Geislingen Meteorite Fall 2011
In January 2011, reports of a meteorite fall near Geislingen, Germany, spread quickly. Like many others, we followed the news closely.
Based on the reports and the high probability that fragments may have reached the ground, we decided spontaneously to head to the Swabian Alb.
What followed became one of the most intense, chaotic, and memorable weekends of our journey.
Mission: Meteorite Hunt in Geislingen
Of course, we had already heard about the Geislingen meteorite fall on Saturday, January 8, 2011. With all the reports coming in and the real possibility that fragments had actually reached the ground, we made a spontaneous decision.
On Friday, January 14, 2011, we packed our gear and headed for the Swabian Alb.
The plan was simple: get there as fast as possible, reach the suspected strewn field, and try our luck.
We grabbed what we needed: magnet, GPS, and just enough supplies — and set off from Switzerland.
For a better overview, here is the shortened logbook of our meteorite search in Geislingen.
Exact GPS coordinates are available on request 🙂
Field Log – January 14-15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011 : Bern → Biel → Geislingen
13:07 – Decision made: we go
16:48 – Bought rubber boots
19:37 – Departure from Biel
23:19 – Arrival in Geislingen – Hotel Krone
23:47 – Taxi to the Pils Stube
23:59 – Walk to “Ohne Ende”
Saturday, January 15, 2011 – Geislingen
00:37 – Eyewitness interview #1 (Gerhard “Keule” Fischer)
01:48 – First sketches / maps of the strewn field created
01:55–04:48 – Very lively discussion 🙂
04:49 – Back to Hotel Krone
05:01 – Nightcap (fruit schnapps)
05:18 – Rest
09:36 – Phone call: meteorite search orders from Svend
09:37 – Orders refused!
11:11 – Finally awake
11:37 – Internet café (breakfast: 1x Cola, 1x Snickers 😄)
11:42 – Created flyers
12:17 – Headed to the Alb
12:33 – Met Svend’s search team
12:38 – Search begins (finally)
15:55 – “Jägermeister” stop
16:03 – Eyewitness / “ear-witness” interview #2
16:47 – End of search → moved to Rössel Türkheim
16:51 – Discussion with other “wild people”
17:38 – Back to hotel (shower mission)
19:26 – Braustüble
20:13 – Finally real food!
21:07 – Eyewitness interview #3
21:49 – Walk to “Ohne Ende”
22:03 – Party time with Keule, Rainer & Andi
23:17 – GPS discussion outside with eyewitness #1
Sunday, January 16, 2011 – Geislingen → Biel
04:57 – Back to hotel
05:09 – Another nightcap
05:27 – Lights out (room + brain)
11:13 – Breakfast (finally proper: coffee, eggs, bread)
11:43 – Check-out → back to the field
11:58 – Final search (team: Andi, Marc, Tom)
15:59 – Search ends
16:08 – Departure
19:59 – Arrival in Biel – Mission accomplished!
It’s 380 kilometers to Geislingen, we’ve got enough gas in the tank, half a pack of cigarettes, a magnet, GPS, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses — hit it.
— Jake (Marc) and Elwood (Tom), Blues Brothers
The Full Story
Yes friends, you see what can be packed into a single weekend if you give up sleep and feel as comfortable in pubs as you do out on the Alb.
We came to Geislingen hoping to be among the lucky ones, maybe even make it into the local newspaper.
That never happened, but it didn’t matter.
Instead, we met countless friendly people, from experienced meteorite hunters to pub owners and locals across Geislingen.
On the very first night in Ohne Ende, we had the idea to create a meteorite search flyer.
It was printed in an edition of 208 copies and distributed during our wanderings, slipped under windshield wipers, and left in pubs. Anyone eating at the “Braustüble” that week even got one with the bill.
We skipped the helicopter drop for cost reasons, but our flyers gave locals an alternative to relying only on the Geislinger Zeitung for information.
Geislingen meteorite hunt (2011)
This one was created completely spontaneously and printed in an edition of 208 copies. Most of them we handed out to people we met during our wanderings, slipped under windshield wipers, and of course left in the pubs we visited.
Anyone who went to eat at the “Braustüble” that week even received a flyer together with the bill (thanks for the great idea, Günther). Thanks also for the invitation to visit the brewery exclusively on our next visit and to drink from the 2-million-liter tank. A “large thirst glass” of 0.5L would probably be enough 🙂
More flyers were also left at “Ohne Ende.” Since renting a helicopter turned out to be too expensive, we decided not to drop a larger quantity over Geislingen and the surrounding area.
This way, we finally gave the local residents an alternative, so that not all information would be immediately passed on directly to Berlin via the Geislinger Zeitung.
On the Alb
The actual meteorite search with Team Svend Bühl was impressively well organized.
