Gold panning at the German Gold Museum Thuringia

Dr. Markus Schade is a German geologist and geochemist (born in 1954, in Berlin) who founded and managed the German Gold Museum in Theuern (Thuringia) for many years.  He studied geochemistry in Moscow and received his doctorate there in 1985 (Dr. rer. nat.). Schade worked for many years as a shaft geologist in uranium ore mining in Thuringia and later in a research institute, before working as a freelance geologist since 2003. His passion is gold prospecting and research, especially in Germany, Europe, and worldwide (including Alaska, Canada, Australia, New Zealand). 
In 1982, he rediscovered placer gold in Thuringia, thereby contributing to the regional significance of gold prospecting. In 1997, he established Germany’s first gold museum in Theuern, where, as director, he provides an overview of the geology, history, and extraction of gold. The museum offers exhibitions, gold panning demonstrations, courses, and geological information on gold deposits and is a meeting place for professionals and hobby prospectors alike. Part of his extensive gold collection (about 1,000 specimens) was permanently donated to the Heidecksburg Natural History Museum in Rudolstadt. Dr. Schade is an experienced geologist, gold researcher, and museum founder who has popularized regional gold geology in Thuringia and actively introduces visitors to the world of gold.