Museums of the Aurina Valley: the most interesting

Valle Aurina is a valley and a municipality in the province of Bolzano, in South Tyrol. Interestingly, the territory of Valle Aurina lies both in the better-known Val Pusteria and in the Valle di Tures. It boasts a surprising area with peaks over three thousand meters high and a careful preservation of customs and traditions of the alpine region, as well as environmental care typical of the whole region. An ideal destination for mountain holidays but also for slow tourism. In Valle Aurina there are several attractions to see. Here are things to do in Valle Aurina when it rains, when you don’t ski or when you are looking for cultural curiosities.

Museum of Nativity Scenes and Popular Art Maranatha

The Museum of Nativity Scenes and Popular Art Maranatha is located in Lutago, a district of Valle Aurina. The Maranatha, the largest nativity scene exhibition in Europe. Works of art from different countries are displayed in the garden and in an exhibition area of 1,300 square meters. The Maranatha nativity scene museum in Lutago comes from a brilliant intuition of the Gartner family. Since the inauguration, there has been determined work to keep the museum not only authentic and attractive but to expand the place as a special source of faith, strength, and hope in a Christian sense.

The overall inventory of the museum consists of numerous new and old nativity scenes, some borrowed. Existing nativity scenes, such as the large wooden oriental nativity scene, are expanded and completed by Jonas Pitscheider and Lukas Troi. Through the tireless commitment of passionate nativity scene builders and background/scenario makers, like Olaf Flatscher, Paul Gartner, Eduard Untergasser, and Rainer Minatti, to name only a few, it has been possible to exhibit many old and original wooden nativity scenes.

Even the entrance room is very special: the room is the reconstruction of a Tyrolean “Stadel“, built with the old wood of the worn Holzlechnhof farmstead from Predoi, dating back to 1725. At the entrance on the left, the Castle of Tures is represented as a knights’ nativity scene, built by Maria Hofer from Predoi.

In the entrance room, behind the heavy wooden door on the left side of the room, visitors can admire a nativity scene by Egon Oberkofler. The gifted wood sculptor originally from the Aurina valley has depicted the birth of the Lord in a local atmosphere. Next to it is displayed a North Tyrolean nativity scene and a South Tyrolean mountain hut nativity scene. In the entrance room on the right is the Christmas Night of Reimmichl, a nativity scene created by Georg (Jörg) Lanzinger from Sesto. South Tyrolean, Austrian, and German painters have contributed to the construction and expansion of the nativity scenes and their backgrounds at Maranatha.

Among local artists, Albert Abfalterer is especially worth mentioning, who painted a ten-meter-long watercolor, perhaps the largest he has created so far. These backgrounds adorn the representations of Tyrolean customs and traditions in the annual cycle in the Gothic stube. In the entrance hall, on the right, is the large nativity scene of the customs and traditions of the Aurina valley, whose miniature buildings were constructed by Alfons Hofer from Prettau, over twenty years of patient work during the winters. Beyond the world of peasant nativity scenes, you reach the “Great oriental king nativity scene.”

Information about Museum of Nativity Scenes and Popular Art Maranatha

The Museum of Nativity Scenes and Popular Art Maranatha is open all year round on weekdays: from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM / 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. On Sundays and public holidays it is open in the afternoon from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Entrance fee: 5.00 euros.

Valle Aurina (Bolzano)
Phone 0474 671682
Email: info@krippenmuseum.com
Website: https://www.krippenmuseum.com

Oberkofler-Brüder Gedenkmuseum

Im alten Futterlager von Casa Mesner Gottfried Oberkofler wurde eine Gedenksammlung der Brüder Oberkofler: Johann Baptist (1895-1969) und Josef Georg (1889-1962) eingerichtet. Nachdem Johann Baptist die Weihen empfangen und Priester geworden war, besuchte er die Akademie der Bildenden Künste in München und widmete sich anschließend ganz der Malerei. Josef Georg studierte hingegen Rechtswissenschaften und arbeitete dann als Lektor in Innsbruck, wo er später als Romanautor und Dichter lebte.

Informationen zum Oberkofler-Brüder Gedenkmuseum

S. Johann, 247 – 39030 Ahrntal (Bozen)
Telefon: 0474 671178
Geöffnet von Ostern bis Ende Oktober, von Dienstag bis Sonntag von 15:00 bis 17:00 Uhr.
Eintrittspreis: 2,00 Euro

Kirchler Mineralogical Museum

The Kirchler Mineralogical Museum is the result of a challenging research and collection work that lasted several decades and was born from a great passion for minerals.
The museum exhibits 1000 mineral specimens that formed inside the Earth about 30 million years ago.
In the museum’s multimedia section, the birth of minerals, their search and arduous recovery, and finally the therapeutic action of many of them are presented.

Information about Kirchler Mineralogical Museum

S. Giovanni, 3 39030 Valle Aurina (Bolzano)
Tel. 0474652145
Email: artur.kirchler@rolmail.net
Website: https://www.museo-mineralogico.it

The museum is open from April to the end of October every day from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM and from 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM. From November to the end of March it is open every day from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Entrance fee: 3.00 euros

Mine Museum: Cadipietra Granary and Valle Aurina Museum Area

Information about Mine Museum: Cadipietra Granary and Valle Aurina Museum Area

Cadipietra, 99 39030 Valle Aurina (Bolzano)
Tel. 0474 651043
Email: kornkasten@bergbaumuseum.it
Website: https://www.museominiere.it

Opening hours: from 9:30 to 16:30 from Tuesday to Sunday, from April to October € 9.00 Source: MIBACT