Jan-Willem

Netherlands - 17-Apr-24 -

A road trip from Holland to Berlin was already planned last weekend and that was a good opportunity to make a stop to view the Schöningen spears, as they just became a TWHS. We didn't go down into the open pit mine, but the spears are on excellent display in a very informative and enjoyable museum right on the edge of the quarry. The mine itself is not producing anymore and is only used for archaeology and other research, if I understood correctly. Because I'm not supposed to share photos of the exhibitions in public, the picture shows the pit mine as seen from inside the museum.

The exhibition provides much information about geology and life through time, about how the ice ages came and went and shaped the landscape, and includes remains of the animals that were hunted in the prehistoric days. It's called a 'research museum' and it also gives impressions of how the spears were found and researched. There is even a visitor's lab, to give you (and/or your kids) a taste of the work. Explanatory texts to the museum's permanent exhibition are both in German and in English. The building is already beautiful by itself. 

I'm no expert, but I suppose that the importance of the find will give it enough value to be considered as world heritage. But besides that, they've done a great job in adding story and context in a refreshing manner to a number of long pieces of wood that were found in the earth's surface. I'm sure that influenced my rating.

The road signs point to 'paläon', there's free parking and a reasonable entrance price of 9 euros. There is also a bus stopping in front of the museum. Tours in the mine are only on Saturdays and Sundays. (And btw, the border memorial of Hötensleben, with remains of the Iron Curtain, is at walking distance.)