The Chemnitz Museum of Natural History has acquired one of the most significant fossils in the Free State of Saxony. Georg-Ludwig von Breitenbuch, Minister of State for the Environment and Agriculture, today, in the presence of Heinz Bernd Bettig, President of the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG), and Mayor Dagmar Ruscheinsky, presented the original Freital dinosaur slab (Pantelosaurus saxonicus) to the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History on permanent loan.
The slab features six skeletons of Pantelosaurus saxonicus. This is an extinct genus of carnivorous terrestrial vertebrates from the Permian geological period, some 300 million years ago. The animals perished as a result of volcanic activity and were embedded in rock slurry. The exact details remain unknown to science to this day. The slab was found and secured in 1901 by Freital coal miners after it had fallen from the roof whilst they were working underground. For more than 125 years, it has been preserved and studied by the Geological Service of the Saxony State Environment Agency and has not been accessible to the public. Copies can be found in London, New York and at the KohleWelt in Oelsnitz, amongst other places.
Mayor Dagmar Ruscheinsky: “The permanent loan of the Freital dinosaur slab – which is unique in the world – is a strong testament to the scientific recognition enjoyed by the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History. It shows that our scientific work and our expertise in researching and communicating the history of the Earth are recognised and valued far beyond Saxony. I am delighted that Chemnitz has been granted the loan of this extraordinary fossil and am looking forward to the upcoming special exhibition.”
Prof. Dr Ronny Rössler, Director of the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History: “The dinosaur slab is undoubtedly the most spectacular fossil in the Free State of Saxony and is of far-reaching international significance. We welcome the LfLUG’s intention to display the dinosaur slab to the public once again. It was only natural for us to apply to host this slab, as there is nothing more authentic than bringing these treasures closer to visitors so that we may be enriched by their perspective. Alongside the preservation, collection and research of artefacts, this, too, is part of a museum’s remit.”
The Chemnitz Museum of Natural History focuses its research precisely on the same geological period as the Freital dinosaur slab – as demonstrated by the Petrified Forest, which was formed 291 million years ago. As early as the 1990s, the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History, together with other institutions in Saxony, worked to ensure that the slab was prepared. In 1998, it received a negative cast on permanent loan from the LfLUG.
The plan is for the original slab to be not only preserved in Chemnitz, but also subjected to further scientific research and presented to the public. It will be incorporated as a highlight into the special exhibition currently under construction, which is due to open at the Museum of Natural History at the end of January. The exhibition is funded by the Cultural Foundation of the German States and the Saxon State Office for Museums.
Attached photo:
The original Freital dinosaur slab is now on permanent display at the Museum of Natural History in Chemnitz. Photo: Dr Frederik Spindler/Palaeonavix
English
Choose