The fossil quarry on the Blumenberg is an exceptional place.
Here, people can experience the Earth’s history of the region first-hand, discover fossils themselves and gain an insight into the internationally significant Solnhofen Plattenkalk.
The quarry is therefore important not only for tourists. It is used by numerous fossil enthusiasts and amateur collectors and is also of significance to scientific research.
Many collectors are in close contact with museums such as the Jura-Museum. Rare or scientifically particularly interesting finds are documented, reported and made available for further study. In addition, the increasing digital documentation of finds is creating a valuable foundation for scientific research into the fossil deposits of the Blumenberg.
However, this opportunity can only be maintained in the long term if the quarry is able to expose new layers of rock in the future.
The area currently accessible to visitors has already been largely worked out. Without an expansion, there will eventually be no new layers of Plattenkalk left to explore. The visitor quarry might therefore still exist in name, but its actual attraction and its long-term purpose would be lost.
What concerns us
As part of the tender (procurement number: NPA-2025-B01) for the planned recreational development on the Blumenberg, it was explicitly stipulated that the visitor quarry must continue to operate. Areas for future expansion were also taken into account. In the property assessment, these areas were designated as sub-areas unsuitable for construction.
However, the planning documents that have since become publicly available indicate that these areas are intended for other uses, including sports and recreational facilities.
This gives rise to the concrete concern that the expansion opportunities essential to the quarry’s future may be lost.
In our view, such a development would not be compatible with the goal of maintaining the visitor quarry in the long term.
What is at stake
If the possibility of expansion is lost, we will ultimately lose a special place for:
Nature Tourism and Recreation
Visitors can discover fossils themselves and experience the geological history of the region first-hand.
Education and Public Outreach
The quarry makes Earth history directly accessible and conveys knowledge in a way that no fossil displayed in a museum can replace.
Amateur Collectors and Fossil Enthusiasts
For many people, the visitor quarry is an important place where they can pursue their interest in fossils.
Science
New layers of rock mean new opportunities for discoveries, documentation and scientific knowledge.
The Eichstätt Region
The fossil quarry is part of the unique geological and tourist significance of the Altmühltal and the region around Eichstätt.
We Do Not Believe in an Either-Or
We are not opposed to an attractive development of the Blumenberg.
We are convinced that recreation, sports, tourism, nature conservation and the visitor quarry can coexist.
What we do not accept is planning in which the visitor quarry is technically preserved, while at the same time being deprived of the possibility to develop and expand in the long term.
A quarry without the possibility of expansion is not a long-term solution.
Therefore, We Demand:
1. The Blumenberg Fossil Quarry must be permanently preserved.
2. The necessary expansion of the quarry must remain genuinely possible in the future.
3. The areas designated for future expansion must not be permanently blocked by other uses.
4. The quarry must remain accessible to visitors, fossil enthusiasts and collectors.
5. Future planning must appropriately take into account the interests of tourism, education, science and fossil collectors.
Our Appeal to the District of Eichstätt
The Blumenberg Fossil Quarry is a place that cannot be replaced.
Once the currently accessible layers have been exhausted and the possibilities for expansion have been built over or otherwise lost, this loss cannot be reversed.
That is why action should be taken now, while there is still an opportunity to secure the quarry’s future. The Blumenberg Fossil Quarry must not be allowed to disappear gradually. It must remain preserved, accessible and expandable.
We ask the District of Eichstätt to take its previous commitments seriously and to ensure in all future planning that the visitor quarry can continue to exist not only today, but also in the future.
Bitte erhaltet den Steinbruch für die Fossiliensuche. Die wissenschaftlich interessanten Fubden sollten selbstverständlich zur Untersuchung und in die Ausstellung von Museen.