Weiherburg
Every visitor to the Alpenzoo will see a magnificent castle right next to the entrance to the zoo. The name of this castle is “Weiherburg” and it houses the offices of the Alpenzoo. Even the founder of the Alpenzoo, Prof Hans Psenner, had a small office in Weiherburg Castle. But the castle never belonged to the Alpenzoo. The history of Weiherburg Castle dates back to the 15th century, and its foundation is linked to the name of the Tänzel family. The Weiherburg was designed as a late Gothic residence near the fish pond that gave the castle its name. This fish pond existed up until the 20th century. Archduke Ferdinand II later created a zoo around the estate. This zoo was located on the site of today’s Alpenzoo. In 1911, the city of Innsbruck took over Weiherburg Castle. The property was carefully restored from 1976-78.
In the past, the castle was often used for events. Unfortunately, this has very rarely been the case in recent years. That’s why the Alpenzoo had an idea: the Weiherburg was to be awakened from its fairytale slumber. A three-part concept was developed by Alpenzoo for this purpose. The use of Weiherburg Castle was to consist of the offices of the Alpenzoo, a reopened restaurant with an event centre and an exhibition floor as a highlight. The aim was to make Weiherburg Castle accessible to Tyroleans once more, but also to show it to Tyrolean tourists. Thankfully, this idea met with the approval of the City of Innsbruck, and the Tyrol Provincial Memorial Foundation also provided financial support for the necessary renovation and theresulting exhibition.
But how can a zoo also provide curative care for a museum? A form of collaboration with Tyrol’s State Museums was entered into here. Tyrol’s State Museums were founded in 1823 with the purpose of promoting and developing art, culture, science and research in Tyrol in a sustainable fashion, and boast an impressive collection of approximately 3 million exhibits from the natural history collection alone. Unfortunately, there have only ever been temporary exhibitions of these exhibits and so the Provincial Museums and the Alpenzoo wanted to seize the opportunity to change this. It was important to both parties that there should not be a permanent exhibition, but that the ambitious goal should be exhibitions that change annually.
The museum in Weiherburg Castle has been open since 2021 and fascinates its visitors every day a new.
Exhibition
FASCINATING BIRDLIFE
The new exhibition of the Tyrolean State Museums in the Weiherburg near the Alpine Zoo awakens enthusiasm for the world of birds with astonishing details.
How is it that crocodiles are the closest relatives of birds? Why do birds have feathers? And how do migratory birds find their way to the south and back again? The new exhibition ‘Fascinating World of Birds’ at the Weiherburg Natural History Museum near the Alpine Zoo explains exciting details about rock ptarmigans, green woodpeckers and many other bird species. A bird song quiz and a touch station make the diversity tangible for children and adults alike. Curator Petra Schattanek-Wiesmair from the Natural Science Collection of the Tyrolean State Museums would also like to invite visitors to take a closer look and discover new things beyond the museum visit.
Nest, feather, variety
Around 11,000 bird species are known to science today. Around 320 species have been identified in Tyrol to date, around half of which breed here. The new exhibition ‘Fascinating Birdlife’ at the Weiherburg Natural History Museum near the Alpine Zoo shows the wealth of diversity that is actually hidden behind these numbers. Eggs, nests, feathers and beaks in different sizes, colours and shapes directly illustrate the fascinating diversity of the bird world. The exhibition traces the evolutionary development of birds back to the age of the dinosaurs, presents common paths shared by birds and humans and draws attention to the individual behaviour of certain bird species. Just as humans use pigeons to deliver messages or falcons as hunting aids, some bird species also use human behaviour to their advantage. Corvids, for example, drop hard walnuts from a great height onto the tarmac until they crack open or they place the nuts on the road and wait until a car drives over them and cracks the shell. Museum visitors of all ages can get to the bottom of other peculiarities of the bird world using a variety of objects from the natural science collection of the Tyrolean State Museums.
Listen carefully to the bird song quiz. The aim here is to recognise different bird species such as yellowhammer, greylag goose and kestrel by their song or call and to learn new things in an entertaining way. A tactile station has interesting puzzles and amazing surprises in store for both children and adults. In this way, the exhibition provides a variety of starting points for observing birds more attentively in the wild and perhaps seeing them with slightly different eyes from now on.
Petra Schattanek-Wiesmair, employee of the Natural Science Collection of the Tyrolean State Museums and vertebrate expert, has designed the show in the spirit of behavioural biologist Konrad Lorenz. He once said: ‘You only protect what you love, and you only love what you know.’ Accordingly, the exhibition at the Weiherburg Natural History Museum is also intended to encourage people to appreciate and protect the world of birds.
The Tyrolean State Museums in the Alpine Zoo
‘Fascinating world of birds. Nest, Feather, Diversity’ is the fourth exhibition presented by the Tyrolean State Museums at the Weiherburg Natural History Museum near the Alpine Zoo. After the show ‘Treasure Hunt. Tyrolean Crystals‘ until February 2024 provided insights into the Tyrolean State Museums’ Earth Science Collection, the focus is now on the vertebrate collection.
A visit to the exhibition can easily be combined with a trip to the Alpine Zoo. Admission is included in the zoo ticket price. The exhibition ‘Fascinating world of birds. Nest, Feather, Variety’, like the Alpine Zoo, is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm in summer and until 5 pm in winter.
Hiring Weiherburg Castle
In Weiherburg Castle, it is possible to hire a room for various occasions:
“Maximilian Hall” | Cinema seating arrangement, max. 80 people | Seminar seating arrangement, max. 60 people
“Weiherburg Hall” | Cinema seating arrangement, max. 60 people | Seminar seating arrangement, max. 40 people
Catering only via ANIMAHL by arrangement with the hiring party (Tel: 0690/10418572). Or delivery of catering (only possible without use of the kitchen).
