At the museum
from 1 September to 30 September
Special exhibition: Proboscideans
Venue: Tietz, Museum of Natural History, 1st floor
Admission: Admission to the special exhibition on proboscideans is free of charge. A valid admission ticket is required for the tour of the permanent and special exhibitions.
The freely accessible area between the Museum of Natural History and the Neue Sächsische Galerie currently offers an insight into the evolution of proboscideans. During his work in the museum’s collection store, research trainee Christopher Herrmann unexpectedly discovered a large number of proboscidean fossils. This gave rise to the idea of exploring the evolution of elephants using objects from our collection. In the display cases, you can take a closer look at elephants, mammoths and other creatures.
Wednesday, 16 September, 6.30 pm to 8 pm
Dinosaurs from Saxony’s coal swamps – lecture by Dr Frederik Spindler, Kipfenberg
Venue: Tietz, Museum Education Centre, 1st floor
Admission: free
290 million years ago, dinosaurs were not yet the giants of later times. Yet they reveal the origins of today’s four-legged creatures: amphibians and primitive lizards lived amongst Saxony’s Everglades and volcanoes. Even our distant ancestors at the origin of the mammalian lineage have been discovered here as fossils, not least thanks to mining. Finds from coal or limestone that are unique worldwide continue to provide new and exciting insights into life during the Permian period, even after 140 years of research.
An event organised by the Friends of the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History (Verein Freundeskreis des Museums für Naturkunde Chemnitz e. V.)
Wednesday, 30 September, from 5 pm
Amphibians – Wonders of Evolution – Exhibition opening
Venue: Tietz, Museum of Natural History, 1st floor
Admission: free
Frogs and salamanders, damp meadows and forests, puddles full of tadpoles – these are the images we associate with amphibians. These animals fascinate us as travellers between worlds; they bridge life in water with life on land. Yet amphibians are so much more: they evolved from fish almost 400 million years ago, were the first vertebrates to live on land, and were already enormously diverse during the Palaeozoic Era. The Mesozoic Era saw not only amphibians several metres in size, but also frogs that preyed on dinosaurs. Today, amphibians are found on almost every continent, and they have adapted to extreme habitats, such as frigid steppes and scorching deserts.
The special exhibition, a journey through the wondrous world of amphibians past and present, features more than 70 exhibits, including original specimens, models and illustrations, as well as interactive stations.
Dr Ralf Werneburg, from Schleusingen, will give an opening lecture.
The special exhibition will be on display at the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History from 1 October 2026
At the excavation site
Sunday, 20 September, 10 am to 5 pm
Geotope Day 2026
Venue: ‘Window into the Earth’s History’, Glockenstraße 16
Admission: free
Many people are familiar with the Chemnitz Petrified Forest. However, few realise that it is more than just the collection of petrified trees in Tietz.
At the ‘Window into Earth’s History’, the Museum of Natural History’s scientific excavation site, further sections of the Petrified Forest are being uncovered. To mark Geotope Day on 20 September, we’re once again opening our excavation tent to visitors of all ages and offering anyone interested the chance to watch the excavation in action. Visitors will be able to ask the excavation team questions, learn how an excavation is carried out and what is involved, and hear the odd amusing anecdote from everyday life on the dig. Young researchers can explore the ‘geological classroom’ and dig for fossilised wood themselves. If that’s not enough, they can explore the excavation site independently whilst solving a quiz and, if they get the answers right, receive a small prize.
A real treasure lies hidden beneath our feet: an entire ecosystem is buried here. It was preserved 291 million years ago by a volcanic eruption and offers us insights into a time long past. Once upon a time, a tropical rainforest stood in the area that is now Chemnitz. In this forest, nimble prehistoric reptiles clambered up giant trees, scorpions in love ‘danced’ on the forest floor, and small amphibians lay in wait for tasty insects, which they caught with their sticky tongues. We can glean all this from the fossilised remains of this forest. Yet by no means have all its secrets been revealed.
To mark Geotope Day on 20 September, various organisations across Germany are inviting people to experience Earth’s history up close alongside experts. Visitors can explore a range of destinations – quarries, mineral sites, mines and even the excavation at the ‘Window into Earth’s History’ at the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History.
Geotope Day is an initiative of the German Geological Society – Geological Association e. V. and has been held on the third Sunday in September every year since 2002. The full programme can be viewed at www.tag-des-geotops.de.
Notes: The event is co-funded by the European Union as part of the ESF Plus project ‘Window into Earth’s History’ (application number: 100731465). This initiative is co-financed by tax revenue on the basis of the budget adopted by the Saxon State Parliament.