South Tyrol Planetarium

Planetarium South Tyrol is located in the centre of Gummer, a hamlet in the municipality of Karneid in the Eggental valley, about 35 minutes' drive from Bolzano. It is the only planetarium between the Brenner Pass and Trentino, and together with the Max Valier Observatory, the Peter Anich Solar Observatory and the Planet Trail, it forms part of the First European Star Village. The site was chosen for good reason: perched at around 1,340 metres and far from any major light sources, Gummer enjoys one of the clearest night skies in South Tyrol.

Journey through the Universe

Inside the planetarium, up to 53 visitors settle into comfortable seats and travel through the cosmos as if aboard a spaceship. An eight-metre dome screen delivers high-resolution 360-degree fulldome 3D projections at around twelve million pixels — a level of technology found in only a handful of planetariums worldwide. The programme changes regularly and ranges from tours of our solar system and expeditions to distant galaxies to shows designed especially for children. Since the planetarium simulates the night sky regardless of weather or time of day, it makes an ideal outing even on overcast days.

Observatory, Solar Observatory and Planet Trail

Those looking to dive deeper into astronomy after the show will find the Max Valier Observatory in Obergummer, just up the hill — South Tyrol's only public observatory. Its Cassegrain reflector telescope, with a mirror diameter of 80 centimetres, collects 10,000 times more light than the human eye. Public guided tours take place on Thursday and Friday evenings year-round. Right next to it stands the Peter Anich Solar Observatory, where daytime tours offer close-up views of the sun through a specialist telescope. Connecting the two sites is the three-hour Planet Trail, which maps out the solar system at a scale of one to one billion and winds through meadows, forests and wetlands with views of the Dolomites.

Take highway's exit “Bolzano Nord/Eggental”, turn right direction Bolzano/Bozen, after about 0,5 km on roundabout keep left and head towards Val d’Ega (SS 241). Keep driving up to Ponte Nova. At Ponte Nova’s crossroads, turn to the left and continue to S. Valentino (about 25 min. from highway toll booth).