South Tyrol Museum of Nature

The late Gothic palace in the Via dei Bottai alley in Bolzano (Bozen), which houses the South Tyrol Museum of Nature, one of the 10 Provincial Museums, dates back to the time of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. The museum was inaugurated in 1997, but its history goes back to 1892, when the collector Georg Gasser opened a private museum in his house in the Via Ospedale road, the first nature museum of the region. His collection was integrated in 1905 into the exhibition of the newly opened Bolzano Municipal Museum. Today, the Museum of Nature is the only collecting and documentation point for natural history objects in South Tyrol.

The permanent exhibition of 1,000 sqm, divided over several floors, offers an interactive adventure - games, models and experiments make the museum visit a special experience also for kids. The focus is set on the geology in South Tyrol and the typical habitats and landscapes of the region. Especially popular are the living animals: the 9,000 litres big Nautilus Aquarium which shows a coral reef of the Triassic from about 230 millions years ago, the living anthill and the snakes. By the way: On the ground floor there are special exhibitions on a regular basis dedicated to a great variety of naturalistic topics including e.g. the moon and butterflies.