Messel Pit Fossil Site World Heritage Site

Official name

Messel Pit Fossil Site | UNESCO

Country

Germany | Map

Continent

Europe

Location

District of Darmstadt-Dieburg, State of Hesse (Hessen)
49.9180° Lat, 8.7570° Lon | Map

Code

720

Time Zone

Europe/Berlin (CET, +0100)

Current Time

Category

Natural

Description

Inscribed 1995. Messel Pit is the richest site in the world for understanding the living environment of the Eocene, between 57 million and 36 million years ago. In particular, it provides unique information about the early stages of the evolution of mammals and includes exceptionally well-preserved mammal fossils, ranging from fully articulated skeletons to the contents of stomachs of animals of this period.