Museums in South Tyrol at a glance

The Alessandro Casciaro Art Gallery is an international art gallery presenting modern and contemporary masterpieces by some of the most significant Italian as well as central European artists, selected for the quality of their quest and the uniqueness of their pictorial language, alongside works by emerging young artists, promoting them and developing their international profile. Founded in Bolzano in 2015 by Alessandro Casciaro as a successor to the Goethe Gallery, the first art gallery in South Tyrol (founded in 1964 by Ennio Casciaro), the Alessandro Casciaro Art Gallery can now look back on more than fifty years of important exhibitions, independently curated catalogues, collaborations and arts fairs, with the aim of providing varied and intense stimuli and objectives for the future of contemporary art in both Italy and Europe.

The Museum informs about movie- and tvtecnology of the local cinema’s history. It presents projection machines of the past, video cameras, editing machines, flatbed editors, projectors, films etc. as well as historic documents, posters and documentary films. It proposes also film festivals, conferences and didactic activities, castings.

Exhibition of sacred furniture from the baroque époque in the Tyrolean area. Next to the precious liturgical vestments and gonfalons painted by famous artists, the museum also stands out for its precious jewels from the 18th century.

In addition to the existing Nature Park House in Truden, an information point for the Trudner Horn Nature Park was opened in Gfrill (Salurn) in 2014. Right next to the car park, visitors will find the most important information about  Gfrill, interesting facts about water and hiking suggestions in the southern part of the Trudner Horn Nature Park. Special attention is also paid to the wetlands, birdlife and amphibians of the nature park.

Free entry

The "Museum for the Ortles Region" is an outpouring of passion and love of the Ortler region; it is a place where people are reminded of their roots and where the lives of both the great and the lesser pioneers of this part of the country are celebrated. A stroll through the history and the culture of the Ortles region, together with a special exhibition commemorating the 1915-1918 World War and also a rare and beautiful collection of minerals from the area. The museum will transport you back through 100 years of tourism in the Ortles region with its Alpine refuges, its sponsors and its pioneers from the history of this Alpine village at the foot of the Ortler. The greater part of the work of setting up these displays was carried out and financed by volunteers from the local Association and in particular by Konrad Knoll, who had undertaken the laborious task of finding, sorting and repairing many of the exhibits where necessary and who had also invested a considerable amount of his own money in the venture. Categories: culture, War, Contemporary history open year-round daily 9 am - 7 pm

Josef Kreuzer, late judge, businessman and art collector of Bozen/Bolzano, donated in January 2017 in his testament his building in the historical city center with a collection of more than 1.500 artworks of about 300 artists of South Tyrol, Tyrol and the Trentino to the Autonomous Province of Bozen/Bolzano. The only condition for this gift was to make the building and the artworks accessible to the public as a museum. On the ground floor of the building is situated the Art Space Eccel Kreuzer, a place for temporary exhibitions.

The Museum of Nature South Tyrol lies in the ancient administrative Headquarters of the Emperor of Austria, Maximilian the First. The variety of South Tyrolean landscape is exhibited on a surface of 100 square metres, with special regard to the Birth of the Dolomites. The main attraction is the marine aquarium, as well as the temporary exhibitions.

The Alessandro Casciaro Art Gallery is an international art gallery presenting modern and contemporary masterpieces by some of the most significant Italian as well as central European artists, selected for the quality of their quest and the uniqueness of their pictorial language, alongside works by emerging young artists, promoting them and developing their international profile. Founded in Bolzano in 2015 by Alessandro Casciaro as a successor to the Goethe Gallery, the first art gallery in South Tyrol (founded in 1964 by Ennio Casciaro), the Alessandro Casciaro Art Gallery can now look back on more than fifty years of important exhibitions, independently curated catalogues, collaborations and arts fairs, with the aim of providing varied and intense stimuli and objectives for the future of contemporary art in both Italy and Europe.

The Stadt Galerie (City Gallery) located in the center of Brixen / Bressanone was renovated in 2019 and reoriented to contemporary works. Starting in 2020, it will be managed by the SKB. The City Gallery's new assignment is to promote, further develop, and communicate the personal and social value of now-art. In the future, the potential of historical art treasures as storehouses of memory in dialog with contemporary artists will be more-effectively conveyed. Art as a reflector of overall social and cultural processes thinks about social, political, technological, economic, and ecological circumstances. The SKB cooperates not only with the City Gallery but also with institutions and organizations in the province in order to develop synergies and to expand the network for the artists. A commission will appoint a new curator for the City Gallery each year whose job it will be to curate 4-5 exhibitions.

The Artists' Association has been active in the Province of Bolzano since 1922, first under the name of S.I.A.B.A. (Italian Union of Fine Arts Artists) and later as F.I.D.A. (Italian federation of artists). In 1985 the Association drew up a new statute and took its current name. The aim of the Association is to coach and bring together artists from the three language groups operating in the Province. It is a non-profit organisation and carries out its activities thanks to the commitment of its members who enable the realisation of the various activities through their voluntary work.

