lithography was produced.
During the last 15 years, while the Indian granite industry has gone through a strong growth period with a major expansion in extraction of blocks and in the production of slabs and tiles, another less known segment has also been growing steadily and increasing its market share in the world markets. We refer to the Indian gravestone manufacturing industry is still growing steadily. The important and interesting point to note is that this industry and its products have no market at all in India; it is a 100% export oriented industry.
In the international panorama of countries extracting and processing stone, Italy occupies a very relevant position. A region which has always linked its name to the beauty and variety of excavated stone is Tuscany, a place from which come some of the most appreciated marbles, such as Cipollini, extracted in the Apuan Alps and in Garfagnana, with deposits quite limited in extension and production.
Basalt is the commercial name of a family of peculiar volcanic rocks, which takes place specifically in southern region of Brazil, in the States of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. They are applied widely to civil construction in special respects of ornamental use, often for floor, wall, and pavement.
The Hungarian Parliament, located in the capital city of Budapest, on the banks of the river Danube, was built to commemorate the millennium celebrations, and took as its model the Westminster in London. Now, coinciding with its centenary in 2002, the building is being restored. The Hungarian company Reneszánsz RT., the biggest stone company in the country employing 300 people, has been charged with the restoration project.
San Juan is one of the three provinces most important producers of marble in Argentina, along with Cordoba and Buenos Aires. Of this production, can be highlighted travertine marble for its quality and for being exploited since the end of XIX century, which has noticed since then a clear preference for the use of ornamental rocks in public buildings and in the houses of the rich people, both in San Juan as well as in Mendoza and Cordoba.
In the north-east of Cambodia, 300 km from its capital Phnom Penh, can be found the capital of the ancient Khmer empire, Angkor. Hidden during centuries in the middle of the jungle, it was totally isolated from the rest of the world until the year 1860 when French missionaries discovered it.
