Deep under the glacier

The MMM Ortles is located underground in Sulden am Ortler. It is dedicated to ice in all its forms, as well as the myths and threats associated with it. The museum is dedicated to the whiteout, the third pole, snow lions and darkness. It also explores the silent power of an element that both eludes and shapes everything.

The Ice: Absence and Power

Ortles is not a cold place. It is a quiet, clear and compact space. The museum leads you underground, as if into a crevasse. The themes are: Avalanches, polar expeditions, skiing and ice as a myth. The staging is minimalist, cool and haunting.

The architecture reinforces this idea with exposed concrete, light slits and layering. When you enter, you step into the unknown. You leave the familiar behind.

In the shadow of the ice

Reinhold Messner explains why the museum is located here. The Ortler's ice cap exerts pressure on the valley below. In winter, the glacier almost reaches the walls. Inside, the focus is on what happens outside: ice that moves, drifts and melts.

Visitors can immerse themselves in the world of ice, visualising the landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctic and the power of avalanches, as well as the challenges faced by artists in depicting ice.Magdalena Messner

What you see

Ice tools, polar images and expedition artefacts. Pictures of the Ortler from the last two centuries. Art, technology and stories. The world's vast snowy expanses. And an edge of snow outside that extends into the interior.

What you experience

Ortles is a place of reduction. The rooms move slowly and the light is filtered. The contents are silent. There are no quick answers. There is a hint of an avalanche and a dialogue with the crackling and whispering of the glacier. It is an invitation to slow down.

What you take along

A cold that does not frighten. Darkness that does not threaten. And the feeling that ice doesn't trap you, but opens something inside you.

Your journey starts here

The MMM Ortles is open from the fourth Sunday in May to the second Sunday in October, and from the second Sunday in December to 1st of May. Opening hours are 02:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.; in July and August, it is open from 01:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Letzter Einlass um 17:30 Uhr | Dienstag Ruhetag

Seasonal opening times:
Winter season 08.12.2024 – 01.05.2025
Summer season 25.05.2025 – 12.10.2025
MMM Ortles Prices
Adults € 12,00
Children aged 6 – 18 € 6,00
Discount* € 10,00
Family (2 adults with children under 14 years) € 28,00
Mini-Family(1 adult with children under 14 years) € 16,00
School classes aged 6 – 19 € 6,00/Person
with Geo-Card 2 tickets for the price of 1 adult

MMM Tour-Ticket
The MMM Tour Ticket is a combined ticket for one visit each to Firmian, Juval, Ortles, Ripa, Dolomites and Corones. The ticket is valid for one year from the date of issue and is available at all Messner Mountain museums.

Adults Discount* Family Children
Price € 55,00 € 45,00 € 125,00 € 25,00

*students, seniors (aged 65 and above), groups (min. 15 people), people with disability

Important information
  • The circular walk of the museum is suitable for disabled individuals.
  • Large trekking backpacks and hiking poles are not permitted.
  • Radios and music are not permitted. Please switch off your mobile.
  • No smoking
  • Dogs are not allowed in the museum.
  • Filming and taking photographs with flash is prohibited.

Information regarding visits, costs and transportation is available here

The other locations

Ripa

Mountain Peoples of the World: Diversity and dignity at high altitudes.

To the museum

Corones

The essence of alpinism. At eye level with the sky.

To the museum

Dolomites

Courageous beginnings. Memories etched in stone.

To the museum

Juval

Schwarz-weiß-Aufnahme von Schloss Juval, dem Standort des Messner Mountain Museum Juval. Die mittelalterliche Anlage thront auf einem Felsen unter dramatischem Himmel. Ein Ort der Stille, Symbolkraft und inneren Fragen – mehr Rückzugsraum als Sehenswürdigkeit

The mountain as a mythical representation of the soul.

To the museum

Firmian

An encounter between man and mountain, showcasing all its facets.

To the museum