The Building | www.museia.it

The Building

A former monastery of the Poor Clares

Im letzten Stockwerk und im Dachgeschoss dieses historischen Gebäudes befindet sich das Frauenmuseum in Meran seit dem Jahre 2011

Since 2011, the Women’s Museum is found on the last floor and in the attic of this historic building.

Since 2011, the Women’s Museum is found on the last floor and in the attic of this historic building.

Der Teil des Kreuzgangs des ehemaligen Frauenklosters im Parterre, der noch erhalten geblieben ist. Es enthält kostbare Fresken des Hauses und wird auch immer wieder vom Frauenmuseum bespielt

On the ground floor, part of the cloister of the former women’s monastery is still preserved until today. It contains precious frescoes and serves as an additional space for exhibitions and events of the Women’s Museum - every now and then.

On the ground floor, part of the cloister of the former women’s monastery is still preserved until today. It contains precious frescoes and serves as an additional space for exhibitions and events of the Women’s Museum - every now and then.

2011

2011

In 2011 the rooms of the museum were officially opened. Since then, it is the Seat of the Women’s Museum, and also of IAWM (International Association of Women’s Museums).

2010

2010

In 2010, the two upper floors were adapted for the Women’s Museum and rented by the Municipality of Merano for the museum.

1923

1923

In 1923 the Spar- und Vorschusskasse acquired the building. It was the predecessor of today’s Volksbank which still occupies the lower part of the building. The frescoes of the church were documented, partially removed and reapplied in the cloister.

1782

1782

In 1782 Emperor Joseph II closed down many monasteries. The Poor Clares had to leave their religious domicile.

1309

1309

In 1309 the Monastery of the Poor Clares was built in the Meraner Kornplatz by Archduchess Euphemia. For 500 years this foundation shaped the city of Merano. In addition to the church of St. Nikolaus, the church of the monastery was the most important sacred building in the city. The Poor Clares were also the only medieval nunnery in Merano. The monastery was the center of the devotion to Saint Mary, it was a school for young girls, hosted local brotherhoods and guilds, and was a cemetery of many local citizens and aristocrats.

Projects

Projects Birth Cultures
A journey through Europe’s history and traditions on birth and motherhood. Birth Cultures is a project funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe Culture Program (2014-2020) that contributes through art and culture to the preservation and dissemination of traditional knowledge and practices related to birth and motherhood, which are part of the European intangible cultural heritage. The project is implemented by Interarts (Spain) in cooperation with the Women’s Museum Hittisau (Austria), the Women’s Museum Merano (Italy), the Gender Museum (Ukraine) and in collaboration with IAWM (Italy), ECCOM (Italy) and the Birth Café Action (Germany), as partners. The project will run from November 2019 to April 2022. According to the German associations Erzählcafé-Aktion and Hebammen für Deutschland (Midwives for Germany), there is a lack of personal support and intergenerational and intercultural exchange in a high-tech obstetrics environment to make a fear-free and joyful start in life possible for diverse groups. The project foresees the realization of a large touring exhibition and different kinds of participatory activities, such as birth cafés, discussion rounds, workshops with artists, etc. The project will also provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences between different groups. Thus, different target groups (mothers and fathers, health workers, migrants, artists, etc.) will tell their stories, talk about issues related to birth and motherhood, create cultural materials and artworks, and thus internalize relevant information through practice and direct experience. As part of this project the Women’s Museum of Merano is organizing Birth Cafés together with Urania Merano. Project website Facebook

Current Exhibition

TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS Women’s friendships – From emotional exchange to networking
Temporary exhibition 01.03. – 31.10.2021 In German and Italian Friendships between women are very diverse. They can last a whole lifetime, many years, or even just a certain period. Traditionally, literature and philosophical papers have focused only on male friendships. But during the 18th century, they started to center on women’s friendships. For the first time, women were seen in relation to each other and also started to see and present themselves in this way. We present pairs of female friends and show the wide variety of women’s friendships. The idea for the exhibition came from Bettina Bab, the curator of the Women’s Museum Bonn and was further developed in Merano. Already last year, a small part of the exhibition was displayed online in English on the homepage of the International Association of Women’s Museums.