It represents established artists and new talents through publishing activities, organising events and using internet as a means of information and communication.
The Artists' Association is also involved in the formation of art enthusiasts for whom it organises image education courses, especially in oil painting, watercolour, graphics, drawing and experimental painting. The teaching staff is made up of artists almost all of whom were trained at Fine Arts Academies. During the year they also offer visits to the most important exhibitions and art fairs.

At the beginning of the Sarntal Valley you'll find Runkelstein Castle, on the northern outskirts of town. You can easily get there on foot walking the lush green Talfer promenade or using a bike by taking the bike path. You can also hop on number 12 bus (Sunday Nr. 14), as well as the free shuttle departing from Walther Square (for further information contact Bolzano's Tourism Office). At the foot of the castle you'll find parking space for cars and bikes. Built in 1237 on a jutting edge of rock, the castle has been worked on and enlarged many times over and it boasts a collection of beautiful frescoes, depicting life scenes from court, hunting parties, knightly tournaments and scenes from everyday life. Literary depictions are not missing, as they also illustrate the adventures of Tristan and Isolda and those of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. It is the biggest collection of profane frescoes and the best preserved one of the Middle Age. There are always some interesting cultural events going on at the castle, wich from time to time liven up the halls and court of Roncolo. A restaurant offers the chance to taste local dishes in a medieval setting.

The art gallery "Kleine Galerie - Piccola Galleria" offers local artists the possibility to expose their works.

The Museum of People through Time documents the impressive life of humankind over different periods. With more than 5,000 exhibits you can discover, step by step, the development from prehistoric man, who lived from hunting and collecting edibles, up to modern civilization. Admission ticket: €5.50 adults €4.00 groups (10 or more) €2.50 children (7-14 years, in classes) €11.00 families

ar/ge kunst, Bolzano’s Kunstverein, was founded on the premises of Via Museo 29 in 1985, where it still stands today. The name ar/ge kunst is an abbreviation of the German word ‘Arbeitsgemeinschaft’ (working group), which was chosen to promote the idea of collective work on the language of contemporary art and on its relationship with disciplines such as architecture, design, performance and cinema. This objective was to be achieved with and for members and visitors alike. The institution’s mission is to produce and present regional, national and international artistic practices and to conduct critical research on the role of art and its relationship with the social and political sphere within which it operates. In recent years ar/ge kunst has turned its attention toward the idea of the exhibition as a medium. This has involved various formats including workshops, residences, lectures and performances, which all take place in parallel with the exhibitions so as to expand the scope of research and facilitate the transmission of knowledge.

Museum Upper Vinschgau Valley on the history of seestation.

In addition to a photo documentation on the seestation of 1949/50, the decline and reconstruction of the villages Curon and Resia, there is also a collection of sacred objects and figures.

Guided tour for groups on request: +39 348 0 60 95 60

The Plunacker Archeoparc is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Alps. The settlement remains span from the Mesolithic period to the Neolithic period, from the bronze age to the Roman period. That is a time span of about 7,000 years! The main attractions are certainly the extensive Roman and mediaeval remains of buildings.

It was discovered by chance in 1976 during excavation work, and during the 80s various buildings were gradually uncovered. The Villanders Archeoparc now covers an area of approx. 1,600 m². There is a permanent exhibit next to it with amphoras and many other discoveries.

Guided tours are also possible outside the opening hours.
Further information: Tel. +39 3355474663 or e-mail: mari.erlacher@gmail.com.

Around 1800, the prince bishop Karl Franz Lodron commissioned two large cribs depicting the story of Christ and the Redemption for the grand chapel and a room in his living quarters. Both cribs illustrate numerous scenes based on evangelical stories.  Franz Xaver Nissl and the paralytic Augustin Alois Probst, assisted by his stepbrother Benedikt, were chosen as the engravers.  Probst’s crib contains more than five thousand miniature figurines, all recounting the story of Christ, beginning with the Nativity and continuing to the Passion at the Cross.  Nissl’s crib, depicting episodes of Christmas and the Passion, was put on display during Lent Sundays in the residence chapel.  Other cribs from Brixen, Tyrol, Naples and Sicily enrich this section of the museum.

 

SMACH Val dl'Ert is the public art park in the nature of San Martino in Badia winner of the special mention in the National Landscape Award 2023 awarded by the Ministry of Culture.
In the 24 hectares of pristine forest and pastures, the trail will lead you to discover 23 works that dialogue with the landscape and visitors.

The Val dl'Ert is conceived as a work in progress, in fact it is enriched with new works after each edition of the SMACH Biennale, which this year will open on July 8, 2023 presenting 10 new installations.

Admission is free and the park can be visited independently every day of the year. You can also contact SMACH for individual or group guided tours.

