Sieblos-Museum

About the museum

At the foot of the Wasserkuppe, about 1.2 kilometers southeast of the village of Sieblos, lignite mining began in 1856. While searching for porcelain clay, miners came upon sapropel coal, which was used for tar distillation and for producing solar oil. The small mine remained uneconomical, changed owners several times and was finally closed in 1919. Scientifically, however, the deposit proved significant: the first fossils turned up around 1858 in the overburden.

The fossils come from a freshwater lake of the early Oligocene, about 35 million years ago. Sieblos is regarded as a link between the older formations of Messel and younger deposits of the Late Tertiary. The museum, founded in 1995, shows plant remains such as ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms, as well as fish, small amphibians, snails, water slaters and insects, and parts of birds, bats and crocodiles.

The tour begins in a reconstructed mine gallery, explains the mining and geology of the deposit, passes a small laboratory with binocular microscopes and ends in a room that evokes the subtropical landscape of the former Sieblos lake. The museum is run by the municipality of Poppenhausen (Wasserkuppe), supported by the museum association.

Highlights

• Fossils from a 35-million-year-old freshwater lake
• Entrance through a reconstructed mine gallery
• Binocular microscopes for viewing small fossils up close
• The display can be explored without a guide; admission is free

Permanent exhibition

• Fossilien aus der Grube Sieblos – From the mine gallery through geology, the laboratory and the spoil-heap scene, to the display cases of plant and animal fossils from the early Oligocene of the Rhön.

Founded

1995

Operated by

Gemeinde Poppenhausen (Wasserkuppe), unterstützt vom Museumsverein Poppenhausen/Wasserkuppe e.V.

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free. The museum association welcomes a small donation via the donation box at the entrance to the archive.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Access to the exhibition room is barrier-free. Dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

Even the entrance through the reconstructed lignite mine gallery is a small adventure for children. Pictures show what the Rhön may have looked like in the early Oligocene. The fossils are small, and binocular microscopes allow a closer look.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located on the lower ground floor of the Poppenhausen town hall at Von-Steinrück-Platz 1.

Amenities & dining

Publications on the subject are sold at the tourist office, where books from the museum library can also be borrowed.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit