Reinhold Messner

One man, fourteen 8,000 m high mountains and more than 100 journeys all over the world.

He calls himself a “border crosser” or “border-line character”. Two words that briefly describe his philosophy of life. To be in close contact with nature and get to know his own limits have always been some of his main objectives. “I am what I do” - this is the motto of extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner.

Already in 1950 Reinhold Messner started climbing mountains, featuring an altitude of 8,000 m. He loved travelling eastern countries, across the Mongolian Gobi desert, the Antarctic or Greenland. And several times he got to know his own limits; for instance when crossing the Arctic.

Reinhold Messner is currently working on one of his most famous projects, a worldwide unique mountain museum, including a total of 5 different museums spread all over South Tyrol. The project is called “Messner Mountain Museum” (MMM) and its main seat is found at Castel Firmiano near to Frangarto/Appiano. Opened in June 2006, it is also known as MMM Firmian. Its main aim? To create a special kind of encounter between mankind and the mountains.

The other four museums are found at Juval Castle in Val Venosta (MMM Juval), featuring an exclusive Tibetan collection and dedicated to mankind, religion and the mountains. Then there is one on Monte Rite, called MMM Dolomites, another one in Solda all’Ortles, dedicated to the mountain’s ice and crystal worlds (MMM Ortles) and the MMM Ripa at Brunico Castle. The latter is about mountain people all over the world.

Résumé: MMM - worth seeing!