#mettmann

Schloss Linnep, 

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Mettmann: Neanderthal Museum

The Neanderthal, which the church musician Joachim Neander gave his name to, is located somewhere between Erkrath and Mettmann. Düsseldorf is also not that far away. However, the area is known for other reasons: In 1856, construction workers came across bones of an ancient human species.

The Neanderthals lived in Europe for 250,000 years, adapted to the harsh living conditions of the ice age. The discovery of their remains only 160 years ago revealed that they actually existed.

The Neanderthal Museum, opened in 1996, offers further information. The striking spiral structure is only a few hundred meters from the excavation site. The Neanderthal Museum is dedicated to the history of evolutionary anthropology.

The Neanderthal Museum is a very modern building both outside and inside. Multimedia and with the help of numerous exhibits, the museum vividly conveys the history of human development and presents current research results.

On several floors you can discover the history of the "natives of the Neanderthals". The museum is built like a spiral, it is also free accessibil for wheelchairs  - which I personally liked very much. An elevator also leads to all floors.

Right at the start of the exhibition there is an “information cabinet” that contains all kinds of information about the history. For all the playful (children) there are some interactive corners where you can hear stories, pull out drawers with information or just dig in the pebble for hidden bones.

Only the entire ancestors that are all over the place are not very talkative at first. However, that changes with the audio system. Each replica of the Evoultion has its own text message.

On the information boards, visitors learn all sorts of things about life, language, nutrition, "work" - and what all has been found out about the Neanderthal species.

You also learn here that mining is actually to blame for the discovery of the ancestor Homo neanderthalensis. They found bones while digging, which were then identified as "human" by several happy coincidences.

The Neanderthal, however, was not the prehistoric man, not a "homo primigenius", as was originally thought. It is even a relatively late appearance among the various Hominidae that lived during the 500,000 years of the Ice Age.

It disappears around 40,000 BC without leaving any descendants. The causes of its extinction have not yet been clearly understood, but they are related to the sudden appearance of the human species to which we also belong: Homo sapiens.

A lot of information can be heard through headphones, which you can borrow for the tour. If you want to hear all of this on your own phone, you have been able to download a Neanderthal Museum app for some time now, which has interesting information on all points.

We strolled through the exhibition, which is divided into different areas, in just under 2 hours and then also take a look at the current special exhibition on the gladiators of Rome.

The museum building is only a few hundred meters from the actual excavation site where the bones were found in 1856. There is a separate connecting footpath, that is also usable by people with disabilities.

Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The museum is closed on Mondays (except on public holidays)!

Admission prices including audio guide

   Adults € 11.00

Brandlhuber, Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann, 1996

... und wie sie mit nur einem Kreisverkehr vielleicht in den Griff zu bekommen wäre. In der Facebook-Gruppe „Du weisst, dass Du aus Mettmann kommst, wenn.....“ las ich am 24.01.2019 folgenden Kommentar und ich finde ihn sehr bemerkenswert und recht schlüssig. Zumindest ist er eine gute Anregung für die Mettmanner Verkehrsplaner, die wohl jeden guten Rat gebrauchen können. Danke an Autor Martin Rath für die freundliche Genehmigung zur Veröffentlichung:

„OH NEIN!!! (und noch eins zur besonderen Betonung: "!" ;-))

Meine armen Kinder mussten heute morgen frieren! Warum? Weil sie ZU FRÜH IN DER SCHULE WAREN und deshalb auf dem Schulhof auf den Schulgong warten mussten, statt sofort in den warmen Klassenraum zu gehen.

Aber warum waren sie zu früh in der Schule??? Wir sind zur selben Zeit wie jeden Morgen losgefahren. Daran lag es nicht. Aber OH WUNDER, wir waren früher da, deutlich früher.

Aber was war heute anders?

Schon auf der Berliner Straße konnte ich bis fast zur Ampel durchfahren und kam schon beim ersten Umschalten der Ampel auf die Düsseldorfer Straße. Und dann der Hammer! Der Verkehr rollte ganz locker ohne Stillstand Richtung Ortsausgang.

Was war denn jetzt los???

An der Polizei angekommen, sah ich es: Ampelausfall an der Kreuzung Richtung B7 Mäcces/ Ratingen!!! (und noch eins: "!")

Selbst der Querverkehr dort bestand nur aus 3-4 Autos je Seite. Und das zur Primetime um deutlich vor 7.30 Uhr.

Und irgendwie sehe ich mich in meiner schon lange schwelenden Vermutung bestätigt: Die ganzen Ampeln auf der Düsseldorfer Straße sind absolut kontraproduktiv in der Form wie sie geschaltet sind, bzw, dass sie überhaupt permanent an sind. Ich bin nach wie vor überzeugt, dass (nicht zu enge) Kreisverkehre an den Kreuzungen Berliner Straße, Peckhauser Straße und B7 den Verkehrsfluss erheblich entlasten würde.

Kann da mal jemand mit den städtischen Verkehrsexperten drüber sprechen? Kennt da nicht jemand jemand?“

ℳℰ – Mit dem Pferd durchs McDrive – nur in Mettmann-Metzkausen

Mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Beitragserstellers kopiert von hier, sichtbar nur für Gruppenmitglieder.