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Friday, 11.05.07: Constitution of a cooperation between the Solnhofen Museum / Bavaria and Géolor
Since our beautiful Excursion 2006 into the Franconain Jura in Bavaria, contact between Dr. Röper, director of the Solnhofen Museum, and Géolor, did persist. During repeated visits, we organised for him trips into the Saarland, Lorraine, and other regions of France. Impressed by the work of Geolor, he finally proposed us a cooperation between his museum and our association - with common activities like exhibitions, excursions, and even research projects.
This Friday, May 11th, was the great day: The presentation of Geolor to the general assembly of the association of the friends of the Solnhofen Museum, in presence of the Lord Mayor Mr. Nürnberger and several town councils, and the public vote about a cooperation between the museum and Geolor....
After welcoming the assembly by lord mayor Mr. Nürnberger, also president of the association of the friends of the museum, Dr. Röper presented the activity report of the museum for 2006. After that, Dr. Uli Siegel, german-speaking member of the administrative board of Geolor, together with Jean-Paul Hitz, vice-president and Dieter Fegert (photographs), presented the association in a short slide show, the spectrum of all activities, but also shortly our great-region SaarLorLux, relatively unknown often in regions farther abroad.
To bring his conference to a close, Uli finally presented an invitation of the city council of Thionville and of the regional council of the Departement Moselle for a visit in our region, with an official reception - a thank you for the warm welcome during our excursion in 2006.
Finally, Dr. Röper posed the definitive question to the plenum: "Do you agree to the constitution of a cooperation between the Solnhofen Museum and Geolor?" And the vote was - FOR such a cooperation, even unanimously!
This vote has impressed us very much, because it is a great honour and a great challenge also for an amateur association to be invited to a cooperaton with a world-famous museum. Geolor liks to express its gratitude towards Dr. Röper, the Lord Mayor and all members of the Solnhofen Museum Association!
And for the visit of the Solnhofen Museum Association whe have planned the year 2008, when they will have their next great excursion - into the Eifel and Ardennes.
After the assembly, the Lord Mayor did invite us to a good Bavarian diner, and the next day, thanks to a special permit by Dr. Röper, we could search for some fossils in the big Solnhofen quarries - and everybody was lucky!
Sunday, 13.05.07 - Trip into the Carboniferous of the
Saarland
Since the closure of La Houve at Creutzwald, the last coal-mine in France, possibilities for collectiong fossils of the Carboniferous have greatly reduced. But in the Saarland there are still two coal-mines in operation, and on an old waste rock pile, having been "reactivated" for the disposal of the waste sides of Ensdorf coal-mine, there are still good possibilities to find fossils of the Carboniferous.
The rock pile is located near Maybach and was the dump of the ancient mine of equal name and of the nearby mine of Göttelborn, closed in 2000. Large parts have been carried off since then to create space for its current usage.
8 members of Geolor did come, we spent the entire day on the immense area, and our backpacks were filled when we returned home - not only with fossils, but also with some minerals - Siderite, Quartz, and other minerals in tiny nice crystals.
Since the closure of La Houve at Creutzwald, the last coal-mine in France, possibilities for collectiong fossils of the Carboniferous have greatly reduced. But in the Saarland there are still two coal-mines in operation, and on an old waste rock pile, having been "reactivated" for the disposal of the waste sides of Ensdorf coal-mine, there are still good possibilities to find fossils of the Carboniferous.
The rock pile is located near Maybach and was the dump of the ancient mine of equal name and of the nearby mine of Göttelborn, closed in 2000. Large parts have been carried off since then to create space for its current usage.
8 members of Geolor did come, we spent the entire day on the immense area, and our backpacks were filled when we returned home - not only with fossils, but also with some minerals - Siderite, Quartz, and other minerals in tiny nice crystals.
 Geolorrains getting lost on the vast area.... |
 Poppies blooming on old dump parts |
.... and some
discoveries:
 Lycopods - not very frequent fossils |
 A fern, Pecopteris sp., the most frequent species |
 Another (undetermined) fern |
 A Stigmaria - a rhizome with vertical roots |
 The "Holz Conglomerat", separating the Stephanian from the Westfalian, with the imprint of a Sigillaria |
Remains to state that
access to the dump pile is not authorized by the mining company
(Deutsche Steinkohle Saar). But so far it has been silently tolerated,
as long as there won't be done any mischief and only footprints will be
left.... ;-)
Friday, 11.05.07: Constitution of a cooperation between the Solnhofen Museum / Bavaria and Géolor
Since our beautiful Excursion 2006 into the Franconain Jura in Bavaria, contact between Dr. Röper, director of the Solnhofen Museum, and Géolor, did persist. During repeated visits, we organised for him trips into the Saarland, Lorraine, and other regions of France. Impressed by the work of Geolor, he finally proposed us a cooperation between his museum and our association - with common activities like exhibitions, excursions, and even research projects.
This Friday, May 11th, was the great day: The presentation of Geolor to the general assembly of the association of the friends of the Solnhofen Museum, in presence of the Lord Mayor Mr. Nürnberger and several town councils, and the public vote about a cooperation between the museum and Geolor....
 Mr. Nürnberger welcomes the assembly, Dr. Röper in the middle and Uli Siegel at left |
 Dr. Röper presents the activity report of the museum for 2006 |
After welcoming the assembly by lord mayor Mr. Nürnberger, also president of the association of the friends of the museum, Dr. Röper presented the activity report of the museum for 2006. After that, Dr. Uli Siegel, german-speaking member of the administrative board of Geolor, together with Jean-Paul Hitz, vice-president and Dieter Fegert (photographs), presented the association in a short slide show, the spectrum of all activities, but also shortly our great-region SaarLorLux, relatively unknown often in regions farther abroad.
To bring his conference to a close, Uli finally presented an invitation of the city council of Thionville and of the regional council of the Departement Moselle for a visit in our region, with an official reception - a thank you for the warm welcome during our excursion in 2006.
 Presentation of Geolor begins.... |
 Uli presenting Geolor in a short slide show... |
 ...the assembly listens attentively.... |
 ...and Dr. Röper finally poses the crucial question to the plenum... |
Finally, Dr. Röper posed the definitive question to the plenum: "Do you agree to the constitution of a cooperation between the Solnhofen Museum and Geolor?" And the vote was - FOR such a cooperation, even unanimously!
This vote has impressed us very much, because it is a great honour and a great challenge also for an amateur association to be invited to a cooperaton with a world-famous museum. Geolor liks to express its gratitude towards Dr. Röper, the Lord Mayor and all members of the Solnhofen Museum Association!
And for the visit of the Solnhofen Museum Association whe have planned the year 2008, when they will have their next great excursion - into the Eifel and Ardennes.
After the assembly, the Lord Mayor did invite us to a good Bavarian diner, and the next day, thanks to a special permit by Dr. Röper, we could search for some fossils in the big Solnhofen quarries - and everybody was lucky!
 Jean-Paul and Uli in the big Solnhofen quarry.... |
 ...and a discovery: The small fish Leptolepides sprattiformis, 8 cm long. |