June 13, 2023

Today, Lolland's new landmark, the Museum of Evolution, was officially inaugurated at Knuthenborg Safari Park. After the opening ceremony, featuring speeches by museum director Christoffer Knuth and renowned American paleontologist Mark Loewen, guests had the opportunity to explore the museum’s fascinating, multi-sensory exhibition and experience some of the world’s rarest, most complete, and valuable dinosaur and prehistoric animal fossils up close.

A visibly proud Christoffer Knuth welcomed visitors at the museum’s official inauguration:

“Many years of intensive work culminate today. It is a tremendous joy to officially open Denmark’s first dinosaur museum. It is also one of the world’s most ambitious museums, as we are fortunate to possess some of the best-preserved dinosaur skeletons and many spectacular and extremely valuable fossils from dinosaurs and other ancient creatures. Altogether, the museum spans 300 million years of evolutionary history,” says Christoffer Knuth, who is also the director of Knuthenborg Safari Park, where the museum is located. He adds, “Based on today’s reception, it’s clear we have succeeded in presenting humanity’s role in the broader natural history in a fascinating, fresh, and moving way.”

A Fantastic Start with International Attention

The Museum of Evolution has already impressed several critics. Under the headline “Jurassic Park has arrived on Lolland,” Politiken awarded the museum five hearts, noting: “The collection is a fascinating mix of aha moments and hard facts. (…) The level of authenticity is high, and visitors can see exactly which bones are real and which have been reconstructed for each skeleton. This attention to detail only enhances the experience.”

The museum’s impressive collection has also reached international media, with outlets like CNN and CBC covering the story, and it is expected to attract many international visitors.

Big Joe, Adam, and the World’s Most Important Fossil

One of the museum’s main attractions is Big Joe, a nine-meter-long, 1.5-ton Allosaurus, a fearsome carnivore from the Jurassic period, 155 million years ago. Big Joe’s skeleton is the most well-preserved Allosaurus skeleton ever found and one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons excavated to date.

Another highlight is Adam, the rare, horned Torosaurus, weighing an impressive 6.5 tons. With a nearly three-meter-long skull, this plant-eater has the largest skull of any land-dwelling animal ever.

The museum’s most precious fossil is the exceptionally rare Archaeopteryx, one of only twelve in the world. Known as the world’s most important fossil, it provides evidence for Darwin’s theory of evolution, representing a creature that is half bird and half dinosaur. This rare fossil, previously inaccessible to the public, is now available to view up close at the Museum of Evolution.

These millions-of-years-old creatures are brought to life through an innovative exhibition design incorporating sound, light effects, and scents created by the renowned Berlin-based art collective TAMSCHICK MEDIA+SPACE.