Fossils in Germany

[Galwin]

Hello all I am sure there is tons of info here but the translator only translates the basic tabs not messages and if I try to use google translator it denies me access, bummer.

So figured I would try the more indirect method this way.

I am trying to find locations to hunt fossils in the baden wurttemberg and saarland areas.
I have found the holzmaden and ohlm locations tied to the two holzmaden museums but so far that is all.

On many websites I have found referances to old coal dumps in Saarland where you can find fossil plants but so far the rock and minerla clubs I found in the area and wrote to only say I have ot drive and find them myself, as if since I live on the other end of germany, I simply can not afford the gas on egg chases when perfectly good intillecual individuals could be helpful as I want to take my 2 nephews fossil hunting. I have a specific amount oif time during their school break to do this and can not take it up on random free for all egg hunts in places I do not know.

SO anyway, if anyone has any ideas, locations or places they are willing to give out it would be nice, especially if say it is locaitons where you pay to enter as this also helps the locals when your buying food and stuff to boot. I am not worried about a few Euros per person to enter so long as it is reasonably priced, but not like the one place in Bayern that wanted 120 euro per person to enter and they got to keep anything you find unless they oked it at the gate to leave.

SO anywho... Any places in Baden wurttemberg and Saarland would be nice to know about, figure find 5 or 6 nice places good for families especially and then I can work on other german states for the next vacation time as we move along.

Best and good hunting to all
Galwin

[triassammler]

Hello Galwin!

but so far the rock and minerla clubs I found in the area and wrote to only say I have ot drive and find them myself

...somehow understandable. I guess they receive a lot in inquiries from all over the world to reveal fossil sites they themselves spent weeks and months on to find...
A hint: Use Google Maps, the dumps are huge and are perfectly visible. They all yield plant fossils.
And please ask for permission to enter the dumps before doing so!

The Holzmaden and Ohmden amateur fossil collector sites you already mentioned are fine and perfectly suitable for children. They are safe places and fossil finds are guaranteed. The entrance fee is cheap and family-friendly.

Maybe you should mention how old your nephews are. Many quarry owners deny access to children for understandable reasons.

Regards,
Rainer

[Galwin]

Did that no go maybe I am simply looking for the wrong things. More on this down below first my rant on the locaiotns listing here.
"Pulls up soap box and steadys it" (Cough Cough) "hand over mouth for hygeine reasons"...

I must say I have been searching the locations section of here and the info is all nice and pretty but directions suck bigger than an 18th century prostitute.
I am all for protectionism and such but this is a bit extreem really.

Here they list all the nice places to go and the directions well we covered that above. So like myself and 99% of the current economic population who does not have the time and especially gas money to go hoppiung around looking for stuff using vauge generalized directions, the listing is virtually useless.

But seriously I mean some nice strip map style directions, take A7 to Aalen, take B88 to Lagentheim, then head toward Bad Boll, look for such and such road , turn right follow off road till you get there about 3 Kilometers.
Then someone could actually go to google maps and with a general KM to location rational be able to find the places.

I still think simply listing the darn contact info of the owners and a GPS grid ref would do the site a world of good. Especially if it is operational sites so they have to either pay to enter or get permission first, you still have a basic control factor there while also providing effecient information to location and contact people.

OK OFF SOAP BOX

New Topic

The boys are 13 and 14 now, I have been taking them fossil hunting teaching them the basics, "proper collecting proceedures, Cataloging of specimens, and earth preservation" for about 5 to 6 years to date. We are building them a new display case in their apartment this year once they get settled in after the moving is done.
"Divorce Issues"
Yet another reason why I want to get them away from the house time to time so they get down time from all of the stress involved.

I was doing searches for the coal dump sites but to no avail, maybe I just do not know what I am looking for, also maybe because I am old and half blind too, but I did not say that...

I mean even at max zoom the pics are nice but the area to search is so darn small it becomes a needle in a haystack issue. Again simple GPS Coords would be of the greates assistance google usually uses 6 to 8 decimal grip refs, but even with degrees, minutes, and second referances you can recalculate to decimals.

