History

The beginnings of the rock collection, like those of the deposit collection, go back to the geognostic part of the WERNER collection. This was supplemented by the incorporation of the private collection of Carl Amandus KÜHN (1783-1848).

Petrology was not taught until the 1920s, so that the separation of the rocks from the deposit collection only took place very late. It was not until 1958 that a petrological collection was set up for teaching and research with the provision of an exhibition hall. Important historical holdings are the sample collections of the famous Russian Kolyvan rock cutting works and the collection of rocks from the Chibine Tundra, which was handed over by the Arctic Institute of the USSR in 1931. An important new addition is an extensive collection of Saxon rocks, which was acquired from a private owner in 1997.

Collection

The collection currently comprises around 16,000 specimens.