Home Locations Location Solnhofen, Germany

Note! I did not visit this collection site myself. If you have additional information please send your comment to: webmaster@fossiel.net

Location added:
Last Update:

february 2003
may 2009

Location Description:

Solnhofen is known for the 10 Archeopteryx prehistoric birds that have been found here. The first feather was found in 1860, and the first Archeopteryx was found in 1861. In the Jura Museum in Eichstätt and the Bürgermeister Müller museum in Solnhofen you can see the original fossil birds.

The Solnhofen limestone was named after the village of Solnhofen in the Altmühltal valley. This limestone is exposed in a large area around the village. Many villages in the area have their own commercial quarries. The limestone is used for building material.

The limestone from the upper Jurassic period occurs in the area between Weißenburg, Regensburg, Nürnberg and Ingolstadt.

In the Altmühltal there are several museums, where you can learn about the geology and see the fossils found in this area. More than 800 species of plants and animals have been found in the Plattenkalk from the Jurassic period.

The limestone is not very rich in fossils. Only the industrial scale of the exploitation results in large numbers of fossils. Everybody can try his luck in one of the quarries in the area.

The Altmühltal is also very worthwhile for its museums. Here a list with the most important museums:

• The Jura museum in Eichstätt on the Willibaldsburg road is very nice. Besides the 6th Archaopteryx fossil, there is a beautiful collection of large spectacular fossils. www.jura-museum.de
• The Bürgermeister Müller museum in Solnhofen is very worthwhile too! Here also you can see an original fossil of an Archaopteryx. http://www.solnhofen.de/sehenswertes/museum/museum.htm
• Museum Bergér in Eichstätt is a small museum, but also very worthwhile. http://www.altmuehltal.de/eichstaett/museum-berger.htm
• The Fossilien- und Steindruck-Museum in Gunzenhausen has a spectacular Scaphognathus fossil. http://www.fossilien-und-steindruck-museum.de/index.php

Blumenberg quarry near Eichstätt. © Photo: H. David Gilliland

Directions:

Solnhofen is located northwest of Munich in southern Germany. The following quarries and locations are worth a visit: :

• Weißenburg
  Site does not exist animore...

• Road Weißenburg - Eichstatt
  We left this area and headed on to Eichstätt and Blumenberg quarry. In all cases before this, entry into the mine and areas has been free as these are not tourist areas. Many of the mines you will see on the way are abandoned or accessible during weekends for free. I stopped and checked along this route over eight abandoned mines some of which I had to go off the main road to get to so plenty of hunting available in the area
• Quarry Am Blumenberg near Eichstätt (paid access, 2006: 2 euro)
  Eichstätt is about another 10 miles on down the road from the last abandoned quarry stop and you will see signs leading to Museum Berger with a fossil fish displayed over the name. The museum is a short drive from the fossil dig site and worth a short stop, it is small and only cost 2 or 3 euro per person to enter, photos are allowed with no flash. Good collecting possibilities.
• quarry Schamhaupten near Altmannstein
• quarry Solnhofer Bruch just south of Solnhofen (paid access, 2006: 2,50 euro)
• quarry near Schamhaupten (Altmannstein) located along the Neustadt - Beilngries road.
• Titting: sediments from surrounding quarries have been put here for fossil collectors. In Titting follow signs 'Fossiliensammelnplatz'. You follow road 'Galgenberg'. Follow the road to the top. At your right is the dump of Jurassic limestone (Upper Jurassic , lower Kimmeridgian)rocks. Here you can find ammonites (up to 10 cm.), belemnites and bivalves. Just split the rocks. Friendly locality fos children.

Location entrance in Titting. © Photo: Jaap Luteyn

• Schernfeld: In direction Eichstätt you arrive in Schernfeld on top of the hill. The quarry is at your left (see photo). Sometimes paid access. The limestones are from the Tithonian (part of the Jurassic period). You can find Saccocoma sp., fishes, ammonites, bivalves and larvae of crabfish. Best finds in horizontal slabs.

Finds:

Various fossils from the Jurassic period: plants, mollusks, fishes (i.e. Leptolepis sprattiformis), lobsters, crinoids, and insects.

Shrimps found at site located at Museum Berger. © Photo: H. David Gilliland

Fossil fishes in the Bürgermeister-Müller-Museum. © Photo: Alfer van Rossum

Finds from Titting. © Photo: Jaap Luteyn

Various finds from the Solnhofen area. © Photo: Jaap Luteyn

Identification:

Thare are 9 photographs of fossils from this location in the Fossil Photo database. View the Photographs to identify your own finds!

Thanks to H. David Gilliland for his contribution to this description.

Everybody using the fossil collecting location descriptions from this site has to respect the Collecting Rules!