End of exhibition:
22. September 2024
The special exhibition showed the fascinating world of form, color and structure in the inner life of the externally black minerals. Numerous thin sections and large-format macro photos in the show provided vivid insights into the formation and growth conditions of this widespread mineral group.
Tourmalines are crystals that grow in the earth's crust at high temperatures and high pressure from various chemical elements and are found all over the world. Externally very dark to black crystals are called schorl, individual specimens can reach a size of over one meter. If you cut these schorls into very thin slices, they reveal the enormous variety of colors and structures hidden inside.
This impressive phenomenon was illustrated in the special exhibition with over 1,000 backlit thin sections. The special magic inside the crystals could be traced on large picture panels and illuminated slides. Several large monitors also showed different sections of a tourmaline in superimposed sequences, allowing visitors to “fly through” a tourmaline with its changing shapes and colors.
To accompany the exhibition, there was an observation tour that deepened knowledge about crystals and their properties at various stations, as well as workshops where everyone could sand and polish a black tourmaline slice themselves and bring color and structure to light. The “Kristallmagie” exhibition was curated and designed by Dr. Paul Rustemeyer from Gundelfingen.
