Skeletons and bones of extinct and prehistoric animals, the highlight being the remains of a cave bear, a large bear species that lived in Europe until about 25,000 years ago. From tomorrow, those animal remains can be seen in the Hunebed Center in Borger.
In addition to the cave bear, which could stand on its feet up to 3.5 meters high and weighed around 600 kilograms, the skulls of the prehistoric woolly rhinoceros and an aurochs are on display.
The collection pieces have been in the possession of the University of Groningen for a long time and, shortly before the move to Borger, were exhibited in the municipal University Museum. The skeleton of the cave bear was purchased in 1901 by Friedrich Julius van Calker, former professor at the State University, and is composed of loose cave finds from Austria. The work will be in the Hunebed Center for the next two years.
According to Harrie Wolters, director of the Hunebedcentrum, the ancient skeletons and bones are ‘a special addition to the Hondsrug UNESCO Geopark exhibition’. In it, the museum shows what Drenthe was like in the Ice Age.
“The mammoth is known to everyone, other extinct prehistoric animals are often less known, but not necessarily less impressive. These giants also crossed paths with Neanderthals and modern humans in places in Europe,” says an enthusiastic Wolters.