They arrived with a massive map, nearly half the size of a football field — which allowed for a structured and systematic approach.
We have to admit… their map was far more precise than ours.
The landscape was perfect: open pastures, patches of forest, and wind turbines. The heat from the fireball explosion had melted the snow, leaving the grass with a slightly brown, scorched appearance. If something had been lying around, we would have found it 🙂
Of course, we were prepared for any potential finds and even had the appropriate vehicle with us to transport several kilograms of meteorite.
But reality turned out slightly different.
We found lots of brown lumps… which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be nothing but manure. Not magnetic, smelled bad, case closed. One team member, an “expert” in this field, even claimed he knew the animal responsible for producing these piles in large quantities. Apparently, it was an immigrant Austrian forest animal starting with the letter “A.”
Eyewitnesses and Earwitnesses
Already on the very first evening, “Keule” Gerhard Fischer, the owner of “Ohne Ende,” told us that he had observed the event. By then, we already had our first search maps — not very precise, but still something. Here it is, the “treasure map.”
Well Keule… by the second evening we started to suspect it probably turned out to be nothing more than a cheap, delayed New Year’s rocket from Aldi, since the timing somehow didn’t quite match anymore. But no worries, everyone is human, and we’re definitely not upset with you. After all, you treated us like kings and took great care of us.
During the search in the field, a random passerby (an “earwitness”) told us that after a very loud bang, her windows had really shaken. Thanks to the Swiss meteorite search team, she now finally knows what actually happened on Saturday, January 8, 2011. People in Geislingen don’t usually read the newspaper, so we were even able to contribute a bit to clearing things up.
The witness lives near the “solar test field,” which is actually very close to where the whole thing broke apart at an altitude of 26 km.
While we were enjoying some proper food again at the “Braustüble” on Saturday evening, the landlord Günther sent a friend over to our table. After a short questioning, he turned out to be our third and best eyewitness.
Where exactly he saw the fireball explode is, of course, not mentioned here. But his description fits the calculated trajectory perfectly: like a “meteorite right on the eye.”
LEUTE, LEUTE, LEUTE – OHNE ENDE
It was amazing how quickly you could strike up conversations with the locals — we kept thinking that over and over again. In just one weekend, we met more people than we would back home in Switzerland in an entire year (no surprise — we usually just sit at home counting our meteorites and desert glass).
Of course, we were a bit of an oddity. Hardly anyone could believe that we had traveled almost to the end of the world just to search for a black, coal-like stone.
A special thanks goes to Gerhard “Keule” Fischer from “Ohne Ende.” He has now officially become our local contact and can confidently call himself the “Geislingen Meteorite Specialist.”
If you ever find yourself in his bar, we highly recommend:
- the music
- the caipirinhas
- the tequila sunrise
- the “Kaiser” beer in all its variations
- and the 20-year-old vodka “Stolichnaya”(though there’s only a little left — and it’s reserved for special guests 😉)
Thanks also to the Hotel Krone for flexible hospitality and to Günther at the Braustüble for excellent Swabian dishes. His network will surely help spread the word that black stones can be found alongside white golf balls.
A “Beautiful Meteorite” – with Frau & Marc
And of course, we can’t forget the incredibly friendly staff at the “Krone.”
“Have breakfast whenever you like and don’t worry about checkout… just leave whenever it suits you.”
The Swabian specialties at the “Braustüble” were perfectly prepared by Günther. And thanks to his connections — including the president of the local golf course. He’s more than happy to help spread our mission around Geislingen. So from now on, alongside white golf balls, people might also start searching for black ones in the bushes.
By the way, meteorites apparently have a very distinctive smell, something the staff at the “Stüble” demonstrated quite convincingly using a sample stone that Marc had brought along.
So… what does a meteorite actually smell like?
In summary: As Swiss meteorite hunters, we probably had an easier time with the Swabians than a Swabian immigrant would have in Switzerland these days 🙂
OHNE ENDE
Dear meteorite friends,
“Keule’s” rock bar may not be for everyone. But it’s definitely one of a kind. Creative, a little wild, and clearly put together with a lot of love.
We felt completely at home… and ended up having a proper party.
Here are a few impressions:
Thanks – “Ohne Ende”
It was truly a fantastic weekend. We’ll gladly return — hopefully with a meteorite find next time, but even without, it was worth it. We came back home exhausted, but full of impressions and stories.
Special thanks to:
- Mark, for his photo of the bolide and calculations
- Svend, for his maps and perfectly organized search
- Rainer and Andi, for great company on Saturday night and Sunday’s hunt
- And of course, to the people of Geislingen: Gerhard “Keule” Fischer and staff, Günther and staff, and everyone else we met along the way.
And here’s one last shot: caught in the act of “transporting the meteorite.” 🙂
And here one last picture. Caught during the transport of the meteorite 🙂 The main mass…
