Trauttmansdorff Castle

Trauttmansdorff Castle was established in 1300 AD as 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 deteriorated markedly until the Count of Styria, Joseph von Trauttmansdorff, a relative of the family, bought it in 1846. Again the building was renovated and decorated with neo-Gothic elements. This was also the time in which the castle received the name "Trauttmansdorff".

In 1870, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, together with her daughters Gisela and Marie Valerie, came to Merano for the first time for holidays and occupied some rooms of the castle. Thanks to numerous articles in Austrian newspapers, in those times Merano became really famous as spa town. In 1889, the Empress Sisi came to Merano and Trauttmansdorff Castle once again. During and after WWI, Trauttmansdorff Castle - "Schloss Trauttmansdorff" in German, "Castel Trauttmansdorff" in Italian - 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 fully dedicated to the history of tourism.

In 1994, round the castle the beautiful Botanic Gardens were set out. On this areal of 12 hectares a wide range of plants of all over the world flourish. And how to reach it? The Sisi Path leads in a 45-minute walk from the centre of Merano to the castle, but it is also easily accessible by car (big parking space on the other side of the street) and by public means of transport (bus no. 4).