On Sunday, September 21, 2026, the City Museum at Salder Castle in Salzgitter invites you to “Geotope Day” at the limestone quarry in Salzgitter-Salder from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Am Hasselberg quarry in Salder is an extraordinary geotope within the UNESCO Geopark Harz – Braunschweiger Land – Ostfalen. The site is owned by the Naturlandschaft Foundation and is maintained and managed by BUND Salzgitter. For nature conservation reasons, access to the quarry is strictly prohibited. “Geotope Day” is therefore a special opportunity to visit the site by appointment.
The Am Hasselberg quarry is special in many ways: Since limestone mining was permanently halted in 1992, small biotopes with a unique and particularly valuable biodiversity have developed on the quarry site largely through natural processes. Protected species of sand snails are native here, and the eagle owl uses the area as a breeding ground. But the quarry also stands out geologically: The limestone layers trace a crucial boundary in Earth’s history—the transition from the Turonian to the Coniacian age about 90 million years ago. It was precisely at this spot that the “Golden Nail” was driven in 2023. This marks an internationally recognized geological reference point and makes the Salder quarry a globally significant site for the geosciences.
In the Cretaceous quarry in Salder, one can still find, after more than 90 million years, traces of organisms that inhabited the Cretaceous sea at the end of the Mesozoic Era. The most common finds include the remains of brachiopods, ammonites, sea urchins, clams, and sponges—and, though rarer, teeth from sharks and other marine creatures have also been found here. On “Geotope Day,”
of the Geotope,” interested visitors can set out in search of fossilized traces of bygone eras and make their own small discoveries.
The Salder Castle Municipal Museum asks participants to bring a helmet, safety goggles, and a hammer. However, these items can also be borrowed on site while supplies last. The terrain is rugged; sure-footedness and sturdy footwear are required. The guided tour is only possible in dry weather.
Registration is required and can be made by calling 05341 / 839-4623 or emailing museumstadt.salzgitterde.
Questions about the quarry or requests for site visits can be directed to BUND Salzgitter: infobund-salzgitternet.
