Ötzi the Iceman

Happy February!

I almost forgot to post one of our favorite things about Bolzano from our trip in January!
The coolest thing {literally} in Bolzano is Ötzi the Iceman. We couldn’t make it this far without seeing him.

Turns out- it was super cool.

Located at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology rests the famous remains of the 5,300 year old Iceman named Ötzi. In 1991, two Dutch tourists found remains of the man while hiking through the mountains. 
 

Frozen in the ice, his body was kept in almost-perfect condition. Through research and testing on what was found, scientists have learned a lot not only about him but about what happened during that period of time so long ago.

I was most impressed with the control they have at the door to allow only a certain number of tourists in the museum at a time. It made for a much more enjoyable visit as we were able to see all of the exhibits without having to push through people.

There are four levels to the museum detailing every piece of clothing and item found with him. In a giant freezer at a perfectly-controlled temperature, they have his body on display.

A small window allows one person at a time to look into the freezer at the small body kept wet as they spray it with water.

No cameras are allowed. This is the photo they have on the flyer.

The items they have are amazing.

His tools.

His shoes stuffed with grass.

His bow and copper-head arrows.

His loin cloth and other clothes.

His hat made of bear skin and fur.

His body hair is gone, but he still has his eyelashes.

From images taken on a CAT scan, they meticulously made a model of what they think he looked like.

That is also on display. X-rays {displayed} also showed an arrow head under his clavicle leading to the conclusion that he was murdered.

It was all fascinating and well worth the trip.