A museum dedicated to the mountains

The Firmian Messner Mountain museum is one of six in a series of museums by Reinhold Messner dedicated to the mountains and the culture surrounding the mountains. Stepping into this museum takes you on a journey through the creation of legends and cultures surrounding the mountains and how humans have used the conquest of mountains as a symbol over time. One of the first cultures to use mountains in their mythology was in the Hindu religion and in Judaism in the torah. Both religions describe mountains as a place where people could connect with gods and deities. A place where people can go to be free of the world and seek enlightenment and advice. I personally have sought out nature for similar reasons such as relaxation and to be away from the modern world of technology, so I can see how the mountains can be seen as a holy place for religions.

Here is a painting called “Sisyphus on Everest” by Luis Stefan Stecher. I feel that his painting really encapsulates the precipice of religion on the mountains. We can see a naked man who looks like he is praying on the top of a mountain overlooking the world with only the stars and heaven above him. This stands out to me because it really shows how it feels to be on top of the highest peak and essentially the top of the world. A place where if you are religious and believe heaven is right above earth then this location would be considered the closest possible place to the heavens you could reach from earth. A feat that any religious person would want to seek so they could be closest to their god(s).

The culture of mountains has transformed over time from being a place of religion, where pilgrimages were made to the summits to show devotion and reach a the place closest to the heavens. To mountains being a natural structure that man needs to conquer in order to be supreme. In the photograph above a replica of one of the 15, 8000m mountains that Reinhold Messner climbed is shown. The creation of a replica of a mountain where the true scale cannot be fully depicted, makes it clear that humans can never be in control of mountains no matter how hard we try. Mountains are one of natures truest forms. This concept is something that ancient cultures have recognized but in present time technology has clouded our minds and made us ignorant. People can not win against nature and when humans go extinct nature will still be around thriving.

The sport of mountaineering one way in which people believe they can conquer the mountain. The sport may be new but it has been an ancient tradition for people living near mountains as a way of celebrating the mountains that give them life. I believe that the new quest of conquering mountains is just a way for people to feel superior to nature and should not be done just as a goal. Though if you are trying to climb a mountain for the enjoyment of the climb and are staying respectful to the environment around you I think it is a fine activity to participate in. In the photograph above we can see a sculpture found at the museum that show how small humans are compared to mountains and how even small peaks can be treacherous.

Mountains are just one form of nature, but the are a powerful form. Take this tree that was found at 2000m on Gottifried Leitgeb. The tree was changed by the mountain like a stone was changed by force and pressure. Even a tree another form of nature could not withstand the mountain and all of its power. I think what the mountain did is beautiful and it shows the forces of nature interacting in a magnificent way.