Castel Trauttmansdorff
A majestic castle at Merano in which the Austrian Empress Elizabeth has been spending her holidays.
In the heart of the botanic gardens of Trauttmansdorff, the holonymous castle sits enthroned high above the roofs of Merano. The castle was established in 1300 and at those times it was only a small mansion called Neuberg. When the noble family Trauttmansdorff bought the castle in 1543, they started renovating and extending the building full-scale. After the death of the family the castle was ruinous and until the count Steiermark Joseph von Trauttmansdorff, a relative of the family, bought the castle in 1846. Again the castle has been renovated and decorated with neo-Gothic elements. This was also the time in which the castle received the name Castel Trauttmansdorff. From this time the castle was model for many other castles built in this period.
In 1870 the Empress Elizabeth of Austria came to Merano for the first time and spent her holidays in Merano and occupied some rooms of the castle. Thanks to numerous articles in Austrian newspapers, in those times Merano became really famous as spa city and in 1889 Elizabeth came to Merano once again.
During and after WWI the castle changed hands several times and finally, in 1977 it was handed over to provincial administration. In 2003, the Provincial Museum for Tourism, short Touriseum, was inaugurated, which is the first museum in the alpine area, which is fully dedicated to the history of tourism.
Touriseum - info & opening hours
In 1994, round the castle the botanic gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle were set out. On this areal of 12 hectares a wide range of plants of all over the world flourish.
