Bolzano City Museum

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Bolzano City Museum (2012)

The Bolzano City Museum is located in the center of the South Tyrolean capital Bolzano at Sparkassenstrasse 14 (corner of Museumstrasse ). It includes art and cultural history collections from Bolzano and all of South Tyrol. The cultural department of the Bolzano city administration is responsible for the museum, which has only been accessible to a limited extent for years.

history

The Bolzano City Museum before 1910

The Bolzano Museum Association was founded in 1882 with the aim of saving and collecting church art in particular and thus securing it from being sold abroad and making it accessible in a city ​​museum . The roots of this association lay in the Christian Art Association , the first chairman was the monument conservator Karl Atz . After a few years, the first permanent exhibition was opened to the public in the journeyman's house, today's Kolping House. In 1900 the city decided to build its own museum building, which was opened in 1905. The museum was designed to be universal, comprised art and natural science collections as well as teaching and classrooms in the south wing of the state arts and crafts school with their own entrance and stairwell. The museum director was Tony Grubhofer , who also designed the exhibition rooms and was a teacher at the arts and crafts school. The curator of the natural science collection was Georg Gasser , who had already opened a private museum in 1892, which subsequently received much attention. The extensive Gasser collection not only became the cornerstone of the natural history department of the city museum, it was also reserved for the largest and most beautiful exhibition rooms.

The city museum around 1920, right next to it the savings bank building

After the First World War in the time of fascism , the museum was redesigned. First, the museum association had to give up management in favor of the city administration, but was given a say in the board of trustees. In 1934 the natural science department was dissolved and the Gasser collection, including the well-known mineral collection, returned to the heirs of Gasser, who died in 1931. The newly appointed director Wart Arslan rearranged the museum holdings from 1935 to 1937 according to nationalist aspects and in line with fascist cultural policy, so that the existing cultural and historical context of the show was abandoned. In addition, objects from other Upper Italian museums have now been brought here, a Roman milestone has been set up in the foyer instead of the palm donkey by Hans Klocker and the building itself has been dismantled by removing the tower, crenellated gable and corner bay as well as a facade sculpture depicting Oswald von Wolkenstein . The Bolzano architects Amonn & Fingerle participated in the renovation of the museum and the subsequent exhibition design. All these measures were aimed at weakening the German character of the museum, which was also transformed from a purely city museum into a Museo per l'Alto Adige in 1938 .

In 1939 Nicolò Rasmo became director of the museum, under whose direction the collections remained together - contrary to plans to separate objects classified as "German" in the context of the South Tyrolean option for transport to the German Reich . The war damage to the building could only be repaired after a few years, so that all parts of the museum were not accessible again until 1952. Rasmo continued to see the museum as a South Tyrolean museum and not as a city museum, since he always kept an eye on the bigger picture through his numerous other functions and as the country's chief monument conservator. Since there was also no alternative state museum, Rasmo followed up with Arslan's presentation and continued to use his showcase design. During his many years as director he was able to acquire numerous new objects, which he always had to include in the presentation, as the storage rooms were climatically unsuitable for storage. Stocks stored in the warehouses, especially from Brunico and the Vinschgau , were also seriously damaged, as Rasmo's successor, the archaeologist Reimo Lunz , discovered after taking office.

These circumstances led to the fact that the museum was closed in 2003 under Lunz 'successors Stefan Demetz and Silvia Spada and City Councilor for Culture Sandro Repetto ; However, this was done without previously determining alternative locations. After some renovation and adaptation work in the building, parts of the collection were only made accessible again in November 2011; Further plans and financing, however, had repeatedly stalled. The original designs for the expansion of the museum come from Stefan Hitthaler and Christian Schwienbacher.

building

The museum building was erected in place of the old Hurlach residence between 1901 and 1905 according to plans by the painter Alois Delug in local Renaissance style , the so-called Überetscher style . The construction management was carried out by the city architect Wilhelm Kürschner, the design of the exhibition rooms by the later museum director Tony Grubhofer. In 1934–1938, the style elements of the tower, the battlements and the niche with the statue of Oswald von Wolkenstein , which were considered German, were removed and the interior was remodeled in the Italian style. The original tower was not rebuilt until 1992/93.

