Special Exhibitions

In this anniversary year, the special exhibition “It’s pretty warm here! Life and death in Messel” complements the “Messel Pit” section at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt. From December 5 until the end of 2026, the new exhibition invites visitors to discover the fascinating diversity of life 47 million years ago. An impressive miniature landscape model provides insights into the amazing life above and below the water of the former volcanic crater lake. What makes the Messel Pit so unique as a fossil site is the diversity of creatures that were fossilized there: from plants, fungi, insects, fish, turtles, crocodiles, and birds to mammals. A “petrified ecosystem” with 1,409 different types of life forms has already been recovered from the oil shales, elaborately prepared, and identified.

The special exhibition brings these finds to life in a unique way: realistic models of the creatures that once lived there impressively reveal the details of a world that disappeared long ago. The exhibition provides exciting insights into the complex web of food chains, reproduction, sex, birth, and death, the climate, and the preservation of colors in Messel, and tells stories from a time when crocodiles lived in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district. One of the highlights is the original fossil of a very rare water bird called Juncitarsus merkeli. A model of the giant, flightless Diatryma – a bird almost two meters tall that roamed the forests of Messel millions of years ago – fascinates visitors with its sheer size. Also on display is a newborn prehistoric foal with its mother. The exhibition is complemented by an extensive educational and outreach program.

Supported by: Lipoid Foundation, Merck Society for Art and Science, BNP Paribas Foundation, DZ Bank Foundation, Dr. Senckenberg Foundation, Lotto Hessen, Perpetual Members, over 160 private donations.

2025 is the year of the exhibition! The world-famous site is celebrating several anniversaries, including 30 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There will be lots of exciting events and exhibitions at our premises and those of our cooperation partners.