20th Anniversary of the discovery of Ötzi the Iceman

20th Anniversary of the discovery of Ötzi the Iceman

19 9 91 is no ordinary number and, whether you read it forwards or backwards it still stands for the same thing: a sensational world discovery in the Schnals Valley 20 years ago. In short, it is the date on which a German couple out hiking discovered Ötzi, the human mummy, at an altitude of about 3,210 m in the Tisenjoch Pass above the Niederjoch Glacier: in the Schnals Valley.

Since that fateful day in September, this glacier mummy, soon to be affectionately known as Ötzi thanks to a catch line used by the Viennese journalist, Karl Wendl, has been responsible for a lot of events and happenings, in the Schnals Valley too.

Ötzi - the Iceman in the South Tyrol Archaeological Museum

The many scientific tests carried out have shown that the Iceman was fatally injured by an arrow and that he bled to death soon after. Ötzi has been on display in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bozen since March 1998, attracting millions of visitors. In July 2007, the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman was set up at the South Tyrolean research centre, the European Academy of Bozen (EURAC). Researchers there are currently studying the genetic make-up of the Iceman and will present their findings on the occasion of Ötzi’s birthday this year. The Museum of Archaeology in Bozen recently opened a special exhibition of Ötzi in which not only the latest findings are presented, but also the odd and the absurd, funny marketing ideas and bizarre theories from the media. At this special exhibition that will run until 15 January 2012 you can view the new face and figure of Ötzi, which have been restored by two Dutch experts.

Global celebrity Ötzi and the Schnals Valley

Once the new home of the Iceman was established at the Museum of Archaeology in Bozen, it was the Schnals Valley in 2001 that created a museum - the archeoParc - with an open area of 4,000 m² to exhibit the habitat of the Iceman. Over the past 10 years, the archeoParc has succeeded in establishing itself across South Tyrol as an active museum for the whole family. Every year between April and November about 30,000 people, including numerous school classes, visit the permanent exhibition and the open air museum and take part in the many and varied Neolithic activities, including baking bread, archery, pottery, leather crafting, copper casting and lots more. A series of special exhibitions to do with, for example, Stone Age hunting and archery and the cultural history of archery have also proved very popular.