The collection of the judge, businessman and art collector Josef Kreuzer can be visited in the Via Argentieri alley in Bolzano
Image gallery: Eccel Kreuzer House Museum
Between the Via Argentieri and the Via dei Portici alleys in the old town of Bolzano is the Eccel Kreuzer House, owned by the couple Josef Kreuzer and Eva Eccel. Josef Kreuzer donated it to the Province of South Tyrol shortly before his death in 2017, a few months after he was awarded the Badge of Honour of the State of Tyrol. Together with the house, the province received his collection of 1,504 works by 342 artists from the period from 1894 to the early 2000s. The artists all come from South Tyrol, Tyrol and the Trentino, i.e. today's Euroregion: Albin Egger Lienz, Fortunato Depero, Max Weiler, Ester Stocker, Karl Plattner, Hans Ebensperger, Peter Felin and others.
Connected with the will was the condition that the building with the works of art should be made accessible to the public. The Eccel Kreuzer Museum - "Hausmuseum Eccel Kreuzer" in German, "Casa Museo Eccel Kreuzer" in Italian - was opened at the end of 2019, and since December 2020 it has been an "In-House Museum" - a structure that provides important historical, architectural, cultural and artistic information and has become a full-fledged museum through its history - under the management of the Provincial Museums of South Tyrol. It corresponds to the ethical guidelines for museums of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and is open to small groups on request. The art room on the ground floor organises various exhibitions.
The house itself, a beautiful example of a Bolzano burgher and merchant house, is also worth seeing: It consists of three individual arcades and therefore has three atriums, Romanesque core buildings from the 13th century as well as Gothic and Renaissance extensions. The expansion of the attic and the replacement of doors and windows is the work of the Eccel Kreuzer family. And how to reach the museum? The Via Argentieri and Via dei Portici alleys are in the town centre, near the Bolzano Arcades. The city bus lines stop at the nearby Piazza Walther square.
Contact info
- Via Argentieri / Silbergasse 10 - 39100 - Bolzano / Bozen
- Guided tours or visits upon reservation.
- +39 0471 301621
- museum@eccel-kreuzer.it
Opening times
The Eccel Kreuzer House Museum - MEK stays closed due to renovation works, the reopening is planned for autumn 2025.