HISTORY

In the summer of 1971, Werner and Cilia Fraaije went to Overijssel with their children René, Cecile, Bart and Marco (at the time they were 11, 7, 6 and 3 years old). During a day trip to the dolmens they pass a gravel pit. There they find their first fossils. That day was the beginning of their fossil-collection hobby.

That is why René (their eldest son and the current museum director) goes to study geology at Utrecht University in 1978.

In 1983, the Ammonietenhoeve foundation and the museum of the same name were established in the large barn near the parental home, a former stable. The museum joins the Dutch Museum Association in 1988.

On April 3 1999, Secretary of State Dr. Rick van der Ploeg opened the doors of the current Oertijdmuseum in Boxtel. In 2007, the large dinosaur hall was built and later the prehistoric garden expanded with the forest. The museum receives more and more visitors each year. In 2019, this number exceeds 85,000.