Freilichtmuseum Zeitsprung
Free open-air museum on a former excavation site near Klinge about the Ice Age, the Eemian interglacial and the mammoth find of 1903, right on Lake Klinge.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
In the clay pits near Klinge between Cottbus and Forst, numerous fossils came to light from 1891. In 1903 workers found the almost complete skeleton of a woolly mammoth there, the first in Germany. The deposits come from a lake of the Eemian interglacial about 128,000 to 115,000 years ago. When the Jänschwalde opencast lignite mine lowered the groundwater at the end of the 1970s and the flooded pits dried out, it turned out that part of the layers had been preserved; from 1988 to 2003 the Cottbus Museum of Nature and Environment excavated here and found remains of elk, giant deer, woolly rhinoceros, wolf and pond turtle as well as almost 100 plant species.
Part of the area has been a nature reserve since 2000. With EU funds and money from the municipality of Wiesengrund, the open-air museum “Zeitsprung” was created there and opened in May 2008. In a domed building stands a replica of a mammoth cow with calf, complemented by information on the excavations, clay deposits and the history of research.
On the grounds, an adventure trail leads past life-size replicas of a giant deer, woolly rhinoceros and wolves; a walk-in outcrop about three metres high shows the layer sequence of an Ice Age lake. From a viewing platform you look out over the emerging Lake Klinge. The park-like area with a wetland biotope, benches and a picnic area is looked after by the Interessengemeinschaft Klinger See e. V.
Highlights
- Replica of a mammoth cow and calf in the domed building
- Walk-in outcrop with Ice Age lake deposits
- Life-size models of a giant deer, woolly rhinoceros and wolves
- Viewing platform above Lake Klinge
- Free admission
Permanent exhibition
- Zeitsprung – Eiszeit und Eem-Warmzeit in Klinge – Domed building with a mammoth replica and outdoor grounds with an adventure trail, animal models, information boards and a walk-in geological outcrop.
- Founded
- 2008
- Operated by
- Interessengemeinschaft Klinger See e. V.
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
No admission charge, donations are welcome.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Adventure trail with life-size animal models and a picnic area by the lake.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & 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 |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided tours by arrangement. |
