Hüttenberg, the iron ore heart of the Noric Region

Hüttenberg is the center of Carinthia’s Noric Region which boasts a long-standing iron tradition. The village extends over the wooded mountains and the valleys of the Seetaler Alpen, covering an area of 134 km². It is divided into Hüttenberg, Lölling, Knappenberg, Semlach, Heft, Mosinz, Dörfl, St. Johann am Presen, Zosen, St. Martin am Silberberg and Unterwald. 


As a former mining village, Hüttenberg is deeply rooted in the customs and traditions of the miners and enjoys a rich community life, hosts numerous cultural events and has preserved its craftwork. Yet, the village has also embraced foreign and contemporary features and boasts a harmonious mix of local and foreign culture, of tradition and contemporary art, of traditional building techniques and modern architecture.

In the future Hüttenberg not only aims to preserve the region’s rich cultural heritage and strengthen the regional economy but primarily seeks to build up supra-regional relations in Austria and abroad, making Hüttenberg a center of a national and international exchange of culture and knowledge. This is intended to further the mission of the Heinrich Harrer Museum of promoting an understanding among peoples and to support the development of the local Geozentrum (a geological center) as a meeting place for experts from all over the world.

Cultures  - discoveries - encounters

The Heinrich-Harrer-Museum is a place of cultural encounters and a focal point for people interested in the cultural diversity of our planet. As the name suggests, the museum is dedicated to Heinrich Harrer, the famous explorer, mountaineer, ethnologist and author of 'Seven Years in Tibet' who was born in Hüttenberg. From his many journeys he brought countless ethnological items to Hüttenberg and donated great parts of his outstanding collection to the museum.
These exhibits, together with his writings and books, provide visitors with a fascinating insight into the life and work of this outstanding explorer, for which he was honoured many times in Austria as well as abroad. The photo archive contains more than 100,000 pictures, maps and drawings – all made by Heinrich Harrer during his expeditions.
 

On an exhibition space of 1,000 m², visitors will find more than 4,000 exhibits divided into various sections. The first section starts with biographical information about the sportive and mountaineering life of Heinrich Harrer, followed by a 'journey around the world'. Like someone on a discovery expedition you will encounter the cultural treasures of Tibet, Africa, Borneo, Surinam, the Indian Andaman Islands and the Brazil Rio Xingu river. Moreover, visitors have the opportunity to discover the world and its cultures through the eyes of Heinrich Harrer by means of various multimedia shows.

The comprehensive Tibet Exhibition also includes a Buddhistic prayer room which was blessed by his holyness himself, the 14^th Dalai Lama, in 1992. In the thrown room there is the splendour chair, on which only the Dalai Lama is allowed to sit. Also in the thrown room is a large sand mandala, made of sand of different colors, which is open to visitors.  

The open-air section of the Tibet Exhibition consists of the Lingkor, a Tibetan pilgrimage pathway complete with buildings and symbols, which ascends steeply opposite the museum and provides an extra glimpse into the fascinating Tibetian Buddhism. The Lingkor was blessed by his holiness, the Dalai Lama, on the occasion of his visit to Hüttenberg on 23 October 2002.

In 2002 the 'Freunde des Heinrich-Harrer-Museums Hüttenberg' Förderverein (Friends of the Heinrich Harrer Museum Society) was founded. The society seeks to:
· enlarge the collection of the Heinrich Harrer Museum
· make the archive (containing exhibits, writings, photos, film and audio material)
  accessible to visitors
· create a museum library
· host special exhibitions
· publish articles and books about the museum and the lifework of Heinrich Harrer
· aid oppressed ethnic groups, particularly those Heinrich Harrer encountered during his expeditions

For further information on the museum, please mail to office@harrermuseum.at.