The Provincial Capital of Bozen/Bolzano
A Brief Survey
The Waltherplatz / Piazza Walther is Bozen's meeting place. It is named after that greatest of all medieval German lyric poets, Walther von der Vogelweide. This is the perfect place to sit and enjoy a cup of Cappuccino. Not far from the Waltherplatz, there's the Cathedral of Bozen/Bolzano. It was build in the Gothic style between 1340 and 1500. The Dominican cloister in the immediate vicinity has frescoes by Giotto which are certainly worth viewing. The fruit market and the arcades are the heart of this lively city. Directly at the fruit market, opposite the Neptune Fountain, there's a building in the Neo-Gothic style built in the 18th Century. This is where Herder, Johann von Goethe, and the Emperor Josef II spent the night while on a journey to Italy. Stucco-decorated houses of leading citizens dating back to the Rococo and Neo-Baroque epochs line the market. The medieval city was a center of trade. Situated at the juncture of the north and the south, it can look back on a rich history. Today, Bozen/Bolzano is a modern city and the dynamic middle-point of the province. It is also the meeting point of different cultures. 70% of the inhabitants state that Italian is their primary language, thus making Bozen/Bolzano the "most Italian" of all South Tyrolean cities. It also recently became a university town. The city offers a wide range of cultural attractions and activities: Cinema, theater, concerts, exhibitions, and other events make for a rich and varied cultural life. The downtown area has numerous pubs, restaurants, cafes, and bars. Attractive specialty stores and fashion boutiques make it a shopper's paradise. Italian design dominates the shop windows, and a Mediterranean flair is to be seen everywhere.
The Ötzi Museum
Ötzi - der Mann aus dem Eis
More than 5,000 years ago, a man descended into the icy caves of the Schnals Valley Glacier and encountered a mishap there. In 1991, his remains were accidentally discovered, together with his clothes and equipment. He had been naturally mummified and frozen - an archeological sensation and a unique snapshot of a man from the Chalcolithic Age. After many years of scientific study by highly specialized research teams, the mummy and the other materials found with him have been accessible to the public at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology since March of 1998.
For the first time in the history of medicine and of archeology, it has been possible to conduct anatomical studies on a moist mummy definitely dating from the 4th millenium B.C. With the exception of an injury to the left hip, the body is practically undamaged. Using modern techniques, it has been possible to diagnose unique anatomical features and pathological changes. The findings are presented at the museum in the form of multi-media stations, videos, and information boards.
South Tyrol Museum of Archeology >>