Museums in Vinschgau/Val Venosta

The museum "Badhaus" on Zufall next to Rifugio Nino Corsi once served as a bathhouse for soldiers during the First World War. Every 4 weeks, the Cevedale front soldiers came to the bathhouse to delouse and wash themselves. 

Until 2020, the building stood empty, but now the bathhouse has been restored as faithfully as possible to its original state and a unique museum has been built.

A trading area grew up to the south, outside the City walls, probably around the same time that the City of Glurns was established. The idea was to provide the new urban Settlement with an economic mainstay other than trade. For this purpose the mill stream was diverted directly at the old Bridge over the River Etsch: it would from now on serve (at the latest from 1330) as a power source for the city mill. The importance of the miller`s craft in those times is shown by the fact that millers had their own handicrafts ordinance (since at least 1615) an in Baroque times there existed here a fraternity of millers. Repeatedly destroyed and damaged over the course of the centuries, the City mill was always rebuilt, since a functioning mill was clearly in the public interest. The waterwheel was replaced by current owner and in 2004 the mill was completely restored.

The visitor centre ‘naturatrafoi’ is situated in Trafoi at the Stilfserjochroad.

The exhibition offers interesting insight into the geology of the Ortler group and the survival and adjustment of flora and fauna to the extreme climate conditions in the high mountain region.

Information boards and numerous pictorial exhibits are to be found inside the fantastic viewing tunnel at the mountain station of the Schnalstal Valley Cable Car at 3,212 m a.s.l, the only gallery of its kind in South Tyrol. The exhibits give a clear picture of what life was like 5,300 years ago and there's a life-size statue of Ötzi himself with his tools and weapons near at hand.

Juval Castle, the summer residence of the world-famous mountaineer, Reinhold Messner and the Messner Mountain Museum.

Medieval Juval Castle is situated on a prehistoric place of worship at the entrance to the pristine Val Senales. The castle was built around 1278 by Hugo von Montalban. In 1540, Juval Castle changed ownership and reached its heyday in those years. In 1913, the Dutch Colonial William Rowland turned up at the dilapidated castle and had it professionally restored. Since 1983 Juval Castle has been the residence of extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner and has turned Juval Castle into the main site of the MMM Messner Mountain Museum. The castle contains an extensive Tibetan collection as well as the Mountain Gallery and the ethnic mask collection with exhibits from five continents. Juval Castle also boasts some Renaissance-era frescoes that can be visited. Alpine fauna can sometimes be spotted wandering about in the castle grounds and there is also a farm with its own vineyards and a winery. The attached winery Unterortl, the organic farm Oberortl, and the Schlosswirt revitalize these small-scale cultural landscape in Lower Venosta Valley.

Marienberg Abbey above Burgeis/ Burgusio dates back to the 12th Century. The highest located Benedictine abbey in Europe is situated at an altitude of 1,340 m a.s.l., since 900 years monks live here according to the rules of Saint Benedict of Nursia. Today, the main hall displays impressions about the daily life of the monks marked by Benedict's credo ora et labora. The exhibition displays also beautiful paintings such as the Romanesque Crypt frescoe with its unique depiction of angels.

Special exhibitions:

- Marienberg in front of and behind the lens
- Maria

Guided Tours
All information about guided tours and timetables can be found at https://www.marienberg.it/en/museum/guided-tours.html.

The Laas Marble World invites you to experience the legendary Lasa marble with all your senses. Surrounded by the impressive nature of the Vinschgau Valley/Val Venosta, visitors learn about the history of this special stone, from its historical beginnings of quarrying in the Jennwand, a mountain above Laas/Lasa, to the arduous transport on the unique inclined railway and the modern processing technology of today.

History comes alive in the Laas Marble World. Numerous display boards bear testament to the hard work of the quarrymen and the skilful processing techniques that have made Lasa marble world-famous. A particular highlight is the sculpture park, where impressive works of art made from the gleaming white marble can be admired.

In addition to its fascinating history, the marble world also offers a place of rest and recreation. Shady seating and elegant marble tables invite you to linger. There is a marble sandpit for younger visitors while those interested can try their hand at carving a block of marble themselves.

Sanitary facilities and fresh drinking water are available on site to make your stay as pleasant as possible. The Laas Marble World is an experience for the whole family: a place where nature, culture, and craftsmanship come together in a special way.

