Fossils at Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein castle is an iconic building that is one of the most visited tourist spots in Germany. It is located in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany near the Austrian border. King Ludwig II began building the castle in 1869 and was still not completed by the time of his death in 1886.

I don't think the stone these fossils were found in was original the when the castle was being built in the 1800s. They are in the floor tile of a hallway that leads out the gift shop to where the restrooms are and then a door way going to some stairs which lead to the lower levels of the castle where the kitchens were.

The fossils are to ammonids probably from the Jurassic or Cretaceous Periods.

Fluorescent Opal Belemnite Fossil

This opal fossil is UV fluorescent. The original aragonite internal shell dissolved and was replaced by opal in this belemnite fossil. It existed in the Cretaceous Period. Fossil was probably found in Coober Pedy, Australia. Specimen was on display at the la Specola Museo Di Zoologia Ceropastica e Mineralogia (Florence, Italy) (August 2024).

 

Australian Opal Belemnite Fossil

The original aragonite internal shell dissolved and was replaced by opal in this belemnite fossil. It existed in the Cretaceous Period. Fossil was found in Coober Pedy, Australia. Specimen was on display at the Natural History Museum Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) (August 2024).

Iridescent Placenticeras meeki Ammonite Fossils

Here are two pictures of a Placenticeras meeki (Böhm, 1898) ammonite fossils found in the Bearpaw Shale Formation of the Lethbridge District, Alberta, Canada. The fossil dates to the Cretaceous Period. Fossils were on display at the Natural History Museum Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) on August 2024.

 

Conoclypus Sea Urchin Fossils

Here are two pictures of a Conoclypus (Agassiz, 1839) echinoderm fossil found in Bad Häring, Tyrol, Austria. The fossil dates to the Miocene Epoch, Oligocene Period. Fossils were on display at the Natural History Museum Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) on August 2024.

Ammonite Fossils at Munich Residence Museum

When visiting old European cities, ammonites fossils can be found in certain types of limestone. I recently found a these red/white fossils in Germany at the Munich Residence (Residenz München). A number of the rooms contain a red polished limestone tile floors, studying this material one can find ammonoid fossils. This limestone reminds me of what I have seen in Italian churches that also have ammonoid fossils. These ammonoids could date to the Upper Jurassic Period of the Rosso Ammonitico Formation, Oxfordian Stage found in the Verona Province, Venetia Region of Italy. This iron enriched (red) limestone is also known as Red Verona Marble or Rosso Verona Marble. I am not sure if there is a source of this limestone in Austria or Germany or if it was imported from northern Italy. 

The limestone is used in floors in many of the rooms you are allowed to tour in the museum. I came across a lot of fossils and probably could have found more if not for a time constraint and the crowd of visitors touring the building.

The images on this post were found in the Octogon room which connects to the lavish 66 meter Antiquarium room commissioned by Duke Albrecht V from 1568 to 1571. This room seemed to have some of the best preserved and most fossils in its tiles. These pictures only represent some of the ammonites, I estimate I saw at least 10 in my short time looking. This building in bombed in 1944 during World War II and the original floors might have been destroyed. These images were taken in August 2024.