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The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle
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With views of exotic Mediterranean landscapes, the surrounding mountains and the sun-spoiled resort town of Merano, The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle gather together more than 80 garden worlds within a natural amphitheatre.
The plant world shaped into a paradise for all the senses. Eleven Artist Pavilions interpret the processes of nature playfully and instructively. The exciting journey of discovery through the Gardens reveals numerous Interactive Stations: star architect Matteo Thun’s spectacular viewing platform, an aviary with colourful parrots, the Grotto, the Geological Mosaic, the Dragonfly Clock, the Forbidden Garden, and many others.
The Forests of the World
A scent of exotic broadleaf and conifer woods from North America and East Asia streams out from these miniature forests. With its rushing brook, ferns and "living fossils", they represent nature in its original form. The path leads upward, past splendorous ornamental cherry and rhododendron blossoms to the decorative rice and tea terraces and onward to the Flowering Clay Wall, a uniquely reinforced 90-degree cliff.
The Sun Gardens
In the sunny amphitheatre beneath the Castle, Italy’s northernmost grove of olive trees thrives. Cypresses, pines and bright sunflowers complete the picture of Mediterranean bliss, complemented by beguiling scents of lavender, rosemary, thyme, and the largest collection of sages in Italy. Nearby, towering cacti and other succulents grow on a desert hill.
The Water and Terraced Gardens
Various European garden styles are brought together here, exemplifying man’s artistic shaping of nature. Terraces, steps and waterfalls lead downward to the Water Lily Pond, where the mystical lotus flower of legend unfolds its petals. Colourful camellias abound in a densely planted grove of exotic palms that borders on the pond.
The Landscapes of South Tyrol
A reflection of South Tyrol’s magical variety: A natural downy oak wood extends over the slope, while a fen brings to mind the former marshy landscapes of the
Adige. Orchard and a vineyard preserve native fruit varieties, and the theme of wine has also provided the Gardens with two unique attractions: a golden replica of a 7000-year old grape seed and the patronage of “Versoaln”, the world’s largest and probably oldest grapevine.
Tourism history at Trauttmansdorff Castle
In the Gardens’ centre stands the Castle, which Count Trauttmansdorff had rebuilt from a medieval ruin in 1850. Today it houses the Touriseum, a museum entertainingly recounting 200 years of Alpine tourism history.
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