Musée de la Régence, Ensisheim

The town where Europe's oldest preserved meteorite fall landed in 1492, and where the stone is still shown.

Key facts

Where

Ensisheim, France

Kind

Museum

Visiting

Public galleries

On 7 November 1492 a stone of about 127 kilograms fell in a wheat field outside Ensisheim in Alsace, after a thunderous explosion heard far and wide. It is the oldest meteorite fall in Europe from which material survives. The townspeople hung it in the parish church, and the young King Maximilian, who visited soon afterwards, ordered it to be kept as a sign from heaven.

Over the centuries pieces were broken off and given away, so the main mass now weighs a little over 50 kilograms. It is displayed in the Palais de la Régence, the old seat of government and town hall of Ensisheim, which houses the town's museum. Every year a meteorite fair is held in the town in honour of its famous stone. Ensisheim is an LL6 ordinary chondrite.

Highlights

• Ensisheim main mass of the 1492 fall LL6

Related pages

Opening times, what is on display and access to research collections change over time, so check with the institution before you visit.