Merano Municipal Museum, Meran, Italy

Merano Municipal Museum has already been opened in 1900, it is one of the oldest museums of the province. In that period Franz Innerhofer (1847 - 1918), a physician of Merano, collected Gothic figurines and Baroque paintings of Tyrolean masters with passion. In this way he laid the foundations for the museum. First housed in the building of the English Ladies along the Winter Promenade, the Merano Municipal Museum was transferred several times. It was moved to the tavern Roter Adler in Via delle Corse road and in a final step to the newly renovated Palais Mamming behind the St Nicholas parish church in Merano. Therefor the Merano Municipal Museum is now also known as Palais Mamming Museum.

The permanent collection offers 27 sections and provides an overview of the historical development of the town, from prehistory up to modern art. What you can admire in the museum are the above mentioned Gothic and Baroque figurines and the Baroque paintings of Tyrolean masters, also known beyond borders. Moreover there are exhibits regarding the topics mineralogy and folk art, inculding various traditional costumes, and artworks by painters of Merano of the 19th and 20th century.

Also some exotic exhibits can be admired, including an Egyptian mummy, a death mask of Napoleon as well as a Sudanese weapons collection from the Austrian Major-General Rudolf Anton Carl, Baron of Slatin. One oft he most famous exhibits is also the 4th typewriter model by Peter Mitterhofer, the founder of typewriters, born in the village of Parcines, only a stone’s throw away.

References:

suedtirolerland.it

Museums in Italy

User Reviews

Paola Giacone (2 years ago)
Bellissimo museo possibilità di fare biglietti combinato con il castello principesco a prezzo scontato. I ragazzi sotto il 14 anni non pagano. In parte scavato nella roccia. Ospita spesso mostre esterne noi abbia.o trovato quella sui presepi peruviani. Consigliatissimo.

Annalisa Miglioli (2 years ago)
Sopra ogni mia aspettativa. Da vedere quando si passa per Merano

Marcus Bartelt (3 years ago)
Irgendwie bunt zusammengewürfelt, aber dennoch unterhaltsam und spannend! Es gibt viel zu entdecken! Wir haben viel neues gelernt und es war der perfekte Zeitvertreib für einen regnerischen Nachmittag!

Matteo Quercia (3 years ago)
Moderno museo nel centro della città, incentrato sulla storia di Merano. Organizzato molto bene, per tutte le età.

Piero Seinera (3 years ago)
Una vera sorpresa questo piccolo gioiello museale! Arti figurative, reperti di ogni epoca, storia.... tutto vi è compendiato in sale dotate di esaustive didascalie. Consigliato

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Historic Site of the week

Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, while in 961 Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The last of such reforms was carried out by Almanzor in 987. It was connected to the Caliph"s palace by a raised walkway, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for previous Islamic rulers – as well as Christian Kings who built their palaces adjacent to churches. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.

In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile, and the centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela"s captured cathedral bells. Following a windstorm in 1589, the former minaret was further reinforced by encasing it within a new structure.

The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.

Architecture

The building"s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.

In planning the mosque, the architects incorporated a number of Roman columns with choice capitals. Some of the columns were already in the Gothic structure; others were sent from various regions of Iberia as presents from the governors of provinces. Ivory, jasper, porphyry, gold, silver, copper, and brass were used in the decorations. Marvellous mosaics and azulejos were designed. Later, the immense temple embodied all the styles of Morisco architecture into one composition.

The building is most notable for its arcaded hypostyle hall, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple that had occupied the site previously, as well as other Roman buildings, such as the Mérida amphitheatre. The double arches were an innovation, permitting higher ceilings than would otherwise be possible with relatively low columns. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch.

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