Gondwana-Das Praehistorium: T-Rex On A Daytrip From KMC
Gondwana-Das Praehistorium is a memorable experience, a trip through time, only a half-hour drive away from Landstuhl or Ramstein. If you are a military family in the KMC with kids, then the Gondwana dinosaur experience is a must-do. 37 miles from Kaiserslautern, Das Praehistorium is an easy day trip from the area.
At GONDWANA natural history museum, you can experience 4.6 billion years of the earth’s history. With the aid of state-of-the-art audiovisual technology, you will be immersed in the earth’s history, starting with the big bang and passing through prehistoric and historic times.
From the world’s largest dinosaur show to 4D cinemas and a time travel experience with life-sized mammoths and dinosaurs, the adventure museum leaves a lasting impression. Be prepared for tears of joy as you observe the evolution of species on our beautiful planet. Also, you will be surprised by your own Psycho-shower-scene-screams, as a megalodon shark attacks you very realistically. But enough spoilers: let’s go through step by step what the Gondwana – das Praehistorium offers.
How to get to Gondwana in Saarland?
It is in the town of Schiffweiler in Saarland, the next province from Rheinland-Pfalz.
By car: from Kaiserslautern, Landstuhl, or Ramstein, drive westwards on the A6 until Kreuz Neunkirchen. From there, take route 8 until Spiesen-Elversberg, turn left at exit 23. Then, follow routes L112 and L262 towards the north.
Address
Bildstockstraße
D-66578 Schiffweiler
By train: the easiest way from Kaiserslautern Hauptbahnhof or Landstuhl is a train to Saarbrücken and from there, train RB 73 to Landsweiler-Reden station. Please refer to Deutsche Bahn and VRN websites for times.
From Landsweiler-Reden station – which is a disaster by German standards – you can see the Gondwana museum. However, it is on the other side of the tracks, so you will have to walk 15 minutes to the museum. Walk toward the Aldi, turn left, walk up the hill, turn left again, and arrive at Gondwana.
I took the train with my young sons when we had the 9-euro ticket, and I will definitely make this trip again as soon as Germany introduces the 49-euro ticket.
Entering Gondwana-Das Praehistorium
This is what the entrance looks like; if you see this, you have finally arrived.
We arrived relatively early but still had to wait at the ticket counter. We didn’t book tickets in advance, so to avoid waiting in line, it might be a good idea to buy tickets online from their website.
Admission prices:
Children
Children under 4: free admission
Children (aged 4 to 17): €17.00
Adults
Adults (18 and over): €23.00
Family day tickets
2 adults and up to 3 children* (aged 4 to 17): €62.00
Attractions at Gondwana-Das Praehistorium
A 3D movie about evolution
Following the recommended museum visit directions, the first room is a 3D cinema.
An exciting 3D film explains 4 billion years in the earth’s history and the evolution of life “that all started with the big bang (bang).” The cinematography is so beautiful and well-made that watching the evolution unravel through my 3d glasses brought tears to my eyes.
A journey through evolution
After the introductory 10-minute 3D movie, you can start wandering through the exhibition rooms as you usually do in any other museum. But in Gondwana-Das Praehistorium, you walk through astonishingly realistic landscapes from the earth’s history and cross paths with life-sized dinosaurs and critters.
Featuring sounds and scents, and changing temperatures, the Gondwana museum gives you insight into the history of our planet. You start walking in the dark room dedicated to the Precambrian times, then you get an insight into the origin of life during the Cambrium. You enter a new room, and as if eons have just passed, you find yourself in Carbon’s luscious and humid jungles. After a few steps, a Dimetrodon from the Permian period hisses at you.
You keep walking through the Mesozoic era, as the landscape and the climate changes, meeting dinosaurs all the way. At the end of your trip, you encounter the mighty T-Rex himself. It is lifesize, it moves, and it roars so loudly that my 6-year-old son didn’t dare walk by it.
4D Cinema
This part of the museum starts with a movie and ends with one. The film introduces the demise of the dinosaurs. The 4D technology is so advanced that you think you yourself experience the asteroid impact and you are in the middle of the extinction event.
Time travel
In the other wing of the museum, the “Z.E.R.A. time travel agency” will take you on another voyage through times, this time backward. Your incredible journey begins on the International Space Station and transports you back through the industrial revolution, Egypt, and the Bronze Age. You travel back to the early humans, the Australopithecus, and the earliest primates.
Dinosaur show
After you end your time travel at the tropical forest where the early primates lived 47 million years ago, you will be ushered into a theatre. Here you will watch the biggest dinosaur show in the world. A prehistoric spectacle with digitally animated life-sized dinosaurs will unfold in front of you. The prehistoric drama with gigantic dinosaur protagonists has a realistically recreated landscape. The show also gives us some insights into our origins.
Megalodon
Megalodon, the giant shark that terrorized the oceans 5 million years ago, is the next attraction after the dinosaur show. In this animated show, you will find yourself standing right next to the Megalodon, held back only by a glass wall. This show is not for the faint-hearted. Several kids—whose parents probably knew what to expect—skipped this room. My 4-year-old son got so terrified that he started crying. I wouldn’t recommend this attraction to very young kids.
The Lobby area
Following the direction of the visit, after the Megalodon, you arrive back at the lobby area of Godwana-Das Praehistorium. You can find a souvenir shop and a buffet restaurant with German fast food.
Gondi’s Dinowelt at Gondwana- Das Praehistorium
There is also an indoor play area where young kids can finally round around without the fear of breaking some priceless-looking fossils.
“Gondi’s Dinowelt” features a dinosaur-shaped climbing frame, slides, trampolines, obstacle courses, and dinosaur carts.
Tip: Kids must wear socks in the play area, so if you visit in sandals during the summer, remember to pack one pair per kid. Otherwise, you must buy socks at the souvenir shop.
From what age is Gondwana museum recommended?
The museum recommends entry for ages 6 and over.
Visitors must be prepared to experience powerful noises, which can be scary for young children.
As I mentioned earlier, my 4-year-old son was so scared that he cried when the Megalodon “attacked” us.
Is Gondwana-Das Praehistorium worth visiting?
The 3D and 4D movies are breathtakingly beautiful or scary; the journey through the periods of earth and evolution play with all your senses. Besides the interactive, moving arrangement of lifesized dinosaurs and landscapes, the museum also provides traditional exhibits, such as fossils and explanatory tableaus. It is absolutely worth a visit. However, as I mentioned previously, some parts can be scary for young children.
Opening hours of Gondwana-Das Praehistorium
10:00 am to 6.30 pm
The last admission is at 4.30 pm
From November 7, 2022:
10:00 am to 5:30 pm
Last admission: 3:30 pm
What a cool place! I bet all kids would love to spend a day here!
Sometimes I can’t believe dinosaurs used to exist! This looks like a really great experience that is bucket list worthy! Thanks for all the details, would never have known about this place.
This looks like such a neat experience, for both kids and adults! And I like how it is not too expensive as well. Looks like a great way to spend a day learning about dinosaurs!
OMG! This place sounds so interesting, especially for someone like me who is a bit of Geography, Geology and dinosaurs freak! Love it. And btw, I am convinced I was a T-Rex in my previous live.
Uh-oh, better not to mess with ya, Anja