Bozen-Bolzano, march 28, 2018

5 million visitors to the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology

The five-member Richter family, from Lindau on Lake Constance, are the 5 millionth visitors to have purchased tickets for the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology since its opening on 28 March 1998.

Since the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology opened its doors to the public for the first time 20 years ago, visitor numbers have been around 230,000 to 250,000 per year. In recent years, the number of people visiting the best-known of the South Tyrol state museums has been climbing steadily, reaching a record number last year with 286,972 visitors, who came to Bozen-Bolzano from all over the world to view Ötzi the Iceman. And as chance would have it, that 5 millionth visitor mark was reached at the very moment when the museum is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The Richter family from Lindau on Lake Constance (in Germany) are right now, just before Easter, enjoying a few days’ holiday in South Tyrol. “We are enjoying a bit of hiking, the warm weather, simply relaxing,” enthuses mum Désirée. She and her husband Dirk, as well as their children Leni (12), Julian (10) and Isabell (7) had planned a leisurely stroll through Bozen-Bolzano, including a visit to the museum. Julian, ten years old, is passionate about museums and castles and had known about Ötzi since watching the TV programme “Willi will’s wissen” (Willi wants to know it all) and he was the reason why the family directed their steps towards the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology at around 11am this morning.

The Regional Minister responsible for museums, Florian Mussner and the Director of the Museums Department and the provincial museums, Karin Dalla Torre, presented the visitors with gifts consisting of books and souvenirs from the museum shop as well as a voucher for a guided tour to the place where Ötzi the Iceman was found on the Tisenjoch. “We definitely want to go on the glacier tour!” was the enthusiastic response made by the hiking-mad family. They now have two years to avail themselves of this offer.

Visitor numbers of past years are listed in German here: www.iceman.it/en/20-years-south-tyrol-museum_topics/

Photo: the Richter family wit the Iceman reconstruction at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology © South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology

press contact:
Katharina Hersel
South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
Museumstr. 43, I-39100 Bozen/Bolzano
T +39 0471 320114, F +39 0471 320122
press@iceman.it, www.iceman.it
Facebook: OetziTheIceman