The Museum was from the start dedicated to the preservation of the great geological and historical heritage of the Vulkaneifel region and particularly of the famous Devonian fossils from the limestone synclines of the Eifel North-South Zone. Because of that, the credo of the Natural History Museum is “Time Travels at the Eifelsteig (Eifel trail)”, on which you can walk (physically and mentally) and learn what happened in the Eifel in the last 400 million years.

In the so-called „Trilobitarium“, the world-famous trilobites of the “crab-fields of Gees” are introduced and the „Crinoidarium” contains valuable finds of sea-lilies (crinoids), which originate mainly directly from Gerolstein. These fossil treasures come from ancient marine deposits that have turned into stone long ago, dating back to a time between 390 and 383 million years, the Middle Devonian. The lower stage of the Middle Devonian is worldwide known as Eifelian. This underlines the importance of the Eifel as a classic region of geological and paleontological research, which already began 200 years ago.

Well-known is the tale of the famous naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who visited “Prussian Siberia” (the Eifel was in his time ill-reputed as inhospitable and rough) and he found in the area of Gees that many fossils that he had to buy the socks of some countrywoman just for carrying the collected fossils. Also, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe recognized the fossils of the Eifel, because in his collection exist three petrifacts from Gerolstein, namely the “slipper-coral” Calceola sandalina (Linnè), Favosites gotlandica (Goldfuss) and Dohmophyllum helianthoides (Goldfuss).

After the Devonian, there was no deposition of sediments over a long time in the area of Gerolstein, we call this a hiatus that lasted until the Triassic Period. Because of that, our time travel continues with the time of the Bunter sandstone (the colourful sandstones of the Lower Triassic) about 235 million years ago. The Eifel region was a desert in which characteristic red sandstones have been deposited. In this time lived the Eifelosaurus, a cast of the only found skeleton and a reconstruction of this reptile are exhibited in the Museum. The ancient lizard turned out the be a female “Eifelosaura” and is called now “Betti”. Children can learn from us to cross-walk like “Betti” and can make a reptile (driving) license! Naturally, if their parents like, they can do though as well.

Again, it follows a phase without deposition and the time travel goes directly into the Pleistocene, ca. 700.000 to 30.000 years before present, into the “hot” Ice Ages, because it was a time of volcanic eruptions. Beside volcanic ashes, Lapilli and bombs, the Museum presents also the Eifel-gem, the blue Hauyne, embedded in the stone, as loose mineral and as cut jewel. Additionally, there is a unique collection of xenoliths that were brought up by the volcanoes from the depth. Worldwide unrivalled are glazed stones, actually partly molten sandstones that got a volcanic enamel. In the volcanism department awaits our mascot “Willi Basalt” the visiting children and the “Thick Bertha” lays there to be taken away. Every child who is able to carry the bomb can take it home!

In our prehistoric department is a small cave with real furs, bones and antlers, inviting visitors for a time travel into the Stone Age. Teeth of the cave bear were found in the Buchenloch (Beech-hole) Cave, and the busts of “Bron” the Neanderthal and “Mimi” the Turkana-woman are greeting our guests. Stone Age weapons and tools from the Neanderthals to the modern humans that have been found in the area of Gerolstein complete the picture of this time.

In the forest department starts the forest to live again. Kids can press buttons and let the animals speak at the tree of life, like the wren, the squirrel and the tawny owl. The largest collection of insects in the Eifel completes our wonderful universal museum of natural sciences. The as “Krämer´s butterfly collection” well-known assemblage excites with its wealth of colours and shapes among the butterflies, moths and beetles, that can occasionally reach giant sizes. The Museum always offers in its shop the relevant geo-literature of the Eifel, as well as postcards and replicas of the fabulous trilobites. Posters, dinosaurs and children´s books are available as well.