The blossoming treasure: film premiere about the Huter herbarium

On 8 May, the South Tyrol Museum of Nature will be showing the film "The Blooming Treasure - The Herbarium of Rupert Huter" at Cineplexx Bolzano. It tells the story of the botanist and priest Rupert Huter, who collected a herbarium of over 74,000 specimens on the threshold of the 20th century. The documentary film by Christoph Wieser tells the story of Rupert Huter, a simple farm boy from East Tyrol, who rose to become one of the most important plant collectors and researchers of his time thanks to his passionate dedication to botany. His tireless work and deep-rooted interest in the local flora enabled him to amass an impressive collection of over 74,000 plant specimens, which are now kept in the South Tyrol Museum of Nature. "This treasure, which is Huter's legacy, is of inestimable scientific value and contains species from all over Europe and beyond, including coveted type specimens," explains Thomas Wilhalm, curator of botany at the South Tyrol Nature Museum. The film not only documents Huter's extraordinary contributions to botany, but also offers an insight into the life of a man whose simple origins and pure curiosity led him to worldwide recognition and respect. His passion for collecting, which brought him into contact with prominent botanists of his time and enabled him to take part in unforgettable excursions, is brought to life through interviews, historical documents and breathtaking landscape shots. The Nature Museum has restored and digitised Huter's collection to make it accessible to researchers. This documentary is a tribute to Huter's lifelong passion and tireless spirit of exploration.