This is bitter news for everyone who cares deeply about the Hunsrück’s fossil heritage. This retrospective, one year after the end of the petition—which was set to expire on February 14, 2025—summarizes what the petition was about, what was achieved—and why it ultimately failed.
Why Bundenbach Is Unique
The Hunsrück slate from Bundenbach is one of the world’s most significant fossil deposits. The fossils date back to the Devonian period, about 400 million years ago. That was when the “nektonic revolution” began: the colonization of the oceans by actively swimming animals.
What makes it special: Over 280 animal species have been documented in Bundenbach, many of them preserved with their soft tissues intact. Fossils from Bundenbach can now be found in nearly all of the world’s major natural history museums—on par with Solnhofen, Messel, and Holzmaden.
And that is precisely where the problem lies. Similar sites hold the status of UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site (Messel), Top IUGS Geological Heritage Sites (Solnhofen), or UNESCO Global Geopark (Holzmaden). Each of these is affiliated with a major museum. This is not the case in Bundenbach.
Fossil Museum in a “Sleeping Beauty” Slumber
The Bundenbach Fossil Museum was established in 1976 in Herrenberg, initially as a small mining museum. The fossil exhibition was added in 1992. The location is charming—surrounded by nature, with a view of Schmidtburg Castle, and right on a premium hiking trail. The condition of the cramped building, however, is not: dampness, no heating, and a leaky roof.
The collection itself has also suffered. An inventory conducted by Wouter Südkamp following the 2024 symposium reached a sobering conclusion. Since the collection was moved to the Herrenberg quarry, at least 20 fossil slabs are no longer in the museum’s inventory, including the showpieces. New finds from the 1990s are missing entirely. There was never a curator, and the front door stood open during opening hours. According to this assessment, the current collection is insufficient to adequately stock a modern museum.
The Long Road: From 2011 to the Petition
The call for a new museum is not a new one. As early as 2011, paleontologist Michael Wuttke drew the attention of local government bodies to the unique significance of the site.
In 2000, the Reutlingen Natural History Museum dedicated a highly acclaimed special exhibition—complete with a catalog—to the “Roof Slate Treasure Trove.” Individual objects were presented in an eye-catching manner, like “ceremonial jewels,” with enlarged X-ray images in the background.
In 2023, another sign emerged. From April through December, the Birkenfeld State Museum presented the special exhibition“Spiny Shark & Brittle Star—Fossils from Bundenbach.” The exhibition was explicitly intended as a call to policymakers to preserve this heritage.
In 2024, things became more concrete. The symposium “In the Valley of the Millennia,” held in June, focused on the museum’s future. It was against this backdrop that the petition was ultimately launched.
Petition 2024/25
From December 14, 2024, to February 14, 2025, the organizers launched a petition for a new fossil museum in Bundenbach. The goal: a new fossil museum in Bundenbach, supported by a nonprofit association, with innovative approaches to financing, sponsorship, and marketing. Local slate mining and donations from collectors were also part of the concept.
The response was remarkable. More than 660 people signed the petition, including about 70 professors of paleontology from around the world. It was addressed to Minister President Alexander Schweitzer and several ministries. In the summer of 2025, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner also intervened and wrote to Schweitzer asking him to reconsider the matter.
Why It Failed
Despite this support, no viable solution was found. The core of the problem was not so much the construction costs as the ongoing maintenance costs. And that was precisely what the state did not want to contribute to.
The reasoning: The Bundenbach Fossil Museum is a non-state museum. Responsibility for its further development and maintenance therefore lies locally with the sponsoring entities—namely, the district, the association of municipalities, and the local municipality. The state referred to a municipal funding program and to guidance from the Rhineland-Palatinate Museum Association. It declined to take over the museum as a state branch.
A personal meeting with Minister President Schweitzer to present the petition also did not take place. Instead, the petition was handed over to a state secretary at the Ministry of Culture. Julia Klöckner’s intervention did not change the outcome.
For the initiators, this is not an acceptable outcome. Their main objection is that municipalities in structurally weak regions with budget deficits cannot cover the maintenance costs on their own. They argue that invoking local responsibility therefore misses the core issue.
The state of Mainz demonstrates that there is another way—it is indeed serving as the sponsoring entity for the construction of the new Gutenberg Museum. Südkamp, however, views the announced renovation of the existing building as nothing more than symbolic politics.
What Happens Next
Uwe Weber, the former mayor of the municipal association, had recently been advocating a modest solution: making the best of the situation and improving the existing museum. The 2026 budget allocates 49,000 euros in funding for this purpose, primarily for the damaged roof. At least there is some good news: Several valuable pieces from Gregor Beicht’s private collection, including fish, are now on display at the Bundenbach Museum.
Sources
- Nahe-Zeitung (Oct. 18, 2025): “Will the New Fossil Museum Remain Just a Dream?” (K. Knaudt).
- bundenbach-fossilien.de: Petition “Bundenbach Fossil Museum” (Dec. 14, 2024–Feb. 14, 2025), including a status report and inventory (W. Südkamp, 2024).
- Julia Klöckner, Member of the Bundestag (July 30, 2025): Press release “Bundenbach Fossil Museum.”
- Birkenfeld State Museum: Special Exhibition “Spiny Shark & Brittle Star – Fossils from Bundenbach” (2023).
- KuLaDig and the 2026 budget of the Herrstein-Rhaunen Administrative Association: Information on the museum’s history and renovation.
Photo credit: Reutlingen Natural History Museum
