Mountaintop Museum Dedicated to James Bond

A new James Bond museum is opening its doors this summer. The museum is in true 007 form, considering that the visitor must travel to a remote, frosty location worthy of a villain's lair.

As Francesca Street of CNN reports, the 007 Elements museum is nestled atop the Gaislachkogl mountain in Sölden, Austria, and is only accessible via cable car. Arranged over two levels, the museum's focus is on digital and interactive installations. As visitors wander through rooms with names inspired by Bond's movies, such as "Barrel of the Gun", "Briefing Room", "Action Hall", they can enjoy educational films about the franchise's history, scripts and studio sets. Guests can also browse through 007's production archives on interactive touch screens.

Although digital exhibits may play an important role in the new museum, 007 elements do feautre a more traditional collection of Bond props-including a full-size airplane that appeared in Spectre. Moreover, thanks to a glass passageway and an open-air plaza, the visitors will have the chance to admire the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. The museum itself is "actually built inside the permafrost of the mountain," Neal Callow (creative director of the project and an art director for the last four Bond films) tells Street.

The Austrian Alps are also tied to the history of Ian Fleming, author of the spy novel series that inspired the James Bond film franchise. As a young man, Fleming moved from England to Kitzbühel, a town in the Austrian mountains. A rebel with a predilection for driving cars and "entertaining girls", Fleming had previously been a student at the prestigious Eton College, where he'd excelled in sports but not academics. He left a semester early and then did a stint at military college, only to withdraw after just one year. Out of desperation, Fleming's mother sent him to study languages in Austria.

Those who can travel to Sölden will be able to visit the 007 Elements museum starting July 12.

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