Lumen Photography Mountain Museum

Created on the site of a former funicular station on the summit of Plan de Corones, Mount Kronplatz, Lumen Museum of Mountain Photography was founded by mountaineer, Reinhold Messner and is one of the six further sites in the series. Architect Gerhard Mahlknecht of EM2 was charged to convert the site into a museum space and created a viewing restaurant that extends outwards on stilts. 

Lumen lies at the heart of the South Tyrolean Mountains and Dolomites. At 2275 meters above sea level, and with 1800 square meters of exhibition space dedicated to mountain photography spread over four floors, Lumen is a tour de force, to say the least. Curated exhibitions will fill these floors, approached from an interdisciplinary angle that encompasses history, politics, alpinism, tourism and spirituality. Lumen also boasts a huge ‘shutter’ that can open and close, and used as a projector screen, and a refined restaurant, AlpiNN that serves culinary highlights by starred chef Norbert Niederkofler and resident chef Marco Perez, at this amazing altitude with ditto views.

Lumen is a holistic monument to both older, analogue and recent, digital mountain photography, giving the visitor multiple routes to access to the imagery, in combination with the fantastic scenery. The museum’s inaugural exhibition, ‘Messner meets Messner’ is dedicated to none other than the now 74-year-old Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner, a mountain pioneer and ambassador for the protection of the Alps. Hailing from South Tyrol, it’s no coincidence that he was selected to be the subject of what will also be Lumen’s permanent exhibition. 

Apart from this, Lumen will invite different photographers each year to share their vision of the Dolomites – recently awarded UNESCO world heritage – and state-of-the-art multimedia installations that touch upon the subject of adventure and action sports in the Adrenalin Room. As a place that aims to capture the specific atmostphere of the mountains, Lumen is a unique location where reality and illusion meet. Photos merge with landscape, and our senses are appealed to in every which way. 

Discover South Tyrol with our 25 fabulous hotels - From its perch in northern Italy, South Tyrol, or Alto Adige as it is also known, is a jewel of ancient cultures set in the mighty crown of the Alps. Nestled among the Dolomite mountains (a UNESCO World Heritage site) a marriage of languages and cultures comes together in the area’s healing spa towns, medieval hamlets, fairytale castles, wine trails and foodie destinations.

Known primarily for skiing, South Tyrol is also a year-round home to hiking, mountain biking and strolling through the botanical gardens at the base of its snow-capped mountains. At the end of the day, cap it all off with a signature hay bath or a dip in the healing thermal waters. This hidden Alpine part of Italy is well worth travelling to.

This is the South Tyrol where Austria snugs up to Italy.