Trauttmansdorff Castle

At the eastern end of Merano towers Trauttmansdorff Castle, with its powerful walls and the oh-so popular botanic gardens, opened in 2001. In 1300 a small castle with the name Neuberg (Castel di Nova) was built in this place. In the 16th century the building passed into the hands of the noble Trauttmansdorff family. They enlarged the castle, but it fell into decay after the dying out of this family. The crypt, the south western walls and the rooms with the frescoes date back to Middle Ages.

In 1846, however, Joseph von Trauttmansdorff, a count from Styria visited the town and fell in love with the building of his relatives. He renovated it and made it a neo-Gothic castle. Since then the castle is known under its today's name. It is deemed to be the earliest example of a neo-Gothic castle in Tyrol. Trauttmansdorff Castle gained popularity when in 1870 the Austrian empress Sissi, together with her daughters Gisela and Marie Valerie, chose Trauttmansdorff Castle as her holiday residence for seven months. Empress Sissi came a second time in 1889. In 1899 Baron Friedrich von Deuster let add a hall in neo-rococo style. After the two World Wars Trauttmansdorff Castle dilapidated noticeably until it was renovated from 2000 until 2003.

Nowadays, Trauttmansdorff Castle houses the South Tyrolean Museum of Tourism, also known as Touriseum, the first museum of tourism in the Alpine area. Here you are introduced to the historical development of tourism in this region in a truly stimulating and entertaining manner. Trauttmansdorff Castle is owned by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.