The Passiria/Passeier Valley museum is found at the Sandhof farmstead at St. Leonard where local hero and Tyrolean freedom fighter Andreas Hofer, 1767/1810, was born. The museum is dedicated to Hofer and the farm house is listed with the National Society for the Protection of Historic Buildings. One section is devoted to the life of Hofer while others, including an open-air section, deal with customs and traditions of the area.

Other places of interest in the valley which collaborate with the museum include the Bunker Museum at Moso, Jaufenburg Castle, the Pfistrad farmhouse museum, the French Soldiers’ Cemetery museum and the Pfandler Farmstead at 1,350 mt. above sea level where Andreas Hofer was eventually captured by the French occupational troops.

Giovo/Jaufenburg Castle at St: Leonhard – the tower and ruins host an exhibition regarding the history of the fortress and that of its inhabitants with exceptionally beautiful Renaissance frescoes from 1538.

The Bunker Museum is also a museum institution which provides exciting fields of knowledge in a unique environment and invites to carry on exploring the Hinterpasseier. The bunker complex dating back to the 1940s accommodates predominantly regional exhibition areas about the nature park, the settlement history and contemporary history of the region, as well as the bunker experience itself. In addition, the former fortification serves as an information point for the Texelgruppe Nature Park at the same time.

The Schnessberg/Monteneve mine at 2,000 to 2,500 metres above sea-level is the highest mine in Europe. It was first mentioned in 1237 and was once the most important lead and zinc mine in the entire Tyrol region. The area around the mine has been transformed into an interesting museum where visitors can see the original machines and tools the miners used centuries ago. Visitors travel underground on the mine’s own little train and full and half day guided visits are available. The museum has an interesting showroom and accommodation is available at nearby mountain rescue huts. A really incredible underground experience!

The original Man from the Ice or Ötzi, as he is fondly known, rests in Bolzano’s South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology and is, without doubt, one of the world’s most famous mummies. The clothes and tools found near his body are in an extremely good condition and are also well worth a look.