A research and visitor center dedicated to archeology has opened on the outskirts of Schöningen. Its location literally in an open field, next to a quarry where brown coal is mined, is not at all accidental. It was in this place in 1994-1998. archaeologists have discovered many bones of ancient animals and fragments of tools of the Heidelberg man (Homo heidelbergensis). But the most important find 13 years ago was 8 wooden spears, which are 300,000 years old. The so-called "Schöningen Spears" revolutionized archeology: their discovery proved that the Heidelberg man was engaged in hunting. Among other things, today it is the oldest weapon found by archaeologists.
Thanks to this treasure, Schöningen gained worldwide fame and even the nickname "City of Spears". However, all the objects discovered were not stored there, but in the Hanover Museum, until in 2009 it was decided to build a visitor and research center at the archaeological site and move all finds there, including unique spears.
The Swiss studio Holzer Kobler Architekturen, known not only for its buildings, but also for the design of exhibitions, took over the work on the project. In Schöningen, they worked together with the Berlin landscape architects Topotek 1. The tasks turned out to be quite a few: the museum building had to be connected with the environment, more precisely - to put it in the middle of the field so that it did not look strange. In addition, the architectural design of the Paläon center had to reflect its program, that is, somehow hint at the archeology and the world of our ancestors.
The three-story building Paläon seems to consist of intersecting blocks, which. divide the facades into tiers, and inside they form separate rooms. In addition, their sharp edges resemble spears piercing the sky.
The center is completely clad in polished aluminum panels, reflecting the surrounding landscape like a mirror. As a result, it seems as if there is nothing on the field: the building completely merges with nature. Architects call this shell "camouflage" and "abstract-realistic reflection of the landscape." Against the background of the sky, only the "spears" - the edges of the walls and the darkened ribbons of the windows are visible. Aluminum panels with a thickness of only 4 mm are mounted on a plastic frame, which, in turn, is fixed to the surface of the facades. The panels are located at different angles, so they have different widths - 1 m or 1.25 m, but the same length - 3 m. The mirrored surface makes Paläon a part of the landscape and hides the immanent weight of the metal.
Holzer Kobler Architekturen was also responsible for the interior and design of the exhibition. The core, around which all the rooms are organized, is a huge hall (600 m2) with a height of three floors. The lobby displays mainly the bones of ancient animals and images of flora and fauna from the era between the two ice ages, to which the finds belong. There is also a 30-meter painting with fantasies about the world of the Heidelberg man. But the “highlight of the program” is the seven “Schöningen Copies” exhibited in a separate room: the eighth unique find from this series remained in the Hanover Museum.
On the second and third floors, there are operating and demonstration laboratories of archaeologists and lecture halls, and any visitor can "take part" in the research. The Paläon Exploration Route is an interactive journey from exploring the life of an ancient man to participating in the work of scientists. On the top floor there are observation points with views of the quarry, forest and field with the Przewalski's horses grazing there, which are also part of the exposition: here were found the remains of individuals of this species that lived here 300-400 thousand years ago.
In the center of Paläon, the visitor is immersed in the world of ancient man not only by museum halls and laboratories, but also by the flora and fauna of the huge park laid out here, and the entire surrounding landscape as a whole. The debate about whether it was worth spending 15 million euros on the construction of such an object in Lower Saxony is still ongoing, but it is impossible to deny that Holzer Kobler Architekturen originally solved all the tasks assigned to it. Architecture dissolves into the landscape, clearly demonstrating the supremacy of nature in those distant times when the ancestors of modern man were completely dependent on it, and did not try to subjugate them, as now - with a known result.
