The history of our company

Industrial quarrying of marble at Lasa (Laas)

1865: Foundation of the "Marmorwerke Laas" by Carl Steinhäuser and son Johannes as the most renowned marble factory in the Danube Monarchy. Processing of marble blocks, standard gravestones and sculptures made according to models. Quarrying on the Covelano Mountain (Göflaner Berg) and in the Lasa Valley (Laaser Tal).

1883: Josef Lechner leases the White Water Quarry (Weißwasserbruch) and other quarries in the Lasa valley from the municipality of Laas (Lasa).

Development of today’s marble industry

1912: The Munich artist and entrepreneur Mathias Gasteiger leases the Nessel Cliff Quarry (Nesselwandbruch) in the Laas Valley (Laaser Tal) and founds the "Laasa - Marble Quarry Company in Laas (Tyrol) with headquarters in Munich". Through Gasteiger, the name "LAASA" becomes a trademark.

1921: Matthias Gasteiger takes over the White Water Quarry (Weißwasserbruch) from Josef Lechner.

1925: Matthias Gasteiger transforms his company into "Laasa Marmor-Bruchbetrieb Gesellschaft m.b.H. / "Laasa Industria di Marmo Società a.g.l. " ("Laasa - Marble Quarry Company Ltd.”) and seeks financially strong investors for the establishment of a large-scale marble quarrying operation.

1928: With German-Italian-American capital, the "Società Anonima Lasa per l'Industria del Marmo" ("Lasa Marmo" for short) is founded on 28 September 1928. As the successor to the Gasteiger company, it takes over mining in the White Water Quarry.

1929: Construction of the most modern marble transport system in Europe at the time: the Lasa Marble Railway. For safety reasons, the marble railway was shut down in October 2019 and is now to be preserved as an industrial monument.

1943: Takeover of the "Società Anonima Lasa per l'Industria del Marmo" by the state-owned "Ente Nazionale per le Tre Venezie" ("National Administration of the Three Venetians").

1962: Acquisition of Lasa Marmo JSC by Giuseppe Sonzogno.

2008: Takeover of Lasa Marmo JSC by Lechner Marmor JSC.

2011: Simplification of the corporate form of "Lasa Marmo" from a joint-stock company to a limited liability company.