International Mountain Museums Alliance

The International Mountain Museums Alliance (IMMA) is an international, non-governmental alliance that brings together museums holding mountain-related collections and museums dedicated to the history of mountain exploration. It was founded in 2015 on International Mountain Day, with its official headquarters at the National Mountain Museum (Museo Nazionale della Montagna) in Turin, Italy. The alliance grew out of nearly six years of cultural cooperation between the Tatra Museum in Zakopane, Poland, and the National Mountain Museum in Turin. Its founding was initiated by the directors of those two institutions, Anna Wende-Surmiak and Aldo Audisio, who sought to create a network of mountain-themed museums. The founding agreement was symbolically signed on 11 December 2015, International Mountain Day, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. The agreement was signed by the directors of five mountain museums: the Tatra Museum in Zakopane, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, the National Mountain Museum in Turin, the Musée Alpin in Chamonix, the Servei General d'Informació de Muntanya in Sabadell, and the Slovenian Mountain Museum in Mojstrana. Anna Wende-Surmiak, a Polish museum director, was elected the first president of the alliance. IMMA's mission is to promote mountain culture, facilitate the exchange of experience among member museums, and organize joint projects. The alliance maintains an online presence at mountainmuseums.org, which offers interactive galleries, thematic galleries, a virtual atlas, virtual visits, and personal galleries. Through its digital platform, users can navigate a vast selection of significant works from the National Mountain Museum in Turin and the Musée Alpin in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, exploring the past and present of the western Alps. The website also highlights figures such as Walter Bonatti and Gaston Rébuffat, reflecting the alliance's focus on mountaineering heritage. IMMA is governed by a president. Anna Wende-Surmiak served from 2015 to 2022, and Carles Capellas has held the presidency since 2022. The alliance continues to operate as a collaborative network of mountain museums, with its secretariat based in Turin.

The International Mountain Museums Alliance (IMMA) was established in 2015, emerging from a cultural partnership between the Tatra Museum in Zakopane, Poland, and the National Mountain Museum in Turin, Italy. The two institutions had collaborated for nearly six years before their directors, Anna Wende-Surmiak and Aldo Audisio, proposed the creation of an international alliance of mountain museums. The founding agreement was signed on 11 December 2015, International Mountain Day, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. The signatories were the directors of five mountain museums: the Tatra Museum in Zakopane, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, the National Mountain Museum in Turin, the Musée Alpin in Chamonix, the Servei General d'Informació de Muntanya in Sabadell, and the Slovenian Mountain Museum in Mojstrana. Anna Wende-Surmiak was elected the first president of the alliance, serving from 2015 to 2022. Carles Capellas succeeded her in 2022. The alliance's official headquarters is at the National Mountain Museum in Turin. Its objectives include promoting mountain culture, facilitating the exchange of experiences among member museums, and organizing joint projects. The alliance operates a digital platform at mountainmuseums.org, which provides access to interactive and thematic galleries, a virtual atlas, virtual visits, and personal galleries, featuring collections from the National Mountain Museum in Turin and the Musée Alpin in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.

• 2022

  Carles Capellas becomes president.

• 2015

  Founding agreement signed on 11 December, International Mountain Day, at FAO headquarters in Rome.

• 2015

  Anna Wende-Surmiak elected first president.

An international non-governmental alliance promoting mountain culture and cooperation among mountain museums worldwide.

• Interactive virtual galleries

• Thematic galleries

• Virtual atlas

• Virtual visits

• Personal galleries

1. 1IALP Mountain Museumsmountainmuseums.org
2. 2International Mountain Museums Alliancewikidata.org
3. 3Międzynarodowy Związek Muzeów Górskichpl.wikipedia.org