What was the Ensisheim meteorite's journey?
Ensisheim fell in Alsace in 1492, was hung in the town church as a sign of wonder, was taken away during the French Revolution and later returned; its main mass is still in Ensisheim.
On 7 November 1492, a large stone fell from the sky into a wheat field near the small town of Ensisheim in Alsace, now in France. A boy saw it fall, and townspeople dug it out of a hole about a metre deep. It weighed about 127 kilograms.
Royal interest. The fall came at a remarkable time, just weeks after Christopher Columbus reached the Americas. The future Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, who passed through soon after, saw the stone as a sign of divine favour in his war against France. He ordered it to be kept in the town church. Pieces were broken off as souvenirs and for the king.
Propaganda. The poet Sebastian Brant wrote verses about the fall, printed on broadsheets with woodcut illustrations. These are among the earliest printed news reports of a meteorite fall.
In the church. The stone was hung on chains in the church for about three centuries, attracting visitors.
Revolution. During the French Revolution, it was taken to a museum in Colmar, and more pieces were removed. It was later returned to Ensisheim, where it is displayed in a museum in the town's Regency Palace.
Today. The main mass weighs about 55 kilograms; other pieces are in museums worldwide. Ensisheim is an LL6 ordinary chondrite.
Significance. Ensisheim is the oldest preserved meteorite in Europe whose fall was witnessed. It reflects how meteorites were interpreted as omens and how they were valued even before science understood them.