Resurrection from Dinosaur Footprints: Shifting from a Coal Mining Past to a ‘Geoheritage’ Future. The Successful Shift of Komló city (Mecsek Mountains, Hungary, Europe)

Abstract

Abstract A new exhibition centred around the 3D, 1:1 scale artistic reconstruction of the hypothetical Jurassic dinosaurs that left Komlosaurus carbonis isp. footprints and track sites (Hettangian, Early Jurassic) in the deltaic facies of the Mecsek Mountains (South Hungary, Central Europe) is introduced. It provided the core theme of a geoheritage concept around the South Hungarian town of Komló. This exhibition (Komlóverzum Visitor Centre, later KVC) and geoheritage visitor site is a successful cultural shift of the old coal mining background of the town into a modern ‘geoheritage’ site of appeal to the public. The concept is realised in three new dinosaur sculptures located in a newly created palaeoenvironmental diorama based on the latest research, including dinosaur bodies, nests, translucent eggs, and illuminated embryos. Parallel to the installation, a complete renovation and refurbishment of the old museum and library building have taken place, which endorse the dinosaur sculptures. Subsidiary attractions are also displayed, portraying the other geoheritage elements of the mountains from the Triassic to the Quaternary. One year after the opening, the local community was confronted with the warm welcome and success of the KVC being a national tourist attraction and gaining national recognition. However, KVC is not only a dinosaur and palaeontological attraction. It also displays the coal mining past of the town and other outstanding geological and geoheritage features of the region, forming the basis for continued heritage adventures. KVC is the core and a seed of a broader initiative: the Mecsek GeoPark, a geoheritage park to be formed.