Neanderthal Valley is about ten kilometers east of Dusseldorf, on the way to Wuppertal. In 1856, the skull and skeletal bone fragments of Neanderthal man were found in the Feldhofer Cave here. Though the cave itself has been destroyed, the location has been marked with a series of pillars painted in red and white. A children’s park has sprung up around it. People come from near and far to visit this site.
In 1966, the Neanderthal Museum and Game Park came into existence, adjacent to this location. The museum has five floors with a spiraling ramp exhibiting models, diagrams, videos and artifacts that trace the evolution of Man over 40,000 years. From Homo Erectus to Homo Sapiens, the five phases of human development, of life, survival, knowledge, myth, religion, environment, nutrition, communication and formation of society are recorded in detail. Here and there are sculptures of Neanderthals – African, Asian, European, on display.
This is a fantastic place to meet and know our ancestors.
By Eva Bell