RANGELEY — Orgonon, the Wilhelm Reich Museum, Dodge Pond Road, will open for the season on Saturday, July 1.

Few places in the world combine the intellectual fascination and raw natural beauty of Orgonon, home of one of the 20th century’s most controversial figures, Austrian born physician-scientist Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957).

The museum represents the life and work of Reich and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The collections contain period furnishings, scientific instruments, paintings and works of art on paper, photographic materials, personal items, textiles and library materials.

The library contains several thousand published volumes, journals, and reports. Forty-six original paintings by Reich, several original drawings and a Kaethe Kollwitz woodcut, scientific charts, and an original blueprint are also within the museum collections.

Children can explore a hands-on discovery room, and the Observatory roof provides vistas of the region’s skies, lakes, and surrounding countryside.

Reich’s tomb, with its bronze portrait bust, is in a forest clearing nearby.

A bookstore/gift shop gives access to all Reich’s published work.

The Observatory is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday in July and August, and from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays in September. Special tours will be accommodated year-round by appointment.

FMI: 207-864-3443, [email protected] or www.wilhelmreichtrust.org.