Established 1990-05-06 Director Prof. Dr. Stefan Hölzl | Type Geological museum Phone +49 9081 84710 | |
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Website www.rieskrater-museum.de Hours Open today · 10AM–4:30PMThursday10AM–4:30PMFriday10AM–4:30PMSaturday10AM–4:30PMSunday10AM–4:30PMMondayClosedTuesday10AM–4:30PMWednesday10AM–4:30PMSuggest an edit Similar Nördlinger Ries, Stadtmauermuseum, Bavarian Railway Museum, Naturkunde‑Museum, St‑Georgs‑Kirche | ||
k germany travel nordlingen rieskrater museum
The Rieskrater Museum, sometimes known in English as the Ries Crater Museum, focuses on meteors and their collisions with Earth. The museum is housed in a 16th-century barn in Nordlingen, Germany which was part of the medieval city's center. The area (Nördlinger Ries) is the location of a meteor's impact with Earth c. 15 million years ago and it might have been a double impact (Steinheim crater is nearby). It has been recognized as such since the early 1960s.
The museum's collection includes a genuine moon rock from Apollo 16 on loan from NASA in return for using the Nordlingen crater for training for the Apollo 14 astronauts due to its similarities to a moon crater.
The museum is affiliated with the nearby Geopark Ries (UNESCO - International Network of Geoparks), whose mission is to protect the crater.
The museum opened in May 1990 and received its millionth visitor on 15 December 2012.