The South Tyrol Museum of Natural History (in German Naturmuseum Südtirol, in Ladin Museum Natöra Südtirol) is based in Bolzano, belongs to the South Tyrolean provincial museums and is run by the autonomous Province of Bolzano.
What to see
The museum, spread over two floors, tells the story of the geology and natural environments of South Tyrol over a surface of one thousand square metres. It is rich in reconstructions and multimedia stations. The ground-floor space, of about two hundred square metres, is used for regular temporary exhibitions, which are the museum's main attraction. Of notable interest is the coral reef aquarium of nine thousand litres, the largest in the Alpine arc. The museum is visited mostly by families, because it is particularly attractive to children.
The museum was inaugurated in 1997 and is housed in the former seat of Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg, a late Gothic building dating from the 16th century.
Visiting
The museum is in Bolzano; opening hours and tickets should be checked on the official site of the museum or of the South Tyrolean provincial museums, because the sources consulted do not give them.
Our editors' tip
With children start from the coral reef aquarium, the largest in the Alpine arc, and leave time for the temporary exhibitions on the ground floor: they are the part of the museum that changes.
