Urweltmuseum GEOSKOP, Prehistoric natural history museum in Thallichtenberg, Germany.
Urweltmuseum GEOSKOP is a geology museum in a postmodern building between the upper and lower castles of Burg Lichtenberg. Its 400 m² over two floors include a permanent exhibition on the 290–300 million-year-old continental ecosystem of the Saar-Nahe Basin, with original fossils, large dioramas and a visible preparation lab, plus temporary exhibitions and a replica of the Krähenberg meteorite.
The museum opened in 1998 and focuses on the period from 300 to 280 million years ago when this region sat at Earth's equator. Reptiles and other creatures lived here then, and their remains are found in the rocks of the area today.
The museum's name combines the Greek words for earth and seeing, chosen because planners wanted a place to look into the ground and, figuratively, into the past. Its logo shows the stylised amphibian Archegosaurus, a characteristic fossil of the Palatinate Rotliegend. Since 1998 it has run 28 special exhibitions, some developed specifically for the museum.
The museum is located inside a castle on a hillside and is accessible most days of the week. Wear comfortable shoes and allow time to explore, since the site also offers other areas of the castle to visit.
The museum's logo shows a stylised Archegosaurus, a characteristic fossil of the Palatinate Rotliegend. The surrounding rocks record a continental ecosystem of about 290 to 300 million years ago, when the region lay near the equator and was home to freshwater sharks up to three and a half metres long.
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