Auctioned T. rex comes to Swiss dinosaur museum
The skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex auctioned in Zurich in spring has found a new home. “Trinity” will be on display at the Dinosaur Museum in Aathal, canton Zurich, for a year from the end of January 2024.
The Aathal Dinosaur Museum said on Thursday it was delighted to be the first museum to make the skeleton accessible to the general public. The skeleton, known as Trinity, was purchased at auction by the Belgian Phoebus Foundation in April for around CHF4.8 million ($5.4 million).
The 11.6 metre long and 3.9 metre high skeleton comes from three Tyrannosaurus finds in the US states of Wyoming and Montana. Around half of the bones from Trinity are authentic.
+ T. rex skeleton goes for CHF4.8 million at Zurich auction
Later to Belgium
Trinity is to find its final home in Antwerp, Belgium. There, the so-called Boerentoren (farmer’s tower) will be turned into a museum. Built in 1931, the Boerentoren was the first skyscraper in Europe at the time
The fact that Trinity is making a detour to the Aathal before moving to Belgium is probably no coincidence: the specialists at the dinosaur museum had already taken care of the fossil’s bones, which are around 67 million years old, before the auction in Zurich. The skeleton was on display in Zurich’s Tonhalle for around three weeks before the auction.
According to the press release, the bones will now be scientifically analysed in order to learn more about the find. “This is the beginning of an exciting new life for this ancient skeleton,” said Katharina Van Cauteren, CEO of the Phoebus Foundation.
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