- Solnhofen
Infobox German Location
Wappen = Wappen_Solnhofen.svg
lat_deg = 48 |lat_min = 53
lon_deg = 11 |lon_min = 0
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Bayern
Regierungsbezirk = Mittelfranken
Landkreis = Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen
Höhe = 410
Fläche = 13.50
Einwohner = 1807
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 91807
Vorwahl = 09145
Kfz = WUG
Gemeindeschlüssel = 09 5 77 168
Gliederung = 3 Gemeindeteile
Straße = Bahnhofstr. 8
Website = [http://www.solnhofen.de/ www.solnhofen.de]
Bürgermeister = Gerhard Nürnberger
Partei =Solnhofen is a municipality in the district of
Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen in the region ofFranconia in the "Land" ofBavaria inGermany . It lies within theAltmühl valley.The Sola Basilica dating from the
Carolingian period is one of the finest architectural monuments in Germany.The local area is renowned in
geology forSolnhofen limestone . This is a very fine grainedlimestone from theJurassic period which is renowned for its role as aLagerstätte that preserves detailed fossil specimens.Alois Senefelder used specially prepared blocks of the fine Solnhofen limestone for the process of lithography which he invented in 1798. The quarrying of this limestone for lithographic plates subsequently yielded spectacular finds, including "Archaeopteryx ", commemorated in the bird's full name "Archaeopteryx lithographica". All ten known specimens have come from the Solnhofen area.As well as celebrating its role as the "hometown" of "Archaeopteryx", Solnhofen also commemorates the work of Alois Senefelder with a statue of the inventor.
The Bürgermeister Müller Museum in Solnhofen displays the history of lithography, the story of the limestone quarries and the spectacular fossil finds from the area, including the most recently discovered "Archaeopteryx" specimen.
External links
* [http://www.solnhofen.de Solnhofen municipality]
* [http://www.fossilien-solnhofen.de Solnhofen fossils]
* [http://www.solnhofen.de/sehenswertes/museum/museum.htm Bürgermeister Müller Museum]
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