Naudersberg Castle was built in 1330 on behalf of the prince and served as a base and was the seat of a court. In 1499 the castle was stormed and lit. After the partition of Tyrol in 1919, the court was dissolved. Naudersberg Castle is now private property and includes a museum.

 

See it, hear it, feel it, understand it ... The visitors' area in the new building of the Dobbiaco - San Candido district heating plant offers visitors an insight into the process of generating electrical and thermal energy using biomass.

Opened on June 25th 2005, the visitors’ area is the first of its kind in Europe. Come by and learn more about how the forest stores energy, about wood chips, combustion, the ORC module, filter technology, district heating and about the story of how the heating plant was developed. The visitors' area is particularly suitable for school classes.

guided tours: December - March & June - September: Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The fire helmet collection at the helmet museum in Gais is unique worldwide: over 700 splendid fire helmets from all over the world are on show in a museum covering 200 sq. m. The exhibits include, among other things, collector's items made from leather, steel and brass, helmets from Egypt, Thailand, Guatemala, New York and a multitude of other helmets from many different countries. The French helmets, which are made of metal, are especially elaborate, often being decorated with feathers.

Visits only on request by phone!

In Eppan | Piganò, above Castel Gandegg, you find near Castel Englar the residence Moos Schulthaus. A little bit hidden, how it is usual for an insider tip, you can find a nice little museum for Middle Aged living.

Around the middle of the 13th century the dynasty of the Rottenburger built a Romanesque residential tower above the location Pigenò. Around the 14th century it was transformed and extended into a gothic residence for hunting. After the extinction of the Rottenburg in 1410, the complex ended up in the hands of the princes and later on to the Lords of Firmian and around 1500 to the Earl Spaur who expanded it even more. Until the middle of the 19th century it remained in the hands of the aristocrats of Schulthaus. With this intense change of property and the related architectural procedures caused a special fusion of connected elements, interlaced and on different levels situated premises and last but not least style characteristics of different époques. In 1958 Walther Amonn, merchant of Bozen and patron, bought the complex and had it costly restored and opened it for the public in 1985.

Well worth seeing are especially the frescos of the premises, which are a unique example of gothic mural art and give an insight in the life and philosophy of that time.

For the exploration of this historical valuable area around Castel Moss-Schulthaus, with the castles Englar and Gandegg together with the residences of Pigenò, we suggest the marked hiking and biking trails.

The former mountaineers hostel next to the Hotel Post at the foot of the Ortler, also known as the 'Flea house', is now the site of a museum of Alpine sports curiosities, created by the top mountaineer Reinhold Messner. A collection of thirteen legendary mountaineering tales, ranging from Yogi Milarepa to Reinhold Messner himself, provides an informal history of Alpine sports.

The Municipal Gallery is located in the former Dominican monastery and extends over two floors. The Municipal Departement of culture of Bolzano/Bozen organises regional and inter-regional exhibitions on art and cultural topics.

Lungomare, a cultural association founded in Bolzano in 2003, was created from the desire and necessity to open a space in which to share differences, experiences, opinions and desires, a space in which to make the link between cultural production and the political and social dimension. Lungomare undertakes projects that investigate and test possible relationships between design, architecture, urban planning, art and theory, the results of which are presented in different formats: public discussions, conferences, publications, exhibitions and interventions in public spaces. All these formats are characterised by the intention to interact with cultural and socio-political processes relating to the region in which Lungomare is located.

Currently Lungomare’s activities focus on long-term residency projects, a format whereby Lungomare invites guests to engage and interact within the context of South Tyrol. Lungomare’s activities are based on three principles: specific attention to the context in which the association’s projects are undertaken, the transdisciplinary approach that distinguishes these projects, and reflection on the role of Lungomare as a cultural institution in connection with the region in which it operates.

The Museum is located in the birthplace of the Bishop Johannes Baptist Zwerger. It illustrates the life of the clergyman with pictures of his life and quotations of his autobiography and sermons.

Roman period in Val Pusteria. The life of our ancestors 100BC-600AD. In the land of Saevates. The Museum Mansio Sebatum Archaelogical Museum is the first museum in South Tyrol dedicated to the ancient Romans who lived in the area around San Lorenzo. The exhibition displayed on three floors illustrates history and development of the ancient Mansio Sebatum settlement and includes many remarkable finds from and around San Lorenzo. The exhibition also provides results from researches on the Iron and Roman Ages which give detailed insight into the daliy life of those times.

1991 Alexander Schwabl found during cleanup in the basement a few pieces of equipment from the Second World War. He decided to keep these things in order to preserve them from decay and thus from oblivion. Soon, other findings from other basements, attics and storage rooms were added.

Since 1991 The Monastery Muri Gries holds an interesting nativity crib museum. Open every Saturday from 1st December to 2nd February 15-17 pm, from 3rd February to 30th November only the first Saturday of the month, in July and August on request.