Admission: 4.00 euros per adult and 2.00 euros per child aged 6 and over.
Tickets can be purchased directly on site at the ticket machine.

One entry is free with the Südtirol Guest Pass Vinschgau (May – mid-November 2025).

In Manni's private museum you will find many exciting objects and stories from the area and on various topics: whether fossils and minerals, the First World War on the Ortler front or the castles of Upper and Lower Montani - there is guaranteed to be something interesting for everyone.

The visitor centre avimundus in Silandro/Schlanders is entirely devoted to the bird kingdom of the Stelvio Pass. A permanent exhibition offers visitors an overview of the world of birds in the National Park, and selected bird species are clearly presented and assigned to their respective habitats. Visitors are given extensive information about the breeding and rearing, and on bird voices and their songs.

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

Ganglegg is the best-researched fortified Bronze-Age/Iron-Age Alpine settlement in the entire Alpine region.

Since 2011 the Schluderns Gate Tower in Glurns hosts a permanent exhibition concerning the history of this little medieval town, such as trade, customs, daily life and curiosities.

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.

For years, Luis Weger from Malles/Mals collected numerous pieces of equipment, skis and an enormous amount of knowledge about skiing and cross-country skiing. In the exhibition room "The history of skiing in the Upper Venosta Valley" in the old building yard of Malles/Mals, all these numerous pieces are now on display. 
In addition to a variety of skis, ranging from wooden skis to skis belonging to the Italian King Umberto II, the greatest athletes and legends of skiing and cross-country skiing in South Tyrol are also honoured with their own wall of fame.

The exhibition room can be visited all year round on request.
Meeting point: Mals railway station
Duration: approx. 1 hour
Minimum number of participants: 8 people
Price:€ 4.00 for adults and € 2.00 for children up to 14 years of age
Registration at the Mals information office, tel. +39 0473 831 190

Water is the main theme at the visitor center aquaprad.  After entering the facility, visitors can hear and see water.  About 30 local fish species can be seen in fourteen spectacular tanks.  In an impressive manner, visitors will receive insight into the local fish fauna – from mountain streams to rivers, from high mountain lakes to the floodplain. 

archeoParc Schnalstal Valley - Get in touch with the world of the Iceman. South Tyrol's first hands-on archaeology museum is distinguished by its unconventional architecture. In terms of construction, form and material, the low-energy museum building is a homage to the Neolithic originals that archaeology has unearthed, and covers an imaginary vista sweeping through Tisental up to Tisenjoch. Depicted along the way are topics ranging from the oldest human traces in the alpine region to the Iceman and his lifestyle and economic adaptation. Life-size house models based on the archaeological evidence convey an idea of how our forebears lived.

The Church of St. Michael in Taufers/Tubre originally from the 14th century, has housed a religion museum since 2000. On display in the S. Michele Parish Museum are precious Gothic frescoes, and alongside over twenty works of sacred art, which mainly come from the eight churches in Taufers i.M. The highlight of the exhibition is late Gothic winged altar from the S. Michele's Church from around 1520.

The museum in Sulden am Ortler, an underground structure at 1900 m above sea-level, is devoted to the world of ice. “At the end of the world” we call it. That is what it says on a 1771 map drawn by Peter Anich showing the glacier on the Ortler, beneath which the Ice Museum is located. At MMM Ortles Reinhold Messner tells of the Terrors of Ice and Darkness, Snow People and Snow Lions, the Whiteout and the Third Pole. The museum houses the world’s biggest collection of Ortler paintings as well as ice-climbing gear from two centuries. Skiing, ice-climbing and expeditions to the Poles are the themes. Visitors find themselves inside the mountain, where they are given a clear picture of ice mountains, the Arctic and Antarctic, the power of avalanches, and the pains taken by artists to depict the world of ice.

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.

 

The St. Johann Benedictine convent of Müstair Valley across the border in Switzerland is a well-preserved monastery complex that dates back to the Carolingian period. Here, Benedictine everyday life, cultural cultivation, art and research meet. Legend has it that none other than Charlemagne laid the foundation stone for the monastery. Immediately after his coronation, Charlemagne was caught in a snowstorm on the Umbrail Pass. Out of gratitude for having survived this, he founded the monastery in Müstair in 775. 
St. Johann Monastery has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. 

More information, guided tours and opening hours of the monastery church at: www.muestair.ch

The Vinschgau Valley is one of the most arid areas in the Alpine region. Sunnaseit (sunny side) and Nörderseit (northern side) have always shaped the valley, the people, the culture.

