ArcheoParc in the Schnals Valley

As it turned out, this mummy was a staggering 5,300 years old and thus dated from the late Neolithic period. The "Ötzi", as he was soon called, was a sensational find, as he is the only preserved and naturally mummified body from around 3,400 B.C. in Central Europe. Moreover, Ötzi – a man of about 40 years old and 1.58m tall – is almost intact, including clothing and equipment (including a bag, a copper axe, and a bow and arrows) are very well preserved. Today, Ötzi can be admired at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, where an extensive exhibition is dedicated to him.

In the Schnalstal valley, the gateway to the Ötzi discovery site, the ArcheoParc was opened in 2001, South Tyrol's first archaeological open-air museum with a unique, 4,000m² outdoor area. Here, one can get to know the lifestyle and habitat of the man from the ice up close and directly. In the permanent exhibition, visitors can expect life-size reconstructions of clothing and equipment, pictures, explanatory panels, films, and a 3-D multivision show on three levels.

In the outdoor area, a Copper Age village has been rebuilt true to detail and on a 1:1 scale. This is exactly how the dwellings of Ötzi and his contemporaries might have looked. But the ArcheoParc is not just a sterile reconstruction; here, life is lived as in the Neolithic era! In the garden and on the field, crops are grown and harvested that would have been on the table in Ötzi's times: lentils, beans, peas, barley, emmer, einkorn, and poppy. Flax is also cultivated, spun, and processed into clothing. Ötzi's tools and weapons are recreated and used for daily work. Suddenly, the visitor finds themselves in the middle of a long-lost, fascinating world. Everyone – young or old – is invited to become active themselves and bake bread, do pottery, shoot with bow and arrows, or work leather. The activity program is included in the admission price and changes daily.

The ArcheoParc is open daily from April to November. Information about the exact opening times and the numerous special exhibitions, events, and offers can be found on the homepage of the ArcheoParc www.archeoparc.it.

Address: Unsere Frau 163, 39020 Schnals, Tel. 0473/676020
Opening times: April 1 – Nov. 2. Tue – Sun 10–18 Mid-July – End of August daily 10–18

www.archeoparc.it