The Horse Museum at the Allwetterzoo Münster

On Thursday (15 October), the first talk in the new series ‘Unearthed – What Fossils Tell Us’ will take place at the LWL Museum of Natural History. The series forms part of the supporting programme for the North Rhine-Westphalia State Palaeontological Exhibition ‘Survival between Dinosaurs and Scale Trees’. Dr Achim Schwermann is a palaeontologist and dinosaur expert at the LWL Museum. He has the honour of opening the accompanying programme with his talk, in which he will discuss the Westphalian plesiosaurs, which have been named ‘Fossil of the Year’ this year. The talk will last around 45 minutes. This will be followed by a guided tour of the exhibition and the plesiosaur fossils.

The Palaeontological Society has chosen as ‘Fossil of the Year’ a group of plesiosaur species, all of which are known only from Westphalia. Two specimens alone can be seen at the Münster Natural History Museum, one at the University of Münster’s Geomuseum and one at the Bielefeld Natural History Museum. In his talk, Schwermann explains what makes Rhaeticosaurus, Westphaliasaurus, Arminisaurus and Brancasaurus so special. He explains that these fossil marine reptiles are representative of the entire group of Plesioauria, whose evolution and research history form the subject of the talk.

The event is aimed at a wide audience aged eight and over. As places are limited, registration is required. Admission is free.

Anyone keen to find out more about the work of palaeontologists and geological preparators should head along to the hands-on activity ‘Das große Schlämmen’ during the autumn half-term holidays. On five separate dates, each running from 11 am to 4 pm, fossil fans of all ages can visit the LWL Museum of Natural History to see how prehistoric traces are uncovered from rock. Those interested can try their hand at sifting and washing the material themselves.

How are dinosaur fossils discovered in rock, and how can the fossilised remains be washed out of it? In a sandpit, children can dig and try their hand at sifting and washing material themselves. Members of the museum’s education team will be on hand to answer questions and demonstrate how rock samples suspected of containing fossils are washed through sieves to reveal small fossils. The experts will explain the processes involved in an excavation and in the museum’s work, and provide information on archaeological heritage conservation, which is an important task of the LWL Museum of Natural History. At a microscopy station, the special features of the finds will be explained.

The event is free of charge. Only the standard museum admission fee applies. The event will be cancelled in the event of bad weather.

Dates:
Sun 18 Oct 2026
Fri 23 Oct 2026
Sun 25 Oct 2026
Fri 30 Oct 2026
Sun 1 Nov 2026

From 11 am to 4 pm.

As part of its public Sunday tours, the LWL Museum of Natural History offers the inclusive tour ‘Exploring Genetics by Touch’ once a month. This provides visitors with a unique way to experience the exhibition ‘Genes – Diversity of Life’.

The tour, which lasts around 60 minutes, aims to make complex biological topics tangible through the senses – by touching, listening and using individually tailored educational methods. The selection of in-depth topics and side notes is adapted to suit each group’s specific needs. The programme has been specifically designed for small groups of up to ten people (including accompanying adults) to create as comfortable and personalised an experience as possible. The tour is flexibly tailored to the needs of the participants and focuses on selected stations in the ‘Gene’ exhibition featuring tactile objects that deepen understanding of the exhibition’s content. In addition, specially selected hand-held objects are used to enable participants to explore the exhibits through touch in a targeted manner.

Booking: servicebuero.naturkundemuseum@lwl.org or by telephone: 0251 591 6050 (opening hours: Mon–Fri 9.00 am–12.00 pm & 2.00 pm–4.30 pm)

Leaves, bark, grasses, seeds and other natural materials are transformed into little works of art. Participants can go on a discovery tour in the museum garden themselves to collect suitable materials or choose from a prepared selection. Through frottage and clay impression techniques, the unique shapes and textures of nature are revealed and creatively captured. Leaf veins, bark textures, patterns and other surfaces leave very different marks, bringing the diversity of nature to life in many different ways.

As well as creative activities, there is plenty to discover: Which plants grow in the museum garden? Who lives there? And how can different plants and animals be identified? In a playful and informal way, participants learn interesting facts about the local flora and fauna.

Just pop along and join in. No booking is required.

On the Moon this evening, Sinus Iridum – the so-called ‘Golden Handle’ – and the Copernicus crater are attractive targets for observation through a telescope. To the south-east, the planet Saturn, with its distinctive ring system, will be visible; this month it is opposite the Sun (opposition) and is therefore particularly easy to observe. The observation point is accessible from the Mühlenhof car park and is signposted.

• Admission is free and no booking is required.
• The telescopes are provided on a voluntary basis by members of the society.

Important: The latest update on whether the guided tour can go ahead, depending on the weather, will be published on our website.