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| 30th International Show for Minerals, Fossils, Precious Stones Klondike, Yukon, Dawson City – the names recall the Wild West and the Gold Rush which lured countless fortune seekers from all over the world to North America. This fascinating subject is highlighted at the big special display included in "mineralien 2007 hamburg", 30th International Show for Minerals, Fossils, Precious Stones and Jewellery, at the Hamburg Fair site from 7 to 9 December. Another special at this year's anniversary show is dedicated to malachite as the gemstone of the year. Visitors will also have a chance to find out about the treasures from the land of the Mayas and Aztecs, in a special display dedicated to the mineral paradise Mexico. The main show features over 420 exhibitors from some 30 nations at the Hamburg Fair site, presenting more than a million individual exhibits, including many rare and unique items. The name Klondike stands for the river, and for a region in North America. The Klondike River flows into the Yukon River – and Dawson City is located exactly where they meet. The enormous growth of Dawson City, starting exactly 111 years ago, is due to the world famous Gold Rush of 1896 to 1898. When the news of the stupendous gold strikes reached Europe, vast numbers of workers left their factories, sold all their possessions, and used the money to buy a passage on emigrant ships sailing from Hamburg to the New World. The special display "Klondike – Gold Rush at Yukon and Elbe" gives an impression of this period at "mineralien 2007 Hamburg". It shows the tools used by the prospectors in their search for precious metals – the picks, shovels and pans used to extract gold nuggets. And then there is information on gold as such, because not all gold is the same – it occurs in granular form, in wire-shaped aggregates, and lumps of gold weighing several dozen kilograms have also been found. Some of the gold finds are highlighted in this special display. And anyone who wants to try their hand at prospecting can do so in the "Gold panning for children and adults" area. The special display on "Malachite, gemstone of the year" is another exciting feature. This brilliant green mineral has been treasured for millennia, and was regarded by the ancient Egyptians as an expression of joy. Malachite was used as the base product in magic make-up for the eyes, and applied as eye shadow for protection against harmful things. An example of the many applications the use of malachite pillars at the Kremlin in Moscow. In Germany, malachite was once used for amulets for protection in pregnancy and childbirth – for example cutting a "labour pains cross" into the stone. It became popularly known as the "midwife's stone". The special show provides information on the history of malachite. It features malachite exhibits from finds all over the world, as deposits extend from Australia to Congo to Chile. The range shows for example large single crystals from Tsumeb/Namibia and from Siegerland/Germany, huge and bizarrely shaped stalactite malachite aggregates weighing up to one hundred kilograms, mainly from the Congo, and curly or spiral malachite – regarded by mineralogists as particularly precious – found in Brixlegg/Tyrol and more recently also in Spain. And then there are plenty of activities for children and families. The Helms-Museum is preparing a complete excavation site, with sand specially brought in for the purpose, to give young people hands-on experience of how an archaeologist works, under the guidance of experts. They can also learn from the experts how to prepare fossils. And there is a kindergarten provided to ensure that the youngest visitors can enjoy themselves while their parents are going round the show. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Exhibition News :: home page |