Hunsrück-Fossilienmuseum Bundenbach
Museum in Bundenbach with marine animals and plants from the Devonian, some 400 million years old, preserved in Hunsrück slate.
No sound? Check your device’s silent switch.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
About 400 million years ago, where the Hunsrück rises today, lay the southern part of the Devonian sea. On the seafloor, dead animals were buried in clay and fine sand, cut off from the air, and remained remarkably complete in the slate that later formed. Sea lilies formed veritable meadows, among which bivalves, snails, brachiopods and starfish lived.
Slate has been quarried in the area for some 500 years, and mining and trading slate became an important source of income in the southern Central Hunsrück. The fossils in the rock were only properly recognized a few decades ago. Since then, paleontologists from around the world have come to Bundenbach to conduct research, and the village has gained worldwide scientific renown as a fossil site.
The Fossilienmuseum displays a large selection of these finds from the Bundenbach slate. It is part of the Bundenbach museum landscape, which also includes the Celtic settlement Altburg and the Herrenberg show mine, which was modernized with state funds. The Celtic settlement can be reached on foot in about five minutes, and the premium hiking trail "Hahnenbachtaltour" begins at the museum.
Highlights
- Fossils of sea lilies, bivalves, snails and brachiopods
- Devonian marine fauna in the Bundenbach slate
- Part of the Bundenbach museum landscape with the Celtic settlement Altburg
- Starting point of the Hahnenbachtaltour hiking trail
- Operated by
- Ortsgemeinde Bundenbach
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €1.50free up to age 5 · Children from age 6. |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Groups of 10 or more receive a reduction of €0.50 per person. |
Tickets are available at the kiosk of the show mine.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
Children pay a reduced admission from age 6; there are programs for kindergartens and school classes.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Träb · 1.4 km
Bus stop "Träb" in Bundenbach (approx. 1,400 m).
By car via the B 41 to the Kirn exit, then on to Bundenbach. The reconstructed Celtic settlement Altburg is about a five-minute walk away.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours for groups, and programs for kindergartens and schools, according to the Rhineland-Palatinate museum portal. |
