Innsbruck’s Zeughaus reopens

17 April 2024

Post originally written in: Italiano

The museum in Innsbruck's Arsenal "Museum im Zeughaus" was reopened on April 6, 2024, with a big celebration. It is only a quarter of an hour walk from the city center, but it offers a journey back in time 500 years. In fact, the museum is housed inside the historic building that was the arsenal of Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg. Don't be fooled by the name though: you won't find guns and cannons on display. The "Museum im Zeughaus" is dedicated to the history of the Tyrol. The visit is suitable for adults and children.

The building has its own understated grandeur, and once you walk through the gate, I think you will be impressed by the size of the inner courtyard. It always occurs to me, despite having seen it several times before!

„Schatz Tirol. Gestern, Heute. Morgen“ – which I would loosely translate as "Treasures of the Tyrol: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow"-that's what the museum's new permanent exhibition was called after its refurbishment.
Lots of historical objects, very diverse and from a wide variety of eras, are displayed on 16,000 square meters, grouped into thematic areas. With the museum's free app and audiostations, it is possible to deepen the visit. And interactive areas allow you to try your hand at some hands-on activities.

The exhibition itinerary is not organized chronologically, but in eleven thematic areas, introduced by as many questions. What do archaeological finds reveal about early settlement in the Tyrol? What economic and political conditions prevailed over the centuries? How did the mountains influence the inhabitants and their daily lives? What role do sports and tourism play in Tyrol? Who has earned a monument over the centuries?
These are just some of the questions that introduce the thematic areas: historical objects and biographies of people who lived in Tyrol "open up" a theme, often starting from today's perspective and then going back in time. Visiting the museum, it happens that, starting from history, we get to topics that are very relevant to us today, such as migration, environmental protection, and human interaction with the natural habitat.

The intent, as curator and museum manager Claudia Sporer-Heis tells in an interview with Freiradio, was not to tell the story of the rulers, but that of the people who lived in Tyrol in the different eras up to the present day. This was the starting point for thinking about the museum's new layout.
In short, the Museum im Zeughaus unravels the history of Tyrol in a compelling way, between past and present, showing many of its facets, with a look on the one hand at everyday life and on the other at major historical events through the centuries.
And of course, there could not be a lack of an area devoted to the history of the building that houses the museum, which, from the time of Maximilian I to the present, also has its own story to tell!