[meteorite-list] Was Test - ignore - the meteorite collection in the Mysty Park, Interlaken

From: Chladnis Heirs <news_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 6 Dec 2009 14:04:17 +0100
Message-ID: <001101ca7674$9f0c5570$07b22959_at_name86d88d87e2>

Hello,

we were asked, what for a meteorite display it could be in that
youtube-clip, we filled our test-posting with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHQn7VNLUJI

These are the remainders of the once most important (and perhaps still most
important) meteorite collection of Switzerland:

The former collection of the Bally-Prior museum in Schoenenwerd, Canton
Solothurn,
(where Rolf Buehler was also curator - author of the still best meteorite
book in German language).
Bally-Prior was a fabricant of shoes.
In the end the meteorite collection comprised 500 historic meteorites from
more than 70 countries.

The museum housed also one of the most important mineral collections of
Switzerland.
Was financed by an private foundation,
but the museum went more or less bankrupt.

To restore and to maintain the museum and the collections in the end a
relatively modest amount was missing, approx 450.000$.
A sum the Suisse state obviously wasn't willing to pay.

So unbelievable but true: the mineral & meteorite collections were dissolved
and hawked 5-6 years ago!

Museums and universities had a preemption to buy before the private
collectors.
All museums and universities failed in taking over the meteorite collection,
even the ETH Zurich, whereto Bally-Prior had donated endless mineral
specimens and whole collections.

So afterwards a private person bought the meteorite collection.

Maybe one can say, that with that failure to secure the Bally-Prior
meteorite collection for the public and for research, Suisse meteorite
history hit rock bottom.
Only one similar grave case comes into our minds, the mistake not to have
held Zeitschel's collection, once largest private collection in the World,
in Germany - but that was in the 1980ies.
 
The private buyer gave a part (most?) of the collection on loan to that
place, where the video was taken.
Well, maybe not an ideal place, but at least they are on display.
It's a kind of a Disneyland once created by Europe's most famous ufologist,
Erich von Daeniken. - the "Mysty Park" in Interlaken, Canton Bern.

Side remark - we had these discussions about laws, meteorites as natural or
cultural heritage (and a museum collection is for sure a cultural heritage
in the terms of the UNESCO-Convention of 1970) etc. -
Well, if one regards this case, doubts can rise, whether meteorites in
Switzerland really are objects of cultural meaning, scientific importance
and public interest and if the respective laws about such objects found can
be applied on meteorites.

Mistakes are made to learn from them.

Have a fine Sunday,
Martin
Received on Sun 06 Dec 2009 08:04:17 AM PST