[Updated] Paläozoo - Bgm. Müller Museum, Solnhofen (picture heavy)

[Lanthanotus]

Just recently we came back from our vacations in Pappenheim, Altmühltal in the north of Bavaria, though if you are there you better talk of Mittelfranken, rather than Bavaria (yeah, they can be weird). To every paleontological enthusiast the region will ring a bell as there was found one of the most important dinosaur fossils of all time. 1860 the first feather of Archaeopteryx was found in a quarry in Solnhofen, followed by the "London specimen", found 1861 in Solnhofen. In between 1874 and 1876 the "Berlin specimen" was found just a few kilometres further in Eichstätt, it's considered one of the most beautiful fossils worldwide. All in all just 12 specimen of Archaeopteryx have been found, but the quarries release tons of fossils each year, often enough of a quality that is stunning.

Solnhofen is a small town of less than 2000 inhabitants and the local museum boasts the unimpressive and inconsiderable name of "Bürgermeister Müller-Museum" (Mayor Müller Museum - "Müller" or "Mueller" or similar is one of the most common names allover Germany). Nevertheless the small museum exhibits fossils of a quality that can bring tears to someone's eyes for they are so beautifully preserved and prepared that they are worth of the biggest and most popular museums in the world. Three original specimen of Archaeopteryx are exhibited in Solnhofen, but in fact, all fossils exhibited in Solnhofen are originals rather than casts (with the exception of an Europasaurus skeleton replica).


On the outside a crude and outdated, yet not taildragging, replica of Ceratosaurus greats visitors. Quite why this particular theropod was chosen remains a mystery....




The exhibition (entry fee 5 €) is on two floors, the lower being the "Paläozoo" where fossils are assorted to time and habitat, showing the animals and plants together that once shared their environment. Back in the Jurassic the region was covered mostly by a shallow sea, with several scattered islands of different biotops. The most common fossils are ammonites (I learned the ones in my appartment floor are from there), but hobbyists can also quite regularly find fish fossils in the open quarries. It's a great fun and experience to dig there for your own fossils.
Unfortunetly the exhibition is not well lit, so ISO was high and the resulting resolution not that great (especially when you show those pictures in the required 700 px format here), sorry.





The "Solnhofener Plattenkalk" is of such fine grain, that fossils sometimes are so intricately preserved, that there have been finds of such delicate and immaterial creatures as jellyfish. So there also have been finds of the soft parts of belemnites, sharks and other fish or pterosaurs.





Dozen of fish species have been found in the quarries, some large, some tiny... one single sheet of 3 metres of Kalk boast 900 specimen of small fish.
















Landdwellers.... inscets, crocodiles, lizards, plants.... with an exaggerated (in height and depth) model of the archipelago.










It was a great and most unexpected experience to see a lot of fossils on person that I only knew from pictures from dinosaur books from my early childhood. While quite naturally most fossils are compressed and more or less 2D, some are 3D and show so many details as if the bones would just be freshly fleshed.










Archaeopteryx lithographica "Chicken Wings specimen"



"Thermopolis specimen", inner structure of bones is clearly visibly to the naked eye.



"Solnhofener specimen" (Wellnhoferia grandis)


2:1 skeletal reconstruction, looks like a Shapeways 3D print.



Unnamed feathered theropod, the integuement remains are only visible under UV exposure.



Original Europasaurus "superblock" with a variety of bones in it.



A not so impressive Velociraptor replica, reminiscent of the Bullyland figure.



The second, upper floor shows a small exhibition dedicated to the special features of the stone that made it fit for a new printing technique that is still in use by artists, the lithography (hence the species name of our feathered friend from the lower floor). There's also fossils shown from Switzerland (Plateosaurus), North America (T. rex and Allosaurus teeth, aswell as Maiasaurus hands) and a replica of an Europasaurus skleton next to more fish, ammonites and reptiles, some from the region, others from other european countries.











The museum shop offers some books and other gifts... and to my joy a lot of Bullyland figures, so I stocked up my collection a bit, also with some figures that are not in production anymore.


Hope you enjoyed and please feel free to leave feedback

[Halichoeres]

That's a beautiful museum! I hope I can visit someday. Thanks for the photos.

[Uncle Rex]

A very impressive collection and, as you said, found in such a small town. Very enjoyable thread with great photos. Thanks.

[Lanthanotus]

Thanks , I am happy to share that and indeed, I was totally stunned. Had visited The Alexander Humboldt Museum in Berlin several years back and to my disappointment found, that the Archaeopteryx there was just a cast - it may have been replaced due to studies undertaken, not sure. So while single specimen always could be removed from an exhibition, it was especially nice to see all those originals there and appreciate their full quality of preservation.

[ceratopsian]

Thank you. Your photos bring back happy memories of my visit to this museum two years ago.

[Lanthanotus]

Three years after our first visit we`ve just came back to Solnhofen a week ago. Much of the muesum
was the same as before, but some things have been changed and some awesome fossils added. The
museums shop unfortunetly had no Bullyland figures anymore (besides a Giganotosaurus and a recent croc),
but a few of those bad Schleich Velociraptors.

The region around Solnhofen was a shallow archipelago during the Jurrassic period and the water very
saline and low on oxygen. So the preservation of a lot of fossils is nothing short of spectacular, I mean,
how do you fossilize a creature made of 99% water?



UV-exposed fossils to emphasize details (which my mobile could not catch due to low light )


some cartilaginous fish




And yes, that`s the full skeleton of a baby croc as big as my hand



Just awesome,... Rhamphorhynchus in a deadly match with Aspidorhynchus?
If you want to read more of the interpretation of the fossil, see here.



First long tail pterosaur found in the hoby quarry in 2019, just imagine hacking such a
thing out of the stone?


There`s a quarry associated with the museum where you can hunt for your own fossils.
Basically you can keep anything you find as long as it`s estimated value is below 5000 €,
higher than this, a professional will have to estimate its scientific and financial value and
the finder will get a share. But to be sure, to find anything different than parts of ammonites
or mussles or dendrites is rare. With a bit of luck you may find a fish, that`s what I got this
time, at least the head. Plate and counterplate, will see if I can work it out a bit....

Our work place with CollectA Dimorphodon as a charm and my new tool bag,
thanks toP @PlesiosaurusNessy.

[Halichoeres]

These are so beautiful. Once again, I hope I can pay a visit to this museum one day. Thanks for sharing these photos!

[Tyto_Theropod]

This looks like a very interesting and well-arranged museum.  If ever I find myself in this part of Germany, I'll definitely see if I can't stop by.  In the meantime, thanks for an excellent virtual tour.

[BrontoScorpio]

I haven't seen this thread before.
What a magnificent place - I wish I could have take up my car and go visit such places.

I think I saw this museum and quarry talked about in few of the BBC David Attenborough's shows :
- Flying monsters
- Conquest of the Skies
- Rise of the Animals
I could just quickly find 2 examples :

In Here - minute 16:00
In Here - minute 4:00

I am nott 100% sure it is the exact same one - but I think it is.