UNDERCOVER ― Soil, an Entire Cosmos beneath Our Feet

A new round tour about the topic »soil« adds another attraction to Museum und Park Kalkriese’s information and adventure program. Sander, Lower Saxony’s minister for the environment, officially opened the new theme walk on the premises of the Varusschlacht museum. »UNDERCOVER ― Soil, an Entire Cosmos beneath Our Feet« is the title of the new exhibition that grants many insights into what is going on underground from a comfortable position aboveground. Many visitors – children and adults alike – will marvel at what they get to see.

From a total of 17 information panels, visitors can learn everything worth knowing about soil during their walk through the park. At the same time, they will gain new and exciting insights into a world that we step on every day. The cartoon character Mr. Reagan Wurmsky, a smart geobiont, introduces readers, in a manner of speaking, layer by layer to his complex world.
 

The round tour presents detailed facts about the origins of soil, but also about biotopes in the soil and changes brought about by humans. Moreover, it addresses the soil’s function as an archive preserving the cultural heritage of mankind. »Without the people whose agricultural use of the soil created the Plaggenesch here, thus unintentionally protecting the remains of the antique battlefield, it’s unlikely there would be a Kalkriese today,« Dr. Joseph Rottmann stated in his opening speech. 
 

Another important topic addressed in the course of the round tour is the role of soil as a preserver of our climate: Soil has a fundamental part in the most important cycle of matter; it provides nutrients to oxygen-producing plants. At the same time, it plays a pivotal role in »climate change« as drinking water reservoir and carbon sink.

A brochure has been created to supplement the theme walk. On more than 70 pages, it offers comprehensive information about the theme walk and much more. You can purchase the brochure at the museum shop for 4.50 €. Additionally, in collaboration with Hochschule Osnabrück and sponsored by Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, a game about this topic has been developed. It conveys knowledge about soil in an entertaining way and is suitable for players aged six to 99 years of age. It can be played with two to six players. The game is called »Haben Maulwürfe Augen?« (»Do moles have eyes?«), and it can also be purchased at Kalkriese’s museum shop for 11.99 €.
 

The UNDERCOVER theme walk can be enjoyed during the regular opening hours of Museum und Park Kalkriese.
 

The UNDERCOVER project receives funding from the »Natur erleben in Niedersachsen« (»Experience Nature in Lower Saxony«) program, which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund.