It's fascinating to take a journey back 47 million years, 60 meters down into a former volcanic crater, a planned landfill, one of the world's most important fossil discovery and storage sites, an old oil shale and lignite mining pit, and a growing nature reserve. On the tour, you can marvel at the detailed nature of real fossils and even touch them. My tip: Be sure to take a guided tour and visit the visitor center, which is a concrete block for good reason.

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Thomas P.

May 8, 2017

Mountain biking

The pit Messel - a window to the primeval times
The fossil deposit Grube Messel was included in 1995 as the first German natural monument in the list of UNESCO World Heritage. It uniquely sheds light on the early evolution of mammals and documents the history of Earth's evolution 48 million years ago, when explosive changes in the flora and fauna took place after the end of the dinosaur age.

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Thomas P.

May 8, 2017

Mountain biking

Several 10,000 fossils from the Eocene have so far been recovered in the Maarvulkan Lake, which was formed 48 million years ago, and every year around 3,000 new finds are added. In addition to the high number and diversity of animal and plant fossils, their unique preservation of full-body skeletons, skin and coat shadows, feathers and stomach contents is particularly evident in the Messel pit.

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Best Mountain Biking Routes to Messel Pit UNESCO World Heritage Site

Details

Informations

Elevation 230 m

Weather

Wednesday 28 January

2°C

0°C

99 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 6.0 km/h

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Location: Messel, Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg, Darmstadt District, Hesse, Germany

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