One of the most famous guests of the spa town of Merano in the 19th century was the Austrian Empress Sissi, and she was delighted!
When you visit the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, you enter noble terrain, as also the Empress Sissi, Elisabeth of Austria and wife of Franz Joseph I of Austria, walked in this area. Twice she holidayed in Merano. Today the former living spaces of the Empress host a collection of studies of the Touriseum, the South Tyrolean Museum of Tourism. Empress Sissi was keen on making extended walks across the downy oak forests at Trauttmansdorff Castle and to stroll around “far away and untroubled by the noises of the world”.
In 1994, when the constructions of the gardens were in early stage, lilies and iris dating back to the times of Elizabeth were found. Also the original paths got integrated in the parkway. To the honour of the Austrian emperor couple, in 1908 a 3 metres long white marble bench was established and today exactly this bench can be found on the newly designed terrace of Trauttmansdorff Castle. It offers an imperial view on the gardens.
Also the “Sissi-Weg” (Sissi Path), which starts at Trauttmansdorff Castle, reminds on the imperial visit. This path takes you past lordly villas, impressive residences and old parkways and finally to the centre of Merano.
