Aathal Dinosaur Museum

Geschichte

The Aathal Dinosaur Museum is a paleontological museum in the locality Aathal of the municipality of Seegräben in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland, and one of the few dinosaur museums in Europe.HistoryHans-Jakob Siber, a mineral and fossil dealer, started in 1977 to exhibit temporarily a fossilized giant turtle from four and a half meters in length at his annual special show in Aathal, and was featuring the eight-meter-long skeleton of an Edmontosaurus four years later. In 1992 the collection was expanded and in 1993 the Sauriermuseum Aathal in the current building was opened. The family-owned company Siber + Siber supported the funding of the further activities.Museum and excavationsMuseumThe former building of the Baumwollspinnerei Streiff & Cie weaving mill in Aathal was built in 1903 and houses the museum on about 4,500 square meters, including the outside park on the surrounding property.The focus is on the museum's own excavations and original dinosaur bones, 19 special exhibitions and subsequently integrated new finds. A shop, a cafeteria and a park for children (Dino-Gardino) are sections of the museum. Among around 645 exhibits, there are skeletons, reproductions and originals finds of Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurs, Pterosaurs, 'featured' Dinosaurs, Archaeopteryx, eggs and embryos and footprints, as well as meteorites and minerals of Siber + Siber.