History of the Meeresmuseum Oehringen

The Meeresmuseum Öhringen has its origin in the private shell collection of Kurt Kreipl which dates back to 1981. The museum itself was opened to the public on January, 23rd, 1994. The emphasis of the collection is on marine mollusks (especially gastropods and bivalves) which make the biggest part of the exhibition.

Kurt Kreipl specialises in three families of marine gastropods, namely Helmet- and Bonnet Shells (Cassidae), Carrier Shells (Xenophoridae) and Turban Shells (Turbinidae), as well as in two families of marine bivalves Tellins (Tellinidae) and Cockles (Cardiidae). These families alone make almost a quarter of the 36.500 specimens of about 6.000 different species of which the collection consists.

The Meeresmuseum also displays corals, sponges, crustaceans, over 550 seaurchins and starfish, a lot of Recent brachiopods and a large number of shark jaws of all sizes.

Kurt Kreipl has been a collaborate worker of the French National Museum (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle) in Paris and has worked on the family Turbinidae together with Dr. Suzanne Williams of the Natural History Museum in London. Up to now he has written more than 40 scientific and popular articles in various magazines, published 5 books on his favourite shell families, and is a co-author in some other shell books.

Kurt Kreipl is the organizer of the annual German Shell Show in Öhringen and has been a member of Club Conchylia, the German shell collectors club since 1988.

News

27-05-2012 A virtual tour of the museum is now available here

25-09-2011 The description of Bolma boucheti has been published by Spixiana

06-09-2011 Don't miss it: the next issue of the Conchylia journal will feature an article about the Meeresmuseum Öhringen!

Visitors

You are the visitor since the 1st of September 2011.

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