The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

First fossils dug up at Bern train station

Looking for fossils at Bern train station
On the hunt for fossils at the Bern construction site NMBE/Rodriguez

Fossilised snails, pieces of bone, teeth and jaw fragments have been discovered at a construction site in the Swiss capital’s main railway station.

During the construction of the new underground station of the Regional Transport Bern-Solothurn (RBS), rock layers have become accessible that would otherwise be hidden, the Natural History Museum Bern (NMBE) said on MondayExternal link.

This was a “unique opportunity” for the museum’s palaeontologists, it said. They are particularly interested in the Lower Freshwater Molasse, a rock layer that was formed about 20 million years ago, when Bern was subtropical.

The NMBE said construction projects such as the one in Bern were a stroke of luck when it came to researching the flora and fauna of that period. But “a keen eye is needed on the construction site to discover potentially fossiliferous rocks”, it added.

Looking for fossils
NMBE/Rodriguez

The collected rocks are broken up back at the museum and examined for fossil remains. Any fossils are then carefully freed from the rock. Only then can they be analysed in detail under a microscope and classified.

It has long been known that exciting finds are possible in the area. The first fossils came to light in 1850 when convicts were working with picks on the construction of the road to the Tiefenau quarter. Fossils were also found and recovered at the construction site of the Neufeld Tunnel between 2006 and 2008.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Aargau police continue to search for escaped prisoner

More

Swiss police still hunting handcuffed escapee

This content was published on A prisoner who escaped on Thursday in Baden, canton Aargau, is still on the run. The 23-year-old Albanian, who was in custody for burglary, was wearing handcuffs when he escaped.

Read more: Swiss police still hunting handcuffed escapee
Switzerland reinforces its ground-air defence with German systems

More

Swiss reinforce ground-air defence with German systems

This content was published on Switzerland has purchased five IRIS-T SLM systems for ground-based air defence from Germany, the Federal Office for Defence Procurement (armasuisse) said on Monday.

Read more: Swiss reinforce ground-air defence with German systems
Deer return to Winterthur cemetery

More

Evicted deer return to Swiss cemetery

This content was published on Individual deer are continuing to return to the Rosenberg cemetery in Winterthur, northeastern Switzerland, even after an eviction campaign last winter.

Read more: Evicted deer return to Swiss cemetery
You hardly earn any interest on savings accounts in Switzerland anymore

More

Hardly any interest earned on savings accounts in Switzerland

This content was published on Interest rates on savings accounts in Switzerland have fallen significantly. The brief high in savings interest rates is over, according to a study by online comparison service Moneyland.

Read more: Hardly any interest earned on savings accounts in Switzerland
Nazis

More

Nazi hikers questioned by Swiss police

This content was published on A group of around 25 men in uniforms of the Wehrmacht – the army of Nazi Germany – crossed the Wildhorn massif on Saturday and were questioned by Bern cantonal police.

Read more: Nazi hikers questioned by Swiss police

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR