On Sunday 20 September, from 10 am to 5 pm, anyone interested is invited to Geotope Day 2026 at the ‘Window into the Earth’s History’, Glockenstraße 16. Admission is free.
On Geotope Day, the excavation tent will be open to young and old alike, offering everyone the chance to watch the excavation in action. Visitors can ask the excavation team questions and find out how an excavation works. There’ll also be the odd funny story or two from everyday life on the dig.
Young researchers are welcome to explore the ‘geological classroom’ and dig for fossilised wood themselves. By completing a quiz, they can explore the excavation site at their own pace. A small prize awaits those who get the answer right.
At the ‘Window into Earth’s History’ – the scientific excavation site run by the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History – further sections of the Petrified Forest are being uncovered. Whilst many people are familiar with the Chemnitz Petrified Forest, it is actually more than just the display at the TIETZ. For a veritable treasure lies hidden in the ground: an entire ecosystem is buried there. It was preserved 291 million years ago by a volcanic eruption and offers insights into a time long past. Once upon a time, a tropical rainforest stood in the area that is now Chemnitz. Within it, nimble prehistoric dinosaurs climbed giant trees, scorpions crawled across the forest floor and small amphibians lay in wait for insects, which they caught with their sticky tongues. All of this can be gleaned today from the fossilised remains of this forest. Yet by no means have all its secrets been revealed.
Every year, to mark Geotope Day, various organisations across Germany invite the public 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.
The event is co-funded by the European Union as part of the ESF Plus project ‘Window into the 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.