In autumn 2025, the Touriseum launched a comprehensive research project on Theodor Christomannos (1854–1911), one of the key figures of Alpine tourism around 1900. The starting point was a valuable donation from Jutta Heugl, granddaughter of the tourism pioneer. The bequest includes handwritten notes, family documents, photographs, newspaper articles, and personal objects. With this unique collection, a long-standing desideratum has finally become reality: the scholarly study of Christomannos’s life and work. As part of the project “Theodor Christomannos – A Search for Sources,” funded by the Provincial Museums Authority, the Touriseum will conduct archival research in Merano, Bolzano, Innsbruck, Munich, and Vienna to locate additional sources. The aim is to critically examine the work of this tourism pioneer and make his legacy accessible to the public. Christomannos settled in Merano in 1884 and from there played a decisive role in shaping the development of tourism in South Tyrol. He advocated for the construction of important road and railway connections, was involved in hotel companies, served as a member of the regional parliament, and was also an enthusiastic mountaineer as well as chairman of the Merano section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club. The research project will place particular emphasis on areas that have so far been little explored including his family history, his extensive network, his role as an alpinist, and his political activities. With this initiative, the Touriseum pays tribute to an extraordinary personality whose ideas and visions continue to have an impact to this day. The research project is planned for 24 months and is carried out in cooperation with the Alpenverein Südtirol. For our research, we are looking for documents, letters, photographs, or other materials related to Christomannos or to projects in which he was involved. Do you have documents, photographs, or other materials in your family that are connected to Theodor Christomannos or his projects? If so, we would be very grateful for your information. 

Contact Touriseum: Karin Maringgele, karin.maringgele@touriseum.it

Since 2024, the Touriseum – South Tyrol Museum of Tourism – together with the University of Innsbruck, has been managing a research project titled "The Brüder Ludwig Architecture Firm." The focus of the investigation is the construction activities of the brothers Alois (1872–1969) and Gustav Josef Ludwig (1876–1952). Originating from Brünn (today: Brno, Czech Republic), they opened offices in Munich and Bolzano after their training with Otto Wagner and in the USA, and as Brüder Ludwig, they built numerous villas until World War I, including some for the writer Thomas Mann. In Vienna, they realized a large administrative building near Schwarzenbergplatz, and in South Tyrol, they created notable grand hotels such as the Parkhotel Laurin in Bolzano and the Palasthotel Wielandhof in Gossensass. In 2022, original plans by the Brüder Ludwig were rediscovered in Merano, and a year later, they were donated to the Touriseum. Of historical importance to tourism are also the family connections of the architects. Alois Ludwig’s father-in-law was the industrialist Friedrich Wannieck (1838–1919), also from Brünn. He was not only a long-time guest at the Merano spa but also the builder of a villa and a supporter of local fruit and wine cultivation. With him, radical political ideas arrived in South Tyrol, which, together with his biography, form the subject of a dedicated research section.

Further information: https://innovation-forschung.provinz.bz.it/de/projekte/architectural-office-ludwig-brothers-munich

Contakt project management: Priv.-Doz. Dr. phil. Bettina Schlorhaufer, bettina.schlorhaufer@uibk.ac.at

Contakt Touriseum: Sabine Viktoria Kofler, MA, sabine.kofler@touriseum.it