Discover the versatility of this unique valley and its long history in the Vuseum - 's Vintschger Museum, and then hike the prehistoric settlement of Ganglegg or the old watercourses Leitenwaal and Berkwaal.

 

Enjoy the Venosta Valley ...

Interactive design, films, and the “Waal” hike along the ancient irrigation canals past the prehistoric settlement of Ganglegg make the visit really exiting.

 

... Experience the Venosta Valley

 The exhibitions make visitors understand why the Venosta Valley is the way it is today and how the people in the Venosta Valley learned to deal with the harsh conditions over the millennia.

 

Archeology

The Ganglegg site on the hill above Sluderno/Schluderns is the best-researched fortified hilltop settlement of the Bronze, Iron and Roman ages in the entire Alpine region. Valuable original structures have been preserved and also two houses rebuilt in this archaeological park.

The Rhaetian people at the Ganglegg occupied a position of social pre-eminence in prehistoric times, evidenced by the numerous jewellery and weapon finds from large parts of Europe. Their own writing, the place of burnt offerings as the centre of ritual ceremonies in the Venosta Valley made the people a powerful and widely feared tribe.

 

Swabian children

The Venosta Valley was a bitterly poor valley because of its climate. People had to starve and fight for survival every day. Facing a period of poverty between the 17th and early 20th century, many parents in the Vinschgau Valley were forced to send their children on a difficult an exhausting march to Upper Swabia to find a place to stay and work . The exhibition explores why it could come to this point and describes the hard everyday life of these "Swabian children".

 

Travellers – The Korrnr

It was not the desire for freedom that made them take the cart, it was poverty at home that forced them to do so. Pulling the cart, many people from the Venosta Valley travelled across the countryside. They bought and sold goods, hired themselves out as harvest workers or tried begging. Many a family was living on the streets for years.

 

WasserWosser – Water for irrigating the crops

Since the Venostaalley is one of the most arid valleys in Europe, the invention of a sophisticated system of artificial irrigation canals was essential for agriculture. Visit the exhibition WasserWosser and discover interesting facts about the origins, the history and organisation of this local irrigation system that has proven its value for thousands of years, and the way it was used.

Guided tours
Guided tours take place every Wednesday.
German guided tour - 16:00
Italian guided tour - 17:00

Paul Flora, graphic artist and illustrator from Glurns, drew cartoons for Die Zeit for about 25 years. His life centred around Innsbruck, but Glurns always remained a point of reference for him. Thus it was his wish to be buried here in 2009. There is a permanent Paul Flora exhibition in the church gate tower.

The old Niederhof farm, which can still be seen today from the new house and farmstead, was built around 1555, housed two families and was also used as a primary school for the Waldberg district until 1955. 

If you find stories about life on mountain farms in the past and old traditions exciting, the Niederhof farm tour is the right place for you. 

Find out more about the history of the Niederhof and about life as a mountain farmer in the past and today. The farm tour focuses on mountain farming and life as a mountain farmer, while the farm museum takes you back to a time when the farmhouse parlour was the centre of life and gives you an insight into the way farming used to be done. Afterwards there is a joint tasting of the farm produce. Duration: approx. 2-2.5 hours 

Make an appointment with senior farmer Sepp on +39 335 5295 016

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

The heritage museum in Laatsch/ Laudes located in a once-abandoned parish barn, opened its doors in 2004. Over four decades, a passionate collector from Laudes collected farming and household utensils and implements. All kinds of odd and also very special items could thus be preserved from decay, and today provide visitors with an insight into their use, and the customs and traditions of the Upper Vinschgau Valley.

In 2013, two menhirs dating to the Copper Age were recovered from pieces of marble during the conversion work for a gardening shop in Vetzan near Schlanders. Since March 2017, the menhirs have been showcased at Schlandersburg Castle as part of a comprehensive thematic exhibition. In addition to these two original pieces, eighteen abstract pictorial figures made of metal are also displayed, which represent the eighteen menhirs found in South Tyrol and Trentino in recent decades.

The two unique sculptures, with male and female attributes respectively, give us an intriguing insight into the history of the area. The male sculpture is over 3 m in height, and wears a belt from which the handle of a dagger sticks out. The female menhir wears a robe and a necklace. The original set-up of these two sculptures can no longer be recovered; most likely they formed part of a larger group of figures.