The dominant feature of the building is its central tower, which also houses the entrance to the museum. He has a wall clock and a view of the old town. The facade is structured by several stone-framed double-arched windows, on the side facing Museumstrasse there is a portal with a loggia above . The former corner towers are only rudimentarily recognizable. On the west facade facing the courtyard is a monumental fresco of St. Christophorus attached. Inside there is a wide staircase. The building has been a listed building since 1963 .

Museum holdings

The museum's collections include art objects such as paintings, sculptures and altars, as well as folklore objects from everyday life and folk beliefs from all over South Tyrol.

Sculptures

The museum owns several Romanesque wooden sculptures, especially an enthroned Madonna from Gais in the Puster Valley (around 1200). The holdings also include entire Gothic winged altars , such as the one from the St. Stephen's Chapel near Obermontani Castle in Vinschgau (around 1460), as well as individual wooden figures of saints. A St. Barbara von Leonhard von Brixen (around 1460), a Christ on a palm donkey by Hans Klocker (around 1498), a St. Trinity of Narcissus of Bozen (end of the 15th century) and a St. Agnes by Hans Schnatterpeck (early 16th century). One of the stone figures is a Madonna and Child by Konrad von Neumarkt (1412). There are also numerous sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries, such as a Rosary Madonna by Andreas Thamasch (around 1690).

painting

New Year's Eve Müller: Hans Lutz (1509) in the Bolzano City Museum

Valuable panel paintings from the Middle Ages were mostly parts of altars. The so-called Austrunk table, so named after its founder (around 1380-90), an annunciation by the Lord of Leonhard von Brixen (around 1450), the hll. Florian and Antonius by Michael Pacher (around 1475–80) and the hll. Magdalena and Petrus by Friedrich Pacher (end of the 15th century). The artists Marx Reichlich and Simon von Taisten are also represented in the museum. From the early Renaissance are a St. Anna selbdritt , which is attributed to the master of the Habsburgs (early 16th century), and a mystical marriage of St. Katharina von Silvester Müller (1511), but also works by Michael Praun and the master von Oberstenfeld. The museum has works by Stephan Kessler , Giuseppe Alberti , Ulrich Glantschnigg , Johann Georg Platzer , Michelangelo Unterberger , Jakob Anton Delai, Paul Troger , Franz Sebald Unterberger , Carl Henrici , Josef Anton Cusetti the Elder, and Josef Anton from the Baroque and Rococo periods Cusetti the Younger, Johann Baptist von Lampi and Joseph Schöpf . The 19th century is represented with works by Georg Wachter , Josef Erler , Carl Moser the Elder , Franz von Defregger , Franz von Lenbach , Karl Anrather and Wilhelm Leibl . Works by Carl Moser the Younger , Ignaz Stolz , Albin Egger-Lienz , Leo Putz , Ulderico Giovacchini and Emanuel Fohn date from the first half of the 20th century .

Folklore objects

The museum owns a large number of objects, some of which are still uncatalogued, from everyday rural life in South Tyrol. These include butter models , pestles , mortars , pans and kettles , tripods , butter kegs , scoops , sieves , plates , trays , cups , jugs , cutlery , bottles or drinking glasses from the kitchen area, lanterns , tallow candles, candle holders, wick scissors , fire and sharpening steels or Grinding iron from the area of ​​the lighting fixtures. The customs are documented by means of carved and painted wooden masks, donut snappers from East Tyrol or wedding ramrods, but above all by a rich collection of women's and men's costumes, including 43 complete festive costumes.

Current permanent exhibition

Since the partial reopening in 2011, some parts of the collections are again accessible to the public (around 200 exhibits). Changing thematic exhibitions can be seen on the ground floor. A cross-section of the cultural history collections is given in six rooms on the first floor. Room 1 religious art of the Middle Ages, Room 2 shows the art of the Baroque and Rococo periods, Room 3 works of the painter Tullia Socin and Enrico Carmassi from the Foundation Socin, room 4, the history of the city museum, room 5, the costumes and the Mumelteraltar and Room 6 tiled stoves . The second and third floors are not accessible. Documentation of historical views of the city of Bolzano can be seen in the tower. In addition, one exhibit of the month is shown in the foyer from the inaccessible holdings ; smaller exhibitions are also held at irregular intervals in two rooms on the ground floor.

