Adult admission to the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken is 2 Euros (free for children of school age), a reasonable price, even at the current rate of exchange with the US dollar. For an additional fee, visitors can view temporary exhibits, which may or may not be worth the admission price.
The museum's focus is the geology and paleontology of the Bavarian region of Germany (Bayern). Visitors can see the reconstructed workroom (Arbeitzimmer) of a local nobleman (Graf) who studied paleontology. TheHauptmann Collection (Die Hauptmann-Sammlung) contains paleobotanical fossils in sandstone from 200 million years ago, when this area of Europe was underwater and had a tropical climate.
Visitors can see invertebrate fossils collected in the Bayreuth area, as well as a diorama of Pleistocene mammals. Depicted are a cave bear (Hohlenbar), cave lion (Hohlenlowe), and a mouse (Mause) that all lived during the last Ice Age. (Be sure to read my article, "Cave Bears and the Devil's Cave." One of the highlights of the museum are the skeletons of the long-necked plesiosaur Pflasterzahnsaurier and Nothosaur, and a Muschelkalksaurier shown in one of the dioramas.
Visitors can pretend they are inside a gold crystal (Goldkristalle) when they step inside a mirrored room that gives the impression of being inside a gigantic, unending atom. (Ladies, be sure that you're not wearing a micro-mini when you visit!) You can also enjoy the multi-media show about geology and paleontology.
There are some computer terminals and hands-on activities for children, including paleontological colouring pages. My understanding of German is very basic, but the interpretive signs in the museum are designed for younger visitors, and I found that I was able to understand most of the signs. This is one drawback for monolingual American visitors, the interpretation is entirely in German, and the staff speaks minimal English. A basic German-English travel dictionary and a little understanding of scientific terminology will go far at the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken.
The Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken is a small museum, and will only take an hour or two to explore, but it is worth a visit if you find yourself in Bayreuth, Germany.
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