Semi-Rural House

At the end of the 1930s, the provincial capital of Bolzano was characterised by large industrial enterprises and the immigration policy of the fascist regime. In order to encourage the immigration of workers and to reverse the numerical balance between the German- and Italian-speaking population in the former Austrian South Tyrol, hundreds of small houses with vegetable gardens were built for the workers in the outskirts: the so-called Semi-Rural Houses.

One of the few remaining buildings can still be found today in the Via Bari road in the Don Bosco district. Most of them were demolished in the 1980s to build larger condominiums and apartment buildings. Already at that time, many former residents expressed the wish to document the origin and development of the Semi-Rural Quarter and to keep the memory of it alive. This was based on five years of research and studies by the working group "Per un museo nelle Semirurali". Since 2015, the small Semi-Rural House has been home to an exhibition course.

On the ground floor, an audio installation tells about daily life in the quarter, the space is equipped with original furniture. On the 1st floor there are several subject areas with photos, films, maps and models. Nearby there is also the memorial of the Bolzano Transit Camp, which was in operation from 1944 to 1945. And how to reach the Semi-Rural House? The best way to reach it is by public transport. The city bus line 3 stops at the adjacent Semi-Rural Park in the Via Bari road.