Trauttmansdorff Castle and Gardens, Meran, Italy

The origins of Trauttmansdorff Castle go all the way back to the Middle Ages. The structure was first documented in 1300 as Neuberg Castle. The medieval walls are still visible on the southwest side, and the crypt dates from that period. The fresco room has also been preserved from the Renaissance period.

In the mid-19th century, Count Joseph von Trauttmansdorff bought the dilapidated building and renovated it using neo-Gothic elements. Trauttmansdorff Castle is thus Tyrol’s earliest example of a neo-Gothic castle. The next owner, Baron Friedrich von Deuster raised the east wing of the castle one level by adding the grand Rococo Hall in 1899, significantly altering the shape of the castle. The castle, which had been neglected after the world wars, was renovated again between 2000 and 2003: the siding, chapel, crypt, Rococo Hall, and Empress Elisabeth’s second floor living quarters have all been restored to their former splendor.

The gardens were initially laid out circa 1850 by Count Trauttmansdorff during the castle's restoration. Empress Elisabeth of Austria was a frequent visitor to Meran and the gardens. A bronze bust in her memory was placed in the gardens after her assassination in Geneva in 1898.

References:

Die Gärten von Schloss Trauttmansdorff

Castles and fortifications in Italy

User Reviews

Brad Couper (2 months ago)
Amazing gardens, extremely well done. We spent about 4 hours there (including a lovely coffee break by the lake) and enjoyed every minute. Highly recommended to do!

Anja Svecarovski (3 months ago)
OK, how to review something that is so magnificent. If you, like me, love to visit each spot and take a LOT of photos, it will take you 7 hours, with lunch and coffee in the afternoon. But it is worth it, as you see many different plants and installations and you can see surrounding mountains from 2 high spots (it is safe, I'm afraid of heights and I managed to get there and back slowly). You only need to have a mask in some places with a bigger concentration of people, but it's mostly without. Take your time and enjoy your time there, take breaks and soak in the surrounding and you will feel relaxed in the end, even though you walked a lot :) Their map is amazingly easy to follow.

Sanne Hombroek (3 months ago)
Everything here is beautiful! The maintenance is impeccable, the waitress at the restaurant was extremely efficient and very friendly. The Touriseum inside is very cool as well, especially liked the giant 'pinball machine'. It can get very hot in summer.

Il corbello Di Pianoia (4 months ago)
The museum is decent. The gardens are quite interesting. If you live in countryside, don't bother to visit, it's not worth the price. If you're from a big city, it's a breath of fresh air so I suggest you to visit it.

Misa Stanojevic (4 months ago)
Beautiful botanical garden with also a beautiful castle. Beautiful flowers with amazing flowers and colourful. Big flipper made of wood. I reccomend this place to visit!!! There is also a restaurant in case you want to refresh. And you a few hours to see it all

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Ana Paula Hirama

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The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc is a Baroque monument built in 1716–1754 in honour of God. The main purpose was a spectacular celebration of Catholic Church and faith, partly caused by feeling of gratitude for ending a plague, which struck Moravia between 1713 and 1715. The column was also understood to be an expression of local patriotism, since all artists and master craftsmen working on this monument were Olomouc citizens, and almost all depicted saints were connected with the city of Olomouc in some way. The column is the biggest Baroque sculptural group in the Czech Republic. In 2000 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

The column is dominated by gilded copper sculptures of the Holy Trinity accompanied by the Archangel Gabriel on the top and the Assumption of the Virgin beneath it.

The base of the column, in three levels, is surrounded by 18 more stone sculptures of saints and 14 reliefs in elaborate cartouches. At the uppermost stage are saints connected with Jesus’ earth life – his mother’s parents St. Anne and St. Joachim, his foster-father St. Joseph, and St. John the Baptist, who was preparing his coming – who are accompanied by St. Lawrence and St. Jerome, saints to whom the chapel in the Olomouc town hall was dedicated. Three reliefs represent the Three theological virtues Faith, Hope, and Love.

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In the lowest stage one can see the figures of an Austrian patron St. Maurice and a Bohemian patron St. Wenceslas, in whose names two important Olomouc churches were consecrated, another Austrian patron St. Florian, who was also viewed as a protector against various disasters, especially fire, St. John of Capistrano, who used to preach in Olomouc, St. Anthony of Padua, a member of the Franciscan Order, which owned an important monastery in Olomouc, and St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a patron of students. His sculpture showed that Olomouc was very proud of its university. Reliefs of all twelve apostles are placed among these sculptures.

The column also houses a small chapel inside with reliefs depicting Cain's offering from his crop, Abel's offering of firstlings of his flock, Noah's first burnt offering after the Flood, Abraham's offering of Isaac and of a lamb, and Jesus' death. The cities of Jerusalem and Olomouc can be seen in the background of the last mentioned relief.

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