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| Solnhofen | ||
| federal state | Bavaria | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1.768 (2019) | |
| height | 408 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Solnhofen is a market place in Altmuehltal. It is known for the early Romanesque Sola basilica, for the slab of limestone mined here, which played an important role in the development of lithography, and for the many fossil finds, including the first finds of the feathered dinosaur Archaeopterix.
background
Solnhofen is known nationwide primarily because of the limestone that occurs here, a limestone from the White Jura that can be easily broken into slabs. This is of great importance on the one hand for paleontology and on the other hand for art history. Since Roman times it was first used for floor slabs, e.g. B. in the Roman villa in Theilenhofen (Iciniacum) at Weißenburg in Bavaria. In 1796 the writer, actor and composer Alois Senefelder (1771–1834) invented the process of lithography (Stone printing), which was initially used for the reproduction of notes and for which - as it turned out - the Solnhofen limestone was particularly well suited. Later on, lithography was also used to print pictures; many artists of the 19th and 20th centuries made use of this process. As a result, the demand for Solnhofen limestone increased sharply.
When the rock was extracted, it turned out that it is also one of the most important fossil deposits in the world. Petrified creatures from the Jurassic period (approx. 150 million years before today) have been discovered again and again in the Solnhofen quarries. In terms of research history, by far the most important and at the same time best known of these finds was the “feather” of the discovered in 1860 Archeopteryx, a genus of dinosaurs that is considered to be a phylogenetic transition form to birds. The discovery of the Archaeopterix provided a strong argument in support of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, published in 1859, which subsequently became established in science.
Traces of human settlements in the area of Solnhofen are up to the time around 8000 BC. They come from the Mesolithic, the late Hallstatt or early Latène period and the early Middle Ages. In the second half of the 8th century, the place was first mentioned under the name "Husen". The current name comes from the missionary who was later canonized Sola who died here in 794. Sola had founded a provost here, which became the diocese Fulda and which was one of the earliest Christian centers in Eastern Franconia.
getting there
By train
Solnhofen has one 1 Train station on the Munich-Ingolstadt-Treuchtlingen-Nuremberg route, which is served every hour by regional trains from Munich (journey time 1:40 hours), Ingolstadt (40 minutes) and Treuchtlingen (10 minutes), every two hours from Nuremberg (1:10 hours) becomes. The next ICE train station is Ingolstadt, some long-distance trains also stop in Treuchtlingen.
By bus
In the street
Solnhofen is located on the state roads 2230 (Treuchtlingen – Eichstätt, parallel to Altmühl) and 2217. There is a connection to federal roads approx. 9 km northwest, at Treuchtlingen, to the B2 (Nuremberg – Augsburg) and 13 km east, at Eichstätt, to the B13 (Würzburg – Ansbach – Ingolstadt – Munich). The nearest motorway junction is Altmuehltal on the A9 (Nuremberg – Munich).
By bicycle
Solnhofen is right on the Altmühltal cycle path. In the downstream direction it is 15 km from Treuchtlingen, 40 km from Gunzenhausen; 30 km upstream from Eichstätt.
mobility
Tourist Attractions
- 1 Mayor Müller Museum, Bahnhofstrasse 8. Tel.: (0)9145 8320-30.
The ancient bird Archeopteryx has so far only been found in the Solnhofen area. One of the 11 finds so far is exhibited here. Numerous fossil finds and sometimes replicas from the area are exhibited and explained here. The invention of lithography by Alois Senefelder (stone printing on Solnhofen plates) is on display on the upper floor of the museum.Open: 01.04.-31.10. daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from 01.11.-31.03. So from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointmentPrice: Admission adults € 5, combi with fossil burglary € 11. - 2 Hobby stone break (near Mörnsheim). Tel.: (0)9145 - 839042. Open: April-October daily 10 am-4pm.Price: Admission adults € 7, tools can be borrowed.
- 3 Sola basilica. Ruins of a Romanesque basilica from the 11th century on the grave of Saint Sola, a missionary who died in Solnhofen in 794. With its high-quality stucco decorations and column capitals, it is one of the most important cultural monuments of this time in the region.
- Senefelder monument (in the center of the village). Memorial to Alois Senefelder, the inventor of lithography, through which the Solnhofen limestone has gained international importance.
activities
- 1 Canoe rental Altmühl, Esslinger Str. 3, 91807 Solnhofen, Germany. Tel.: 49 (0)9145 836818.
- 2 Yezzt! Aktivmühle canoe center, Esslinger Str. 3. Tel.: 49 (0)9145-836818, Email: [email protected]. Canoe rental, guided day tours by canoe, kayak courses.
shop
- Beverage store Hefele, Bahnhofstrasse 12
- Grocery Thoma, Bahnhofstrasse 1
- Museum Cafe, Benediktstr. 15th
- Butcher's shop
- bakeries
kitchen
- 1 To the old school, Ferd.-Arauner-Str. 28. Tel.: (0)9145 6422. rich food.
- 2 To the Mühlenwirt, Eßlinger Str. 3. Tel.: (0)9145 836820.
- 3 Gasthaus Café 13. Apostel, Esslingen 1. Tel.: (0)9145 836760.
- Hotel Gasthof Grandfather sold bread and rolls from his own production. Daily breakfast brunch from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.! No day of rest!
- Venus Döner Snack, Ferdinand-Arauner-Str. 1a
In general, no restaurants are open after 9 p.m.
accommodation
- 1 Hotel For Sold Grandfather, Pappenheimer Strasse 5. Tel.: (0)9145 8311-0. rich food.
- Apartments, rooms, campsite
health
- Dr. Gedon, Bahnhofstrasse 4a
Practical advice
trips
Solnhofen is located in the middle of the Altmuehltal Nature Park. You can do this well on a bike tour on the Altmühltal cycle path, a canoe tour on the Altmühl or hikes along the 200 km long Altmühltal-Panoramaweg.
- Pappenheim (7 km north; 5 minutes by train), ancestral castle of the Schillers Wallenstein well-known Pappenheimer
- Baroque city Eichstatt (20 km to the east; 13 minutes by train), on the Willibaldsburg there is a Jura Museum, in which a. a fossilized specimen of the Archaeopterix is exhibited
- Medieval Weissenburg (21 km north; 21 min by train)
- Gunzenhausen (35 km northwest; 30 min by train via Treuchtlingen), fossil and stone printing museum with exhibits from Solnhofen, as well as water sports on the Altmühlsee
- Renaissance city Neuburg (36 km southeast)
Web links
- http://www.solnhofen.de - Official website of Solnhofen
- https://www.sonat.de - Information on the known Solnhofen limestone
