The South Tyrolean Obstbaumuseum (Fruit Tree Museum)

18,500 hectares of orchards exist in South Tyrol, making the province the largest contiguous fruit-growing area in Europe. What used to serve the farmers' self-sufficiency has become a bestseller since the construction of the railway lines over the Brenner Pass and through the Puster Valley. Today, viticulture and fruit growing are among the most important pillars of the South Tyrolean economy. Lana - in the Burggrafenamt a few kilometers south of Merano - is the largest and also one of the oldest fruit-growing communities in South Tyrol. The annual harvest amounts to 60,000 to 70,000 tons and thus around a tenth of South Tyrol's and a hundredth of the European top fruit production.

Lana is therefore predestined as the location for a museum dedicated to fruit growing. Since 1990, the South Tyrolean Fruit Growing Museum has been housed in the magnificent and well-preserved Larchgut residence in Niederlana, which is entirely dedicated to the various aspects of this ancient economic and cultural sector. Using the latest media and modern museum education, this topic is presented in an entertaining and informative way for visitors of all ages.

The themes of the museum are as diverse as the fruit varieties themselves: the regulation of the Adige River and the cultivation of the floodplains, which created the basis for intensive fruit growing, are extensively covered. The various cultivation methods and the numerous old and new fruit varieties are also addressed. Frost protection and pest control, as well as the development of transportation, are among the other major themes of the museum. Rural life, customs, and the development of agricultural techniques are vividly and comprehensibly presented through many original objects. Among the interesting and valuable exhibits, the oldest preserved wine press in the country stands out, a heavy wooden device from the year 1570.

In addition to the permanent exhibition, the Fruit Growing Museum presents changing special exhibitions. In 2013, "Building in the Countryside" is on the program, an exhibition dedicated to the construction culture in rural areas and the relationship between old building substance and new additions and extensions. Workshops and various events complete the museum's offerings-

The South Tyrolean Fruit Growing Museum in Lana is open from the end of March to the end of October.

South Tyrolean Fruit Growing Museum EO
Brandiswaalweg 4
39011 Lana - South Tyrol

+39 0473 564387
+39 331 2992368

Visitor information is available at http://www.obstbaumuseum.it/