In the museum
Monday, 1 September to Tuesday, 30 September
Interactive exhibition: Museum experience
Location: TIETZ, Museum of Natural History Chemnitz, 1st floor
Admission: Visiting the interactive exhibition "Erlebnisraum Museum" is free of charge. A valid admission ticket is required for a tour of the permanent and special exhibition.
The freely accessible area between the Museum of Natural History and the Neue Sächsische Galerie offers many opportunities to approach the history of the earth in a playful way. Puzzles, books and games, as well as original fossils, invite visitors of all ages to explore and stimulate their creativity. The current focus is on the evolution of proboscideans - elephants, mammoths & co.
Wednesday, 10 September, 6.30 to 7.30 pm
Lecture by Michael Laaß
Friends of the Museum of Natural History Chemnitz e. V.
Location: TIETZ, Museum of Natural History Chemnitz, 1st floor
Admission: free
Michael Laaß gives unique insights into the life of the primeval insects of the primeval coal forest through trace fossils.
On the excavation
Sunday, 21 September, 10 am to 5 pm
Insights into the underground of the Capital of Culture 2025 on Geotope Day
Location: Window of Earth History, Glockenstraße 16
Admission: free, no registration required
Contact: Anne Förster (0371 488-4555 or foerster(at)naturkunde-chemnitz.de).
Many people are familiar with the Chemnitz Petrified Forest. However, few people realise that it is more than just the ensemble of petrified trees in Tietz.
The Capital of Culture 2025 harbours a real treasure under its feet - a complete ecosystem that was preserved 291 million years ago by a volcanic eruption and gives us an insight into a bygone era. There was once a tropical rainforest in the area that is now Chemnitz. In this forest, nimble prehistoric dinosaurs climbed around on giant trees, amorous scorpions "danced" on the forest floor and small amphibians lurked for tasty insects, which they caught with their sticky tongues. We can read all this from the fossilised remains of this forest, but not all the secrets have been revealed yet.
At the "Window into the Earth's History", the scientific excavation of the Museum of Natural History, further parts of the Petrified Forest will be uncovered. On Geotope Day on 21 September 2025, we will once again open our excavation tent for young and old and offer all interested parties the opportunity to be part of the excavation live. Visitors can ask the excavation team questions, find out how an excavation is carried out and what is needed for it and also hear one or two funny stories from everyday excavation work. Young researchers can explore the "geological classroom" and dig for fossilised wood themselves. If that's not enough, they can explore the excavation site on their own by solving a quiz and receive a small prize if they find the correct solution.
On Geotope Day on 21 September, various institutions throughout Germany invite visitors to experience geological history up close with experts. Various excursion destinations can be visited - quarries, mineral sites, mines and also the excavation at the "Window into Earth History" of the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History.
The Geotope Day is an initiative of the German Geological Society - Geologische Vereinigung e. V. and has been held on the third Sunday in September since 2002. The full programme can be found at www.tag-des-geotops.de.