Tufted calcite, native copper, magnificent and richly colored crystals, fossil plants: The geoscientific collections hosted in the Kunstsammlungen Zwickau comprises impressive exhibits from Saxon mines as well as international sites.
The Collections are based upon a donation by mine official Ernst Julius Richter (1808–1868). It demonstrates the close connection of Zwickau with the mining industry in the Ore Mountains and the nearby Vogtland. This collection with in total 18,000 items – in parts still presented in the historic museum showcases of those days – is considered one of the most important ones throughout Saxony.
The mineral collection is divided into a systematic and a regional part, but also comprises magnificent minerals and gemstones. The fossil collection entails exhibits of all geological ages; the palaeobotanical collection shows plants growing during the Carboniferous period in Zwickau. The rock collection comprises a topographic profile of a deep mining shaft formerly located in Zwickau which documents the geological formation in the cities’ underground by means of 546 rock samples.
