A shell in the paleontology collections?
Shortly after its foundation in 1817, the University of Liège quickly realized that paleontology would become a crucial vector in our understanding of the world. A number of researchers and professors built up vast collections of fossils from all over the world, first individually, then in a unified fashion. These pieces were collected in the field, but also purchased and exchanged with other institutions.
This epic continues today. The ULiège Paleontology Department now holds collections that number over a million specimens and continue to grow. They are the largest in Belgium, after those of the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences!
But during the First World War, Liège was bombed, particularly the city center. And it was precisely in the city center, in the University's main building on Place du 20-Août, that the paleontology department was located... and its museum.
Photos of two paleontology rooms in 1914 ©ULiège Library
Scientists didn't hesitate: the fossils had to be protected! They even dismantled several pieces of oak furniture to cover the fossil showcases with large panels...
After the bombing, it became clear that despite their efforts, the damage was considerable. As they explored the partially destroyed rooms, trying to restore them as much as possible, they discovered fragments of German shells in the rubble.
So the researchers took one of those little pre-printed cards they used to make an inventory of each piece in the collection. With a sense of humor that testifies to their strength of character in these difficult times, they write down the identification data for each fossil in the collection: genus (shrapnel), species (German), geological age (August 1914)...
Photos ©Martine Lambricht
