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Address:
Institut für Archäologien, Fachbereich Klassische Archäologie, Langer Weg 11, ATRIUM – Zentrum für Alte Kulturen, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Opening Hours:
By appointment
Contact:
Mag. Florian M. Müller Bakk
archaeologie-museum@uibk.ac.at
Florian.M.Mueller@uibk.ac.at
Phone: +43 (0) 512 507 37568
Links:
Archäologisches Museum Innsbruck - Sammlung von Abgüssen und Originalen der Universität
Universität Innsbruck
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Description:
The Archaeological Collection of the University of Innsbruck was established in 1869 in accordance to the wishes of Tobias Wildauer (1824-1898), a professor for philosophy and aesthetics, and is after Graz (1865), the second oldest archaeological university museum in Austria.
The objects were first housed in a building known as “the old university" located on Karl-Rahner-Platz. Construction of the “new university” at Innrain, commenced in 1914 several exhibition rooms were planned just for this collection, positioned in the most prominent place on the top floor, directly above the auditorium and was completed in 1920. The collection consisting now of almost 450 objects, was then relocated. Its assortment was defined by the ‘spirit and taste of the time,’ emphasized by sculptures of the Greek classical period. Due to the two World Wars and the following economic difficulties, this collection stagnated and very few requisites were added.
A new era for the collection began in 1951 when Alfons Wotschitzky (1912-1969) took the chair.
The exhibition rooms were redesigned and developed. These renovations enabled the collection to be modernised and reactivated, arranged respective to the periods of ancient art. A most important factor was the restoration work to remove the longstanding dirt, contamination and damage, supervised by Maria Dawid which took several years to complete. The plaster casts were cleaned, their seams removed, broken parts repaired, and the missing pieces supplemented. A distinctive feature of the Innsbruck collection was also originated compared to other similar collections of that time. As requested by Alfons Wotschitzky, the objects were not left white, but one tried to imitate the original marble or bronze by painting the sculptures. The colouring of the surfaces reinforced the sculptural effect immensely.
In 1989 the Museum celebrated its 120 year anniversary, and after an ongoing thorough renovation of its exhibition hall to include a new layout, it was again reopened to the public. Due to the relentless personal engagement of Professor Elisabeth Walde, most of the almost complete collection could be exhibited, which over the years had increased to almost 900 pieces double its previous size. The continual need for more space was solved by relocating the Archaeological and Antiquity-Scientific Institutes of the University of Innsbruck into the new "Ancient Culture Centre,” am Langen Weg, in 2008/2009. So, establishing a second modern representative location for the museum.
The collection today offers an almost complete historical review over the development of the Greek and Roman arts. From the times of the Minoan-Mycenaean Period, the Archaic, the Classical period, the Hellenism, the Etruscan and Roman Art, to the Late Antiquity, sculptures, architecture and small arts are all exhibited. A focal point of the cast collection emulates Roman Relief’s found in the Tyrolean area. Also included in the exhibition is a collection of a large assortment of small sculptures focusing on folklore votive offerings out of the Magna Graecia (Greater Greek), as well as replica antique ceramics and glass jars.
Besides the casts, the museum also possesses a considerable amount of originals that have been purchased or donated to the institute. Shown alongside the Greek ceramics and terracotta figurine’s is a 1904 acquired collection of Roman sculptures, predominantly made up of building ornamentation of the Caracalla Thermals in Rome, fragments of sarcophagi, various Relief’s, as well as numerous coins and excavation finds. Furthermore, the museu
m exhibits the largest collection of original urban roman inscriptions in Austria.
Whilst the museum consequently focuses on objects of the Classic Antiquity, since 2008 objects of Tyrol’s early historical cultures, Stone Age to the Bronze and Iron Ages, through to the Middle Ages and the Modern Period, as well as some objects from the Orient, can also be seen.
For in-depth knowledge of the History of Arts of the Greek and Roman era’s, cast collections provide a nonpareil didactical treasure that present an ideal opportunity not only in their appearance, but also in an identical dimensional copy of Antique art that cannot be substituted by illustration. In addition to the Universities studies, the museum is available for any inquisitive audience, to include tourists and school trips, inviting them to an insight into Classic Antiquity.
Further Reading:
MÜLLER F.M., 2009. Das Archäologische Museum Innsbruck. Sammlung von Abgüssen und Originalen der Universität Innsbruck. In: FICK Sabine (Hrsg.), Atriumhaus. Das Zentrum für Alte Kulturen: 35-42.
FEIL D., 2001. Das Museum von Abgüssen und Originalen antiker Kunst des Institutes für Klassische Archäologie der Universität Innsbruck, Latein-Forum 43: 52-58.
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