Museum Wattens

About the museum

The museum's roots go back to 1965, when the Wattens-Volders Local History and Museum Association was founded. In 1967 a prehistory museum opened, which was later expanded and from 1985 also showed the industrial history of the paper mill and the Swarovski company. The old building closed in early 2015. On 5 October 2018, Museum Wattens opened in the Neidharthaus in the town centre, with a new concept by the museum designer HG Merz.

The building was erected in 1954 in place of a barn and later housed, among other things, a police station, a pharmacy and a driving school. For the museum it was completely gutted inside and the façade carefully restored. By its own account, the museum sees itself less as a classic museum than as a place where Wattens collects, remembers, debates and looks ahead; in 2022 it was awarded the Tyrolean Museum Prize.

The ground floor is about Wattens as a home; on the first floor, the permanent exhibition tells in nine episodes of the transformation of the Tyrolean farming village into an internationally connected industrial location, with radio plays for each chapter. A three-storey central display case, the "Wunderkammer Wattens" (Wattens cabinet of curiosities), connects the floors. On the second floor, the Laboratorium invites visitors to collect, remember and think ahead, and offers space for events. The building also houses a museum shop and a tourist information point.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition "Wattens in Nine Episodes" with radio plays
• Three-storey cabinet of curiosities with finds from archaeology and industrial history
• Laboratorium on the 2nd floor as a laboratory of memory and the future
• Hands-on exhibits, also designed for children
• Combined ticket with the nearby Swarovski Kristallwelten

Permanent exhibitions

• Wattens in neun Episoden – The permanent exhibition on the ground floor and first floor uses finds, pictures and radio plays to tell the story of the farming village's transformation into an industrial town; the Wunderkammer Wattens is at its centre.
• Laboratorium – On the second floor, visitors can explore Wattens as a laboratory of memory and the future; there is an archive shelf and space for workshops and events.

Founded

2018

Operated by

Marktgemeinde Wattens

Admission & discounts

Free admission with the Freizeitticket Tirol and with the Kulturpass ("Hunger auf Kunst & Kultur"). A foreign-language museum guide (18 pages) is available for €2.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Level entrance; the permanent exhibition and the Laboratorium are accessible by lift. Accessible toilets on the ground floor and on the 1st floor. The museum team will help if needed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 5+

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Suitable for children from about age 5; exhibits may be touched, and you can make yourself comfortable in the exhibition. For families there is an "Aktivkoffer" (activity case) with its own educational programme. Baby-changing table in the toilet on the 1st floor; room for prams.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the town centre at the junction of Kirchplatz and Innsbrucker Strasse (B171). The Swarovski Kristallwelten can be reached on foot in about seven minutes.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

Museum shop with regional products on the ground floor; kiosk in the Laboratorium on request; cafés and restaurants in the town centre.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The Laboratorium (2nd floor) and the "Raum ohne Namen" (Room Without a Name, ground floor) can be rented for events; details and costs by phone or email.

Plan your visit