Museo Internazionale della Croce Rossa
Museum in the historic Palazzo Longhi in Castiglione delle Stiviere on the birth of the Red Cross after the battles of Solferino and San Martino.
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About the museum
The museum is housed in Castiglione delle Stiviere, in the province of Mantua, in the historic Palazzo Longhi, donated by the Comune to the Italian Red Cross in 1959. The place is linked to the origins of the movement. After the battle of Solferino and San Martino on 24 June 1859, some 40,000 wounded were brought to the town, where the priest Don Lorenzo Barziza coordinated the relief, turning churches, monuments and private houses into temporary hospitals. Twelve were set up, the main one in the cathedral.
The Genevan Henry Dunant, a guest in a palace of the Bondoni Pastorio family, was struck by the relief work of the women of Castiglione and drew from it the idea of the Red Cross, founded on the principle of the equality of wounded soldiers and the neutrality of rescuers. The convention was signed in Geneva on 22 August 1864 by representatives of 12 governments.
The museum holds objects and documents on the birth and development of the International Red Cross: means of transport used by the organisation, such as stretchers, litters and ambulances, surgical instruments and dressing materials, as well as an archive of films and photographs. Among the most valuable pieces is the original text written by Dunant in 1862 for the book “Un ricordo di Solferino” (A Memory of Solferino).
Highlights
- Original text of “Un ricordo di Solferino” written by Henry Dunant in 1862
- Stretchers, litters and Red Cross ambulances
- Surgical instruments and dressing materials
- Archive of films and photographs
- Based in the historic Palazzo Longhi
Permanent exhibition
- Collezione permanente del Museo Internazionale della Croce Rossa – Objects, documents, rescue vehicles and films on the birth and development of the International Red Cross after the battles of Solferino and San Martino.
- Founded
- 1959
- Operated by
- Croce Rossa Italiana
- Visitors per year
- approx. 8,734
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3 |
Rates given by the Musei Italiani portal (updated December 2023): standard €5, reduced €3. Checking with the museum is recommended.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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