Ladin Museum – Tor Castle In the very heart of the Dolomites live more than 30,000 Dolomite Ladins whose identity is characterised mainly by two important features: the uniqueness of their language, which derives from popular Latin, and the extraordinary mountain landscape at the heart of the southern Alps. It is only thanks to the physical characteristics of this landscape that the Ladin language has survived today. It is the eldest of all languages spoken in this region and is restricted by the Italian and the German cultural and linguistic areas that surround it. The way through the museum focuses on some significant aspects of the present and past lives of the Dolomite Ladins, highlighting the important influences of cross-regional events on the lives of the population and pinpointing the existing interrelations between landscape forms and lifestyles.

The museum Ursus ladinicus is made by three floors: at the first floor there is the cash desk and museum shop.

The upper floor starts with the evolutionary history of the Dolomites, with a display of the finest and most significant fossils from the area around San Cassiano.

The exhibition continues with the origins, discovery and excavation of the Conturines cave, using original exhibits to describe every aspect of the cave bear and its habitat.

In the basement there is “the bear’s cave”, a reconstruction of parts of the Conturines cave, complete with a detailed reproduction of a sleeping cave bear.

The oldest glacier mummy in the world, Ötzi the Iceman, has found his last resting place at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. Dating from the Copper Age (5,300 years old), he can been seen with his original clothing and equipment. Each year there are different special exhibitions on archaeological topics from South Tyrol to supplement the permanent display.

 

More about Ötzi and the museum

Trauttmansdorff Castle, where Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi) would come in holiday, now houses the Touriseum, the first museum in the Alps comprehensively and exclusively dedicated to the history of tourism. Among the highlights of the museum is the circuit „250 Years of Tourism in Tyrol“.

Please note: Updated information on the available tickets is provided on the Garden’s official website, at www.trauttmansdorff.it. Online tickets (valid on the same day) and vouchers are available at https://trauttmansdorff.midaticket.it/Event/10/Dates.

The South Tyrolean Folklore Museum is the oldest of the provincial museums in South Tyrol and offers a view of social life in the past. The noble residence “Mair am Hof”, built in the 17th century, gives you the opportunity of following a striking itinerary through the refined world of local aristocracy. The stately rooms of the landed gentry and the collections of the museum are located inside the residence. Translocated original farm houses, craft workshops and cottage gardens are situated on the three hectares of the green area. A walk through the open air site takes you into the everyday world of various peasant groups of the past: from the self-sufficient farmers to rural craftsmen, cottagers and labourers.

To the south of Bolzano, on porphyry rock, a vast castle arrangement, by the way, one oldest is in South Tirol. On account of her impressive situation, it is – as it is due to her beauty – also far away obviously.

History:

Castle Sigmundskron was called in the first historical mentions about 945 “Formicaria”. In 1027 the German emperor gave the dukedom of Trento as well as the county to Bolzano to the bishop of Trento. In this manner the building went over in his possession and was used from now on as a seat of the Amtsmänner responsible for this territory and, moreover, still for high court meetings.

An enlargement of the castle in 12. and 13. Therefore, Jhd. became necessary. Very pleasantly for the rulers of the area was the control of the navigation on Eisack and Etsch. The only entrance of Bolzano to Eppan could be closed up to the construction of the first bridge about 1200 easily. About 1473 the castle went over in the possession of Sigmund to the coin empires, princes of Tyrol. The lover of nice castles allowed to develop the arrangement immediately. As his most splendid construction the duke called this “castle Sigmundskron”.

However, soon afterwards Sigmund gets in financial difficulties. He must pledge his work, the castle slowly goes to ruin, because it is also not inhabited any more constantly. 1957: The next important event which takes place within these walls is the national rally against “Verwelschungsbestrebungen” (lot of Trento), i.e. against the disregard of the “Paris contract” about 1957.

