Overview
- The LWL‑Museum für Naturkunde in Münster opened the exhibition on Friday and will display more than 1,800 objects across 1,200 square meters through 5 September 2026.
- The show centers on original bones of Westphaliasaurus simonsensii from Kreis Höxter and a life‑size four‑metre Plesiosaurus reconstruction to illustrate local marine predators.
- A newly created Paläoaquarium presents jurassic and cretaceous marine animals as first‑time life‑size 3D animations on a large curved screen to increase visitor immersion and learning.
- The exhibition is the second instalment in a Heimatministerium‑funded Paläontological State Exhibition series that began in Essen and will continue in Detmold from 26 September.
- Organizers say the show traces roughly 400 million years of regional Earth history and highlights how NRW’s changing environments left a rich fossil record that connects scientific study with public education.