South Tyrol Museum of Nature

The South Tyrol Museum of Nature is the only provincial museum of natural history and is for this reason the main collecting and documentation point for natural history objects of South Tyrol. Furthermore it is one of the Provincial Museums of South Tyrol, and took over the direction of the Planetarium South Tyrol in December 2020. It is located in the Administrative Building of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, in the northeast corner of the old town of Bolzano, a Gothic building dating back to the 16th century.

In the South Tyrol Museum of Nature you can make a natural history and culture tour across the regions of South Tyrol. The development and the aspects of the unique mountain and valley landscapes and their respective biospheres is illustrated by means of several carefully selected examples. Models and stagings provide detailed information, whereas the games and experiments make a visit to the museum interesting for children. The exhibition comprises two main sections: geology in South Tyrol and the typical living environments in the region.

The highlights are the living anthill and the reef-tank of 9,000 litres with the jellyfish aquarium. It gives you a lively insight into the coral reef of the Triassic about 230 million years ago. Once upon a time a shallow primordial ocean covered the area where today the Dolomites rise. The museum offer is completed by temporary exhibitions, talks and offers for children such as a night at the museum. And how to reach the South Tyrol Museum of Nature? It can be found in the Via Bottai alley near the famous Arcades of Bolzano. The parking spaces around as well as the bus stop at the Piazza Walther square and the train station are a 10-minute walk away.