In 1976 an innkeeper’s family raised for the first time the courage to renovate partially the castle to open the guest company in these romantic surroundings of course also at the same time. In 2006 The sacristan Mountain of museum of Firmian in the castle Sigmundskron/Firmian is opened.

Architectural style: The castle is built mainly in the highly medieval style. The slender donjon in the untercastle shows Late-Gothic rebuildings. From the 13th century is the residential tower with round arch door as well as round arch windows. One recognises two gun turrets by the up to 5-m-thick curtain wall in the upper precastle, among the rest, moreover, you find a living – and economic building in the court (the place of the today’s restaurant). Specific features: Highly – and untercastle are unambiguously separated by a rock formation, a natural barrier which one often does not find thus. Duke Sigmund made the castle by stonecutters decorate, it had to go nicest in his collection. The different dimensions of the loopholes also do not correspond to the norm of that time.

One of the South Tyrols most magnificent fortress complexes, Forte Castle was built at the end of the 12th century and then enlarged and fortified in the 16th century. It has a stupendous late-Renaissance hall in addition to a vaulted Gothic Stube. This is where the famous medieval poet Oswald von Wolkenstein lived. Guided tours form Thursday before Eastern to the end of October at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. In July and August tours are also given at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Closed on Mondays. You can reach Castel Forte only by foot!

Information and reservation for groups, tel. 0471 654 401.

Museum of modern and contemporary art. Museion houses the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in South Tyrol. Works from the collection are displayed on a rotation basis alongside solo shows of highest calibre contemporary artists and projects by young and upcoming, often local, artists. Collateral and social events are held weekly.

Prösels Castle was built in 1200 by the masters of Völs, the noble servers of the bishop of Brixen. In the early 16th century, the head of the provincial government, Leonhard von Völs, turned the castle into a Renaissance residence. The castle as it looks today is almost entirely the work of Leonhard von Völs. In the year 1981, the company KURATORIUM SCHLOSS PRÖSELS Ltd. purchased the castle.

Discover the Rittersaal, the Pfeilersaal, Kaminzimmer ,the Castle chapel and many other rooms in the Renaissance castle on a guided tour. Special programmes are available for school groups and families.

Castle Tours:
Closed on saturdays

• May- 11.00 am | 2.00 pm | 3.00 pm
• June – 11.00 am | 2.00 pm | 3.00 pm | 4pm
• July – 11.00-12.30 am (every half an hour) & 1.00-4.30 pm (every half an hour)
• August – 11.00-12.30 am (every half an hour) & 1.00-4.30 pm (every half an hour)
• September – 11.00 am | 2.00 pm | 3.00 pm | 4.00 pm
• October – 11.00 am | 2.00 pm | 3.00 pm

Fees:

• Adults 9,00€
• Children (6-14 years) 5,00€
• Groups (per person) 6,00€

 

Museum Gröden – Museum Gherdëina

A two-storey building in the centre of Ortisei offers an all-inclusive view of local wood-carving handicraft, archaeology, geology and life-style. Discover the evolution of Val Gardena, where the earliest human settlements date back to more than 10,000 years ago. 280 million year-old plants and sea creatures were found in the valley, including the extraordinary Ichthyosaur fossil found in Seceda. The museum also houses a collection of ancient wooden toys and, since 2004, has displayed the art legacy left by Luis Trenker, an acclaimed local mountaineer, actor and mountain film director. Valuable items, such as the painted cloth from San Giacomo, which was used to cover the Cross during Lent, and the Sëurasas summit cross are included in the museum’s collection. A multi-media exhibition shows a late Medieval bedroom from Bierjun farm which features rare red chalk drawings dating back to 1490.
The big “farm map” shows the currently existing sites of rural architecture in Val Gardena.

Categories: Geology, Ladinia, Animals, Minerals, Archaelogy, Sacred art, Wood-carving, Farmer, Baroque, Butterflies, culture, Cribs, Toys, Middle Ages, Etnography

closed 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January