Museum library and archive

The museum has had a museum library since its inception , currently comprising around 30,000 volumes and around 800 magazines from the period since 1882. The subjects of the books are primarily regional art, history and folklore. The library has also been open to the public again since 2009.

The city archive, including in particular the archive of the former Heiliggeistspital Bolzano , was originally deposited at the city museum before it was moved to the Bolzano city archive set up in 2001 and could be processed.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Theresia Pichler: "Nature Pictures", "Living Paintings" and the "Admiring Eye". The pictorial study of the museum collection and the popular writings of Georg Gasser. P. 116
  2. ↑ Patrick Gasser: Georg Gasser - initiator of the South Tyrol Museum of Nature. P. 16
  3. ↑ Patrick Gasser: Georg Gasser - initiator of the South Tyrol Museum of Nature. Pp. 18-19
  4. ↑ Love for the house , article on Salto.bz from December 6, 2019, accessed on December 11, 2019.
  5. ^ Nicolò Rasmo: Il Museo di Bolzano nella nuova sistemazione. In: Atesia Augusta 1, 1939, no . 1, pp. 21-25, spoke appreciatively of a “museo (…) perfettamente adeguato al clima di rinnovamento e risanamento che, per merito del Governo Fascista , si è venuto formando in ogni settore della vita atesina ”(p. 22).
  6. ↑ Sabrina Michielli, Hannes Obermair (Red.): BZ '18 –'45: one monument, one city, two dictatorships. Accompanying volume for the documentation exhibition in the Bolzano Victory Monument . Folio Verlag, Vienna-Bozen 2016, ISBN 978-3-85256-713-6 , p. 65 .
  7. ^ Reimo Lunz: Excavations in the Bolzano City Museum , in: 100 Years of the Bolzano Museum Association. Festschrift , Bozen 1983, pp. 13-30.
  8. ↑ Patient in a vegetative state . Report by the weekly magazine ff from December 7, 2017, pp. 45–47.
  9. ^ A house full of stories Report in the weekly magazine ff from December 15, 2011.
  10. ↑ Hannes Obermair: Written form and documentary tradition of the city of Bozen up to 1500 - patterns, forms, typologies. In: »cristallîn wort«. Hartmann studies. Volume 1. LIT Verlag, Münster 2008, ISBN 978-3-8258-1097-9 , pp. 33-58, reference pp. 43-45. doi: 10.13140 / RG.2.1.1126.1204 .

literature

  • Josef Weingartner : The art monuments Bolzano . Vienna-Augsburg: Hölzel 1926, p. 163 (online)
  • Irmgard Mumelter: Directory of the library of the Bolzano Museum . Amonn, Bozen 1931.
  • Reimo Lunz: The archaeological collection of the Bolzano City Museum (= Etschland culture 11). Bolzano 1973.
  • Toni S. Pescosta: 125 years of the Bolzano Museum Association 1882–2007: a piece of contemporary South Tyrolean history . Raetia, Bozen 2007, ISBN 978-88-7283-296-7 .
  • Patrick Gasser: Georg Gasser - initiator of the South Tyrol Museum of Nature. In: Museumsbund Österreich (Ed.): New museum: the Austrian museum magazine 09/4 & 10/1 April 2010 Subject collector's passion. Museum Association Austria, Linz 2010. ISSN  1015-6720 PDF
  • Theresia Pichler: “Pictures of nature”, “living paintings” and the “admiring eye”. The pictorial study of the museum collection and the popular writings of Georg Gasser. University of Vienna, diploma thesis, 2007. PDF

Web links

Commons : City Museum (Bozen)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 46 ° 29 ′ 59.8 "  N , 11 ° 20 ′ 56.8"  E