Once you’ve found a vacation rental in Trentino Alto Adige and are planning on visiting the city of Bolzano, make sure to find time to see Ötzi, the 5,000-year-old Iceman and oldest human mummy on earth. Discovered by German tourists in a glacier in the area in 1991, it has been on display in a purpose-built museum since 1998. Ötzi has been the talk of the past years not only in Bolzano, but all over the world and he’s probably the only mummy in the whole world to have an entire museum dedicated just to him. Every year thousands of visitors come to Bolzano just to see him.
The body has been extensively examined, measured, x-rayed, and dated since it has been found and research into the body is on-going to this day. The Archaeology Museum of Bolzano houses the Iceman and also documents the pre-history and early history of the surrounding area from the end of the last Ice Age to the time of Charlemagne. It uses models, reconstructions, stereoscopic images, videos and interactive multimedia stations to provide an interesting, engaging and informative experience. Yet, its main purpose remains to be displaying, housing and researching Ötzi.
How the body is displayed and the museum organised has been very carefully planned. In awareness of fact that the discovery of the body was likely to trigger heated ethical discussions, the careful and restrained presentation of the Iceman was the first and foremost concern when the museum was established in 1998. The current exhibition, as it appears today, is actually the format created for the special 20th anniversary exhibition in 2011. This, however, went on to become the permanent method of display in 2013.
The area surrounding the mummy is stark, made up of white walls that evoke the snow-covered landscape in which it was discovered. Everything surrounding, from fonts to graphics to décor is muted and does not detract from the mummy or sensationalise it. The room is also actually partitioned, meaning those interested in the story but uncomfortable with viewing the body can still enjoy a visit to the museum. The mummy has been placed in a visually separated, tastefully designed room which is kept at a fixed temperature of -6ºC and nearly 100% relative air humidity - the same conditions found in a glacier. The accompanying finds are also kept in acclimatised, nitrogen-filled showcases at a temperature of 18ºC.
Tasteful, fascinating and engaging, this museum is a must for anyone visiting Trentino Alto Adige.
The body has been extensively examined, measured, x-rayed, and dated since it has been found and research into the body is on-going to this day. The Archaeology Museum of Bolzano houses the Iceman and also documents the pre-history and early history of the surrounding area from the end of the last Ice Age to the time of Charlemagne. It uses models, reconstructions, stereoscopic images, videos and interactive multimedia stations to provide an interesting, engaging and informative experience. Yet, its main purpose remains to be displaying, housing and researching Ötzi.
How the body is displayed and the museum organised has been very carefully planned. In awareness of fact that the discovery of the body was likely to trigger heated ethical discussions, the careful and restrained presentation of the Iceman was the first and foremost concern when the museum was established in 1998. The current exhibition, as it appears today, is actually the format created for the special 20th anniversary exhibition in 2011. This, however, went on to become the permanent method of display in 2013.
The area surrounding the mummy is stark, made up of white walls that evoke the snow-covered landscape in which it was discovered. Everything surrounding, from fonts to graphics to décor is muted and does not detract from the mummy or sensationalise it. The room is also actually partitioned, meaning those interested in the story but uncomfortable with viewing the body can still enjoy a visit to the museum. The mummy has been placed in a visually separated, tastefully designed room which is kept at a fixed temperature of -6ºC and nearly 100% relative air humidity - the same conditions found in a glacier. The accompanying finds are also kept in acclimatised, nitrogen-filled showcases at a temperature of 18ºC.
Tasteful, fascinating and engaging, this museum is a must for anyone visiting Trentino Alto Adige.
Photo credit: Michael Paraskevas / CC BY-SA 3.0