I could definately use abut 99% of the info in the liosting IF I could find the places, so what am I actuall looking for, big black blobs on the map in saarland or what?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, if I sond a bit tettchie it is nothing personal, just my times is closing in for their holidays and I am getting overly distraut with this secrecy of locaiotns thing.

And is there some setting so you get email notifications of post when someone replies to them?
Galwin

[Galwin]

Rainer it says your from the BW State region of Germany, what gives over there, did half the population in public relations suddenly have a fart fly go into their brains and let loose a good one?

Example, I find there is a quarry "somewhere" near Aalen, so I call the Aalen tourist board, "Hey can you give me contact info for the fossil quarry near you?"

There reply, "Oh yes there is a place to hunt for fossils here but we do not know where it is or the contact info to the owners, sorry try the Limes Museum"

(Calls Limes Museum to get same reponse with), "Well try the Urwelt Museum they have fossils so should know"

SOOO we call the Urwelt Museum, "Hello may I help you?"

"Yes can you let me talk to someone there that knows the region / area? I am looking for a fossil grube near Aalen to take my nephews fossil hunting and camping for a weekend?"

Response, "Oh sure one moment we will conenct you to the Paleo office section".

Wait

Wait

Wait, AHA! Hello, yes, I have a question, (Repeat same question to a supposedly paleontologist who is supposed to know the area, RIIIGHT!)

Response, "Oh yes there is one or two places you can hunt for fossils in this area, but we do not know where they are sorry, but you can see fossils from this area here at the museum."

Finally frustration sets in so I reply, "OH GREAT, I will be over next week, do you have a gift wrapping section so when I take one of the display fossils for my nephews to take home we can get it wrapped for the trip please?"

UTTER SILENCE for like 3 minutes, "umm I am sorry but you can not take the fossils, if your looking to collect fossils try one of the fossil steinbruchs in the area."

AARRRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!

and my search goes on, heck maybe we will ditch fossil and mineral hunting and I will start teaching them Pshycology.......LOL
Best
Gawlin

[guefz]

And you really expect answers after this? Learn to read maps and ask precise and polite questions...

Günter

note: I'm not a fossil collector, I can't answer your questions.

[triassammler]

Hi Galwin!

What are you actually expecting? Someone pin-pointing a location for you to go there on the direct route in order to save you precious minutes and drops of gas? That's what I call "sunday collectors" and that is the very kind of person I myself don't want to meet in outcrops and quarries where I've spent years to measure and draw profiles in order to locate strata with rare or exceptional fossils - I've spent years of my life and thousands of liters of gas just for that!
Fossil collecting is closely related to science - science is about discovering, and discoveries are usually made taking detours. If that's not your cup of tea, try something else, or restrict yourself to the well-known locations. If you cannot afford spending much money on gas (like myself, too!), there's an obvious solution: Go fossil collecting in the area where you live. I do the same. Yes, I dream of collecting Triassic fossils on Svalbard and on Greenland, but I cannot afford it, and I cannot actually blame anyone for these places being so difficult to reach and the little information which is available in scientific publications about exact locations.

So, you contacted the Aalen tourism board and didn't get an immediate reply which satisfied you? I happen to know their local paleontologist... Ever imagined that paleontologists do a job like anyone else and are not just answering machines for inquiries from private collectors who demand immediate contact and information?
Are you aware that you are requesting free information from a professional with nothing to offer in return? How can you expect to get immediate reply then?
Considering the note in your posting here, I can imagine that public services in Germany are not too eager to put your demands on top of their priority lists...

Usually I'm more than willing to do field trips with foreign collectors who want to visit fossil sites and outcrops in my area, if my little spare times allows for that. But I definitely don't want to spent my spare time on people who claim that they themselves have no time for politeness.
Have fun in Holzmaden, and please don't try to get information from other collectors, museums or public institutions as long as you say things how you are saying them now...

Regards,
Rainer