The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle (german: Die Gärten von Schloss Trauttmansdorff; it, I Giardini di Castel Trauttmansdorff) are

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

s located on the grounds of Trauttmansdorff Castle in

Meran Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier ...

, Italy. The gardens are open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.

History

The gardens were initially laid out circa 1850 by Count Joseph von Trauttmansdorff (1788-1870) during the castle's restoration. Empress Elisabeth of Austria was a frequent visitor to Meran and the gardens. A bronze

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

in her memory was placed in the gardens after her assassination in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

in 1898. After being used for other purposes the original gardens disappeared. Between 1994 and 2001 a completely new garden was planted around the castle. In 2001 the new Trauttmansdorff botanical gardens were opened to public.

Gardens

Today the castle grounds contain about 80 dedicated gardens with local and exotic plants, organized by region of origin, including typical landscapes of

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province , image_skyline = ...

. Principal features of interest include: * Forests of the world – conifers and deciduous trees from the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. * Oleander Steps – flowering

oleander ''Nerium oleander'' ( ), most commonly known as oleander or nerium, is a shrub or small tree cultivated worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant. It is the only species currently classified in the ge ...

, an ancient

olive tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

, etc. * Sun Gardens – cultivated plants of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

, including cypress,

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

grapevine ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, ...

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...

, and Italy's northernmost olive grove. * Water and Terraced Gardens – various gardens, including a formal

Italian garden The Italian garden (or giardino all'italiana () is best known for a number of large Italian Renaissance gardens which have survived in something like their original form. In the history of gardening, during the Renaissance, Italy had the most ...

English garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (french: Jardin à l'anglaise, it, Giardino all'inglese, german: Englischer Landschaftsgarten, pt, Jardim inglês, es, Jardín inglés), is a sty ...

, and sensual garden. * The landscapes of South Tyrol – testimony of the ancient vegetation of the Valle dell'Adige. The gardens also contain

Aesculapian Snake The Aesculapian snake (now ''Zamenis longissimus'', previously ''Elaphe longissima''), is a species of nonvenomous snake native to Europe, a member of the Colubrinae subfamily of the family Colubridae. Growing up to in length, it is among th ...

s in their natural habitat, courtesy of the Alpine Zoo of Innsbruck, an

aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Avi ...

, a Japanese alluvial forest,

rice terrace In agriculture, a terrace is a piece of sloped plane that has been cut into a series of successively receding flat surfaces or platforms, which resemble steps, for the purposes of more effective farming. This type of landscaping is therefore ...

s, and

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

plantations. File:2008 07 Botanical Garden Meran 70980R0276.jpg,

Rice terrace In agriculture, a terrace is a piece of sloped plane that has been cut into a series of successively receding flat surfaces or platforms, which resemble steps, for the purposes of more effective farming. This type of landscaping is therefore ...

s in the Sun Gardens File:070406-10 Schloss Trauttmansdorff 3.jpg, View of the fountain File:2008 07 Botanical Garden Meran 71490R0374.jpg, A collection of succulent plants in the Water and Terraced Gardens File:Südtirol 1 0161.jpg, Iceland poppy (''

Papaver nudicaule ''Papaver nudicaule'', the Iceland poppy, is a boreal flowering plant. Equivalence with ''Papaver croceum'' has been contested. Native to subpolar regions of Asia and North America, and the mountains of Central Asia as well as temperate China ( ...

'') field File:Botanischer Garten Meran 05.JPG, View of the gardens File:Botanischer Garten Meran 22.JPG, Bronze bust of Empress Elisabeth, who was a frequent visitor

References

Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle

BGCI entry
* Udo Bernhart, Ulrike Dubis, ''Trauttmansdorff - Die Gärten / Giardini / The Gardens'', BLV Buchverlag GmbH & Co, 2006. .

External links

Homepage of the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle
{{Authority control Botanical gardens in Italy Parks in South Tyrol Merano Gardens in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol

History

Gardens

See also

References

External links