Dinosaurs
Experience Bavaria's fascinating world of dinosaurs with real skeletons, impressive fossils and breathtaking replicas. From gigantic predatory dinosaurs and majestic flying dinosaurs to primeval sea creatures and tropical landscapes - the exhibitions offer exciting insights into the prehistoric past. Immerse yourself in a journey through time to the most impressive creatures in the history of the earth!
Dinosaurier Museum Altmühltal (Dinosaur Museum Altmühltal)
The highlights of the Dinosaurier Museum Altmühltal (Dinosaur Museum Altmühltal) include the original skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, an authentic fossil of the prehistoric bird Archaeopteryx and "Dracula" - the largest and heaviest pterosaur ever discovered. A special highlight of the museum visit is the opportunity to become a palaeontologist yourself: Visitors can uncover fossils and take them home as souvenirs. A 1.5-kilometre forest trail around the museum invites visitors to explore 400 million years of the earth's history and follow in the footsteps of prehistoric giants. There are over 70 lifelike replicas of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals along the trail.
Museum Solnhofen - Die Welt in Stein (Museum Solnhofen - The World in Stone)
A fascinating underwater world with sharks, rays and schools of fish, a predatory dinosaur with a bushy tail and a 70 cm tall archaeopteryx chick await you at the Museum Solnhofen - Die Welt in Stein (Museum Solnhofen - The World in Stone) - but all in complete silence, as the animals have been fossilised for 150 million years. The impressive fossils of the flora and fauna of the former "Solnhofen Archipelago" are sorted by habitat and presented with their environmental and living conditions. One highlight is the "Icon Room" with two Archaeopteryx specimens and a digital 3D reconstruction. On the upper floor, you can find out more about lithography (stone printing), including the world's largest lithograph and a model quarry.
Jura-Museum Eichstätt auf der Willibaldsburg (Jura Museum Eichstätt at Willibaldsburg Castle)
The Jura Museum Eichstätt at Willibaldsburg Castle high above the Altmühltal valley invites you on a fascinating journey through time to a 150-million-year-old tropical island, reef and lagoon landscape. Here you will encounter fish dinosaurs, crocodiles, coral fish, crabs, insects and pterosaurs. At the centre of the exhibition are fossils from the Solnhofen limestones, which were uncovered during quarrying operations in the region. Among the most important finds are the world's only specimen of the predatory dinosaur Juravenator and an original of the famous prehistoric bird Archaeopteryx. Large aquariums with reef corals, coral fish and "living fossils" such as the arrowtail, nautilus and bony pike vividly convey the former diversity of marine life in the region.
Paläontologisches Museum München (Palaeontological Museum Munich)
Look into the eyes (or cave) of a 10-million-year-old prehistoric elephant, admire the rare Archaeopteryx prehistoric bird or marvel at the largest and smallest dinosaur in Bavaria: the Paläontologisches Museum München (Palaeontological Museum Munich) takes you on a journey into the fascinating world of prehistory. Since the 18th century, treasures from the evolutionary history of vertebrates have been collected here, from reptile skeletons from the time before the dinosaurs to mammals such as the sabre-toothed tiger, cave bear and giant deer. The former flora of Bavaria is also impressively presented in a separate section.
Museum Terra Triassica (Museum Land of the Triassic)
Terra Triassica - the land of the Triassic, an epoch that began around 252 million years ago and lasted over 50 million years. Fossil finds from this period provide us with fascinating insights into the enormous diversity of life at that time. In the Museum Terra Triassica (Museum Land of the Triassic), realistic dioramas illustrate the changes in the living world in the area of today's Mainfranken during the Triassic. The dioramas are linked to the original fossils and enable a detailed exploration of the flora and fauna of entire ecosystems. There are early, land-dwelling dinosaurs and their marine relatives to discover, as well as fossilised remains of sharks, fish, molluscs, insects and microorganisms. After the museum visit, you can explore the Triassic Garden, where plants grow whose ancestors already existed in the Triassic period and whose fossils are exhibited in the museum.
Impressions from the Museums
