On 5 August 2022, the first family hiking day at the Bromacker took place in cooperation with the Thüringerwaldbahn and Straßenbahn Gotha GmbH. The family outing began in the courtyard of Friedenstein Castle in Gotha. Under the expert guidance of Geopark geologist Stephan Brauner, they went to the BROMACKER Lab. The open-plan exhibition offered visitors a first, exciting look at the fossils already found from the Bromacker. The children and adults were introduced to topics of palaeobiology and palaeoecology and got an impression of the long distances that fossils have to travel from the site of discovery to the exhibition via inventory, preparation, scientific processing and the complex reconstruction. After the exciting guided tour of the BROMACKER Lab at Friedenstein Castle, we went to the Thüringerwaldbahn stop and from there by train to Reinhardsbrunn. Stephan Brauner was always there as an expert tour guide, explaining the geology and the special nature of the Bromacker and was always available to answer questions about the UNESCO Global Geopark Thuringia Inselsberg - Drei Gleichen. From the Reinhardsbrunn bus stop, where the lunches were handed over, we then went by bus to the famous Bromacker excavation site in Tambach-Dietharz. A short break at the stonemason's hut between the excavation site and the old Lucy quarry gave the parents a chance to relax and the children an opportunity to do handicrafts: Colouring plaster casts of fossils and painting and cutting out dinosaur masks. Some of the adults participated just as enthusiastically as our little visitors. The children could take the painted plaster fossils home as souvenirs in a "BROMACKER treasure chest". As a highlight, the mascot of the excavation site visited us there: Bruno vom Bromacker. After the lunch break, we went to the famous excavation site. On the way there, there was a short stop at one of the many living reconstructions of the saurian discovery trail between Georgenthal and Tambach-Dietharz (GeoRoute 6). The “Tambacher Liebespaar” is probably the best-known find from the Bromacker and therefore one of the most significant and exciting models on the Saurian Adventure Trail. Arriving at the excavation site, the excursion participants were able to observe how an international team of palaeontologists, geologists and biologists digs for new finds and retrieves them from the quarry. Scientific methods such as excavation documentation by means of surveying and photogrammetry were also discussed. The visitors had the opportunity to talk to the researchers and get some exciting first-hand information. After the eventful visit to the Bromacker, they returned to the bus, which took the participants back to Rheinhardsbrunn. Satisfied and tired from the long, exciting excursion, the guests travelled back to Gotha on the Thüringerwaldbahn.

We hope you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you again soon in the UNESCO Global Geopark Thuringia Inselsberg - Drei Gleichen!

The family hiking day to the world-famous Bromacker early saurian site is a great experience for all young and old researchers and interested parties. An exciting excursion for the whole family!

All photographs M. Oehme & K. Schmidt