The bird from the lithographic limestone

Solnhofen is a municipality in the district of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen in Bavaria, about 130 km northwest of Munich. Approximately 1,700 people live here.

The town is known for one of Germany’s oldest architectural monuments. The Sola Basilica was once a large church, whose remains now lie in ruins. More than 1,200 years ago, Saint Sola was buried in the church. He had spread Christianity as a missionary.

The Altmühl flows through Solnhofen. This river is 234 km long and is one of the Danube’s tributaries. The town is also known for Solnhofen limestone. These stone slabs are used for flooring, stair treads and windowsills, wall tiles and gravestones. The limestone slabs are also ideal for printing. This complex process is called lithographic printing, or lithography.

The rock from which Solnhofen limestone slabs are quarried today formed around 140 to 160 million years ago. At that time, the area consisted of islands and lagoons along the edge of a shallow sea.

It was very warm back then. Many animals and plants lived in the lagoons. When they died, their remains sank to the seabed. Over millions of years, many layers built up on top of one another.

The water’s high salt content preserved the solid remains of the bodies. Later, the ground rose, the water disappeared and new layers formed. The enormous weight of these new layers pressed the former seabed into slabs of stone.

The dead plants and animals were now trapped in the limestone. Over millions of years, the solid parts of their bodies also turned to stone. When people began quarrying the Solnhofen slabs, they came to light again. They are called fossils.

Remarkably well-preserved animals and plants were found. Some of these fossils can now be seen in a museum in Solnhofen. These discoveries tell us a lot about the world of plants and animals that existed on Earth 140 to 160 million years ago. Dinosaurs ruled the planet at that time.

In 1861, an impression of a feather was found in a quarry near Solnhofen. Antiquities researcher Hermann von Meyer examined it, described it and named it “Archaeopterix”. Meyer believed the feather was a remnant of an ancient bird.

In the same year, 1861, the imprint of a complete skeleton was found. Its body shape was reminiscent of a bird. Feathers, bones, joints and toes were visible. It is now kept at the British Museum in London.

The species found at the time was called "Archaeopterix lithographica". Today, this skeleton is thought to show a transitional form between the reptiles of the age of the dinosaurs and modern birds. Some features of its anatomy are reminiscent of reptiles, such as its teeth and clawed fingers.

Other features are found in birds living today, such as flight feathers and the first toe pointing backward and to the side. However, some scientists say that modern birds may also have evolved from other feathered dinosaurs.

It is thought that Archaeopteryx lithographica was completely covered in feathers. The animal was about the size of a pigeon. It is not known for certain whether Archaeopteryx could fly.

Some scientists think it may have launched from high cliffs. It may even have been able to take off from the ground. Other animals could fly during the age of the dinosaurs. Pteranodons had a wingspan of about 8 m. They stayed aloft using flight membranes.

Twelve Archaeopteryx skeletons are known to date. The most recent was discovered in 2004. The finds are named after the places where they are kept.

The “Berlin specimen” was found near Eichstätt around 1875. Clear impressions of feathers and a skull can be seen. At the time, the finder, Jakob Niemeyer, traded the find for a cow. Today it is on display at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin.

The “Solnhofen specimen” was also found near Eichstätt in the 1960s. It is on display at the Bürgermeister-Müller Museum in Solnhofen.

But who knows? There may be more specimens hidden in the limestone around Solnhofen. Why not go and see for yourself? At some quarries, anyone can search for fossils. Bring a hammer, wear sturdy shoes, and off you go. If you find another Archaeopteryx, you’re sure to become famous.