Meran (German) / Merano (Italian) is probably best known as a spa in the South Tyrol. It is the second biggest city of the province (after Bozen-Bolzano) and located inside a basin, surrounded by mountains(1500-3335 m), at the entrance to the Passeiertal-Val Passiria, the Vinschgau-Val Venosta and the Ultental-Val d'Ultimo valleys.
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In the past, this idyllic town has been a popular place of residence for many famous scientists and doctors, who appriciated the mild, mediterranian climate and the pure, healing air.
Among the town's landmarks are the Museum of Tourism, which was opened in spring of 2003 and shows the historical development of tourism in the South Tyrol-Alto Adige, and the botanic garden. Both sites are located in the Chateaux Trauttmansdorff.
History
Meran, capital of the county of the Tyrol from 1418 to 1848, was elevated to the status of a city during the 13th century. When Friedrich IV moved the court to Innsbruck in 1420, Merano quickly lost its predominant position and its importance as an economic hub. Only the Tyrolean struggle for freedom of 1809 drew a lot of attention again: On the Küchelberg above Meran the Tyroleans eked out a victory against the French and the Bavarians. After World War I, Merano became part of Italy with the rest of the Alto Adige, but unlike Bolzano the plans of the fascist regime to assimilate the German speaking citizens by setteling a majority of citizens from other parts of the Italian kingdom failed because of skillful negotations of the city administration led by Baron Marcart . After 1945, it became one of the most important sites of tourism in the region.
External links
- http://www.meran.com, http://www.meraninfo.it or http://www.comune.merano.bz.it Official website
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