Krippenmuseum (Museo dei Presepi di Bressanone)

Inside Bressanone’s Hofburg, the Nativity Scene Museum presents more than 300 years of local crib-making, including the Probst crib of about 1800 with over 5,000 figures depicting the life of Christ.

Why it matters

The collection brings together popular Tyrolean cribs and large commissions made for the prince-bishops. It is part of the Diocesan Museum in the Hofburg, which has housed the diocese’s museum collections since 1973. Two monumental cribs were commissioned around 1800 under Prince-Bishop Karl Franz Count von Lodron.

What to notice

The Probst crib contains over 5,000 figures and depicts the life of Christ. The Nissl crib combines scenes of Christmas and the Passion. The collection also includes Tyrolean cribs depicting Alpine clothing and work, alongside Neapolitan and Sicilian examples distinguished by their polychrome figures and theatrical staging.

Context and history

The Diocesan Museum was founded in 1901 to preserve the region’s ecclesiastical heritage. Its collections moved to the Hofburg in 1973, after the bishop’s seat transferred to Bolzano. The large cribs commissioned under Prince-Bishop Karl Franz Count von Lodron around 1800 reflect the courtly form given to this devotional art.