Corpo
The collections of the Museum date back to the “Società del Museo / Museumsverein” (Museum Association), which was founded in 1882. Initially, the focus was on collecting medieval church art – paintings, sculptures, refined jewellery items – but by 1885, the association had begun purchasing traditional Tyrolean costumes. Over time, the collections expanded to include historical weapons, objects related to the history of Tyrol, prints, photographs, textiles, glassware, ceramics and even archaeological finds.
Gifts of love In popular culture, gifts of love come in a wide variety of types, shapes and materials: horn boxes and beaded bags for snuff, spoons, pocketknives and travel cutlery, glass bottles for grappa, combs and hairpins, variously decorated wooden caskets and boxes, containers for valuables, amulets for newborns, wedding rings, matchboxes, carding combs, brushes and pin cushions. |
A “Saltner” (“Saltaro” in Italian) is a field guard or vineyard keeper who was appointed and paid by the village community. Historically documented since the Middle Ages, his work was limited to the grape ripening season and ended with the harvest. “Saltners” became particularly well known in the area around the spa town of Merano, where tourism began early in the 19th century. As a tourist attraction, the original simple outfit consisting of knee-length leather trousers and a linen shirt was embellished with more spectacular accessories: the practical stick became a halberd and the headdress was increasingly embellished until it took on an exotic appearance. This mannequin is one of the very first examples of its kind and was created by the Val Gardena artist Josef Moroder Lusenberg (1846–1939) specifically for the costume purchased by the “Società del Museo / Museumsverein” (Museum Association) in 1887-1888. |
| The Tyrolean waist belt The men's belt has very ancient origins and was primarily used to hold clothing in place. The wide waist belt is an essential feature of Tyrolean men's traditional costume and has a strong aesthetic and symbolic value. In the 18th century, belts were decorated with threads or pins and rivets made of tin or yellow metal; from 1800 onwards, feather quill embroidery increasingly replaced the older metalwork. |
| The archaeological collection Archaeological finds are among the Museum's earliest acquisitions. The vast majority come from southern Old Tyrol (South Tyrol and Trentino). 
The Municipal Museum also houses several objects whose provenance and circumstances of discovery are unknown. This is the case with the torso of a naked young man, a Roman copy from the 1st-2nd century AD made from a Greek model in Greek or Italic marble. |