Geiseltalmuseum

About the museum

The geologist and paleontologist Johannes Weigelt, director of the Institute of Geology and Paleontology at the University of Halle, opened the museum on November 23, 1934. The occasion was the spectacular finds from the open-pit lignite mines of the Geiseltal southwest of Halle, where digging went on from the 1920s into the 2000s. The exhibition space is still the former chapel of Cardinal Albrecht, consecrated in 1531, in the north wing of the Neue Residenz.

The collection comprises around 50,000 fossils from the Middle Eocene. They depict a subtropical swampland with land-dwelling crocodiles, large flightless birds and dog-sized early horses. Many specimens are exceptionally well preserved – some three-dimensionally, with soft tissue, stomach contents or even their original colors. Since the fossil sites have now disappeared beneath the Geiseltalsee lake, the collection is irreplaceable as the only record of this deposit's fauna and is protected as a nationally valuable cultural asset.

From 2011 to 2018 the museum was closed to the public while the collection was conserved and prepared for a move. Today it belongs to the Zentralmagazin Naturwissenschaftlicher Sammlungen (Central Repository of Natural Science Collections) of Martin Luther University, which plans to house it in its neighboring building on Domplatz in the future. Until then, the exhibition in the Neue Residenz is accessible only on pre-registered group tours.

Highlights

• Almost completely preserved early horses from the Eocene
• Fossils with preserved soft tissue and original colors
• Land-dwelling crocodiles and giant flightless birds
• Exhibition in Cardinal Albrecht's Renaissance chapel from 1531

Permanent exhibitions

• Fossilien aus dem Geiseltal – Plants and animals of a subtropical swamp forest around 45 million years old, including early horses, crocodiles and insects, some with their coloring preserved.

Founded

1934

Operated by

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg – Zentralmagazin Naturwissenschaftlicher Sammlungen

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the Zentralmagazin Naturwissenschaftlicher Sammlungen, not accessible.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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Plan your visit