Grotto of the Redemption
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Located in West Bend, Iowa, the Grotto of the Redemption is the world's largest collection of minerals and petrifications at a single site. It is actually a conglomeration of nine grottos depicting scenes in life of Jesus. The Grotto of the Redemption is the largest grotto in the world. The total value of all the rocks and minerals which make up the grotto is over $4,308,000. 100,000 people visit the Grotto each year, and it is featured in the David Lynch film The Straight Story.
[edit] History
Father Paul Dobberstein began construction of the Grotto in 1912 and continued year round for 42 years. Dobberstein used the knowledge and skills gained during construction of his first grotto honoring Our Lady of Lourdes, while training at St. Francis Seminary in St. Francis, Wisconsin. His method was to set fancy rocks and gems into concrete. In 1946, Father Louis Greving began helping Dobberstein with the construction. The Grotto covered an area the size of a city block when Dobberstein died in 1954. Construction continues to this day and has been maintained by Deacon Gearal Streit since 1994.
Father Dobberstein's works are believed to have inspired Mathias Wernerus (who also attended St. Francis Seminary) to build the Dickeyville Grotto in Dickeyville, Wisconsin in 1930, thus starting the grotto building movement in America.
