Scena Castle

A castle was documented at this place already in 1346 AD, but this refers to a forerunner of the building. Only Petermann from Scena, burgrave from Tyrol and minion of Margaret, Countess of Tyrol, had Scena Castle built in 1350, the way it appears today. In the years to follow, it repeatedly changed hands. Among the famous owners there were the Lords of Starkenberg, the Counts of Lichtenstein, Frederick "of the Empty Pockets" and Archduke John of Austria. They inhabited Scena Castle and renovated, changed and shaped it.

Nowadays, the Earls of Merano, descendants of Archduke John of Austria, live in and cultivate the castle complex known as "Schloss Schenna" in German, "Castel Scena" in Italian -. Via a bridge you can reach the entrance and by passing the oubliette you come to the inner courtyard. In the inside you can admire lordy rooms, a Renaissance hall with faience oven dating back to the 18th century, a painting gallery and a weapons collection dating back to the 12th to the 19th century, as well as the biggest private collection of Andreas Hofer, the famous Tyrolean freedom fighter.

Part of the castle complex are also the Thurnerhof, that's to say a farmstead and tavern, as well as a mausoleum in neo-Gothic style, in which Archduke John and his family were entombed. This Archduke John Mausoleum is one of the first and most important sacral buildings in neo-Gothic style of the 19th century. It is open to the public. By the way: Scena Castle is one of the fews castles in the surroundings of Merano which has never been abandoned and so it never began to decay. And how to reach it? At the nearby mausoleum there is a parking space - the village of Scena is also easily accessible by public means of transport.