Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken

About the museum

The museum's roots go back to 1833, when a Kreis-Naturalien-Cabinet (district natural history cabinet) with almost 20,000 fossils and thousands of minerals and rocks was set up in Bayreuth. The collection changed location several times, including to the Neues Schloss and the agricultural and trade school, and became publicly accessible again in 1914.

From 1924 it was again on view in the Neues Schloss and from 1964 bore the name Oberfränkisches Erdgeschichtliches Museum. In 1981 the museum had to close for lack of space; the holdings were stored at the University of Bayreuth. In 1997 the city of Bayreuth took over as operator, and scientific supervision lies with the Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns.

On August 1, 1998, the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken opened in the Lüchauhaus on Kanzleistraße. On about 600 square meters it shows fossils, minerals and rocks mainly from Upper Franconia – from ichthyosaurs from the Mistelgau clay pit and Muschelkalk saurians to the cave bear and cave lion. Hands-on stations, a walk-in gold crystal and large dinosaur models in the garden make the museum especially attractive for families.

Highlights

• Ichthyosaurs from the Mistelgau clay pit
• Muschelkalk saurians from the region
• Walk-in gold crystal as a crystal lattice model
• Dinosaur garden with large models
• Time machine on earth history and excavation sandbox

Permanent exhibitions

• Erdgeschichte Oberfrankens – A tour from the Big Bang to the Ice Age with Jurassic fossils, Muschelkalk saurians, minerals from the Fichtelgebirge and Frankenwald, as well as cave bear and cave lion.
• Lias Mistelgau – Skeletons of ichthyosaurs and other finds from the nearby Mistelgau clay pit show a tropical sea about 180 million years ago.
• Dinosauriergarten – In the museum garden stand life-size dinosaur models that especially delight children.

Founded

1833

Operated by

Stadt Bayreuth (wissenschaftlich betreut von den Staatlichen Naturwissenschaftlichen Sammlungen Bayerns)

Admission & discounts

School classes and kindergarten groups with up to two accompanying persons have free admission.

Accessibility

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

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Hands-on stations such as excavation sandbox, time machine and walk-in gold crystal, large dinosaur models in the garden. Bookable museum rallies, children's tour with "Dinoforscher Tom" (dino researcher Tom) during the Bavarian school vacations, and children's birthdays (approx. 2.5 hrs., up to 12 children, €85 flat rate incl. admission).

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the pedestrian zone of the downtown area.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with fossils from the region, toys and books.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit