Spiral nebulae, dinosaur bones, glittering minerals and magnificent crystals: a unique combination of geology, biology and mineralogy awaits young and old explorers of our planet at the Mineral Museum in Essen-Kupferdreh.
In its permanent exhibition, the Mineral Museum presents a combination of geology, biology and mineralogy that is unique in Germany. Large sketches of spiral nebulae, unique objects and 3D images tell of the formation and development of the earth. A multitude of astonishing examples of natural high-tech minerals and "diagrams of the crystalline world within us" also shed light on the current research areas of biomineralization and bioinorganic chemistry. Based on the idea of a cabinet of curiosities, the museum displays a significant selection of meteorites, crystals, minerals, rocks and fossils from over a hundred thousand objects in the Ruhr Museum's natural science collection. They all impressively reveal the history of life, the earth and its inhabitants. They range from very large creatures such as dinosaurs to the smallest microorganisms.
Participation is a top priority at the Mineral Museum. Guided tours and workshops immerse visitors in the world of stones and minerals and how they are formed. In the experimental room, guests of all ages can listen to the "sound of stones" and make volcanic rocks, slate slabs, pebbles and limestone sound themselves. In the preparation workshop, finds are worked on with hammers and grinders and many a fossil is made visible.
The children's birthday parties and excursions are also particularly popular, including classics such as the "Dino Party" and the "Fossil Hunt". Due to its location close to the geological hiking trail on Lake Baldeney in Essen, the Mineral Museum is an ideal starting point for excursions to the remains of mining and to quarries and rock faces of the Carboniferous period. Fossils dating back over 300 million years to the coal age can be found on a spoil tip on Lake Baldeney.
The municipal museum, which is particularly popular with families, has been a branch of the Ruhr Museum Foundation in cooperation with the Bürgerschaft Kupferdreh e.V. since 1984.
All information about the Mineral Museum at a glance can be found here in the flyer for download
Exciting quiz that leads to the highlights of the permanent exhibition
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