Val Gardena Heritage Museum

The Museum Gherdëina in Ortisei provides insight into the region's culture and nature, as well as into the art of wood carving, which has been practised here for centuries. Sacred wooden sculptures by great sculptors can be admired, as well as numerous small sculptures from the secular carving tradition: allegorical figures, animal depictions, nativity scenes and chess pieces.

Prehistoric finds lead far back into the Stone Age and offer a glimpse into early settlement. Valuable fossils and minerals document the geological history of the Dolomites. Mounted woodland animals, a butterfly collection and a herbarium show the diversity of the alpine flora and fauna. Even an ichthyosaur, whose fossilised bone fragments were found in 1968 on the Seceda, can now be experienced up close thanks to virtual reality.

The focus of the painting collection is the oil paintings by the important Ladin artist Josef Moroder-Lusenberg. The exhibition also includes a Luis Trenker memorial collection. A special attraction is the unique collection of old wooden toys from the Val Gardena valley, which Hans Senoner Vastlé passionately assembled before 1940.

Important steps are already planned for the museum's future: Renovation and extension work on the building is scheduled, which will be largely financed by the Ladin Education and Culture Directorate, the Office for Museums and Museum Research, and the Trentino-South Tyrol region. In addition, the Geoportal of Cultural Assets of Val Gardena went online in 2025.