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Gemmellaro Geological Museum, Palermo

Gemmellaro Geological Museum, Palermo

The Gaetano Gemmellaro Museum of Paleontology and Geology is an archaeological museum in Palermo, located in the building of the local university and is part of the Department of Geology and Geodesy. The museum was founded in the late 19th century. The exposition most fully demonstrates the history of paleontology and geology of the region.

History of the museum

The Gemmellaro Geological Museum in Palermo was founded by the scientist Gaetano Gemmellaro in 1866, he was the one who gathered the first collection of the museum. Gemmellaro led the museum until 1904.

  • In 1911, the museum of paleontology was transferred to its own building, nowadays it is the faculty of law of the university that is located here.
  • In the mid-20th century, the collection was badly damaged, first it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1941, and then – by bombing in 1943.
  • In 1965 the museum was closed, other collections were located in its place, and the exhibits were packed in boxes and sent to self-made warehouses.
  • In 1970, the Institute of Geology moved to a modern building and the entire first floor of the building was given to the collection of the Museum of Paleontology and Geology. From that day a new stage in the development of the museum's collection was launched.

Collection of the Gemmellaro Geological Museum

The exposition of the museum is divided into several thematic exhibitions:

  • Hall of Geology –exhibits that illustrate the geological history of the region are shown here – for example the remains of an ancient coral reef, bone remains of the Mesozoic era, a rich collection of the Cenozoic era. The collection of rocks collected by Carlo Gemmellaro during the 1831 expedition is of particular interest.
  • The history of the first settlements in Sicily. Here you can find exhibits collected on the settlement of the territory, and the skeleton of a woman who lived here in the era of the Upper Paleolithic deserves special attention, her skeleton was found in the cave of San Teodoro.
  • Hall of crystals – the most interesting samples of crystals of calcite, aragonite, celestine, gypsum and rock salt are collected here.
  • Hall of elephants – a lot of artifacts associated with dwarf elephants, which inhabited Sicily during the Pleistocene are collected here.

How to get there

The Museum of Paleontology and Geology of Gaetano Gemellaro is located in the historical part of Palermo. You can reach the museum by public transport, which follows the route: bus № 101, 104, 107, 108, 109, 234, 309, 327.

Opening hours:

  • from 09:00 to 17:00 (Monday to Thursday);
  • from 09:00 to 13:00 (Friday).

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