Museum Ladin Ursus ladinicus

The Museum Ladin Ursus ladinicus is located in San Cassiano in Alta Badia and houses various exhibits and the full skeleton of the cave bear that lived in the Dolomites around 50,000 years ago. An exhibition on three floors is dedicated to this new type of bear, called Ursus ladinicus, found in the Conturines Cave in the Dolomites of Val Badia.

It was hotelier and mountain guide Willy Costamoling who discovered the Conturines Cave in 1987 while searching for minerals, thus bringing to light not only the ancient remains it contained, such as the bear skeleton, but also identifying the highest cave in the world where bones and remains of bears and cave lions have been found.

Following the discovery, the Museum Ladin Ursus ladinicus was set up to preserve this fundamental discovery and bring it to the attention of the whole world, and was inaugurated in the summer of 2011.

Spread over three floors, the museum displays documentary material on the formation of the Dolomites and the Conturines Cave, on the discovery and excavation and on all the particularities of the prehistoric bear and its natural environment. There is not only the entire skeleton of the cave bear, but also video installations and reproductions.

The Ladin bear, named after the Ladin valley, is a special breed of ancient bear distinguished from the others by its size and slender figure.

The purchase of a ticket to visit the Museum Ladin Ursus ladinicus also gives access to the Ladin Museum Ciastel de Tor in San Martino in Badia, dedicated to Ladin culture and tradition.

Opening times and tickets

1st of May – 1st sunday of November

Prices

Museum Ladin Ursus ladinicus
Strada Micurà de Rü, 26
39030 San Cassiano (BZ) 
tel. +39 0474 524020