Mineralientage
Encyclopedia
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
city of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(München in German), a few weeks after the world famous Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
, they celebrate the biggest Mineral Show in Europe: Mineralientage München. It began in the early sixties (so 2008 is the 45 edition).
Overview
The fair takes place in late October or early November at the new Trade Fair Center built on the fields of the old Munich airport. With an area over 36,000 m2, it is divided into three pavilions, it has more than 1,000 exhibitors, from more than 50 countries, and they show a very wide variety of minerals, fossils, gems and jewelry.Every year, the Mineral Show includes a monographic theme: Opal
Opal
Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...
from Australia (2008), Minerals from the Himalayan Mountains (2007), The Mineral Treasures of the Houston Museum (2006), The Beauty of Agates (2005) ... With other themed exhibitions and conferences as well.
The three pavilions, of nearly 12,000 m2 each, focus on minerals, gems and jewelry. In the central pavilion there is a special area where you could see the “super mineral pieces”, called the VIP area.
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
massif.