Inspired by Traudl’s passion, Hans began collecting in 1972—initially on a local level near Lohr am Main, where he was attending forestry school. Before long, Hans and Traudl began traveling together to pursue their hobby. Their first discovery was in Altenmittlau, in the Spessart region, where they found beautiful azurite crystals. This find fueled their enthusiasm, prompting them to expand their collecting radius ever further: from the Spessart region and across Bavaria to Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, and eventually countries all over the world. While their focus was initially on large crystals, it gradually shifted toward “micromounts.” In recent years, Traudl and Hans have frequently traveled to Lavrion with friends from Austria to collect specimens.
Traudl and Hans made the perfect team: Hans handled the collecting, while Traudl prepared the specimens.
A few years ago, Hans also discovered a passion for photography; today, he is highly active in photographing the specimens in his collection—his “lithotheque”—using focus-stacking techniques.