Merano Magazine 01 2013

➍
➊ Merano, City of literature
The international appeal of the spa
town, Merano/Meran, and the entire
Burgraviato/Burggrafenamt started to
blossom in the mid-nineteenth century.
Between 1870 and 1872 all the attendance
records were broken and records
show that it had become a spa resort of
international renown. Princess elizabeth
and her younger daughter, archduchess
Valerie, established their headquarters
in Castel Trautmannsdorff. The influx of
poets into the town was constant. The
greatest poet from the Munich school
and Nobel laureate, Paul heyse, wrote
his "Novelle Merano" in 1863 and in the
1890s, Rainer Maria Rilke lived in the
town, composing two beautiful poems in
Castel Monteleone. since 1950, readings
and literary events have been organized
by the "Cultural May" initiative which
have brought people from south Tyrol
and beyond into the halls of the Kursaal.
The Nobel Prize winner salvatore Quasimodo
and the poet Giuseppe ungaretti
were among the distinguished guests in
1957/1958. Peggy Guggenheim opened
the "Galleria del Corso", which fell into
oblivion. We must not forget to mention
the great american poet, ezra Pound,
who made his home in Castel Fontana
in Merano during the sixties and rose to
fame thanks to his "Cantos."
➋ The Blue City
Merano/Meran has a strong bond with
water and for this reason it’s known as
the “city of the Passirio”. its very location
owes much to water, which allows it to offer
the best leisure and recreational areas
and activities. as a tourist town, Merano
is linked to water treatments, from drinking
water to thermal baths. Merano also
boasts a great canoeing tradition which
gives it the status of water sports capital
of south Tyrol. of a total of 17,500
recorded water sources in south Tyrol,
some of the most famous are located in
Merano and these have been used by
the tourism sector right from the word
go. Based on the culture of the thermal
baths of the past, or treatments linked
to drinking water, state-of-the-art spa
and wellness centres have developed
innovative treatments and services,
reflecting the recent trend for visiting
places that can offer spa treatments.
Therefore, Merano offers a plethora of
thermal baths and swimming pools at
the Terme Merano complex, as well as
indoor swimming pools, beaches and
outdoor swimming pools throughout
the surrounding area.
english
summary
➌ Trauttmansdorff:
a Paradise for Explorers
The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle
are located just outside of Merano/Meran.
The inspiring and vibrant Gardens
are the most popular tourist attraction
in south Tyrol. They comprise more than
eighty garden worlds featuring plants
from across the globe. Trauttmansdorff
never rests as a botanical garden: it gives
the visitor a chance to pause, marvel,
and take in just how many different ways
there are to turn nature into an experience.
The landscape itself with winding
trails and playfully designed vantage
points suggests a wealth of perspective
of roots. The new Botanical underworld
attraction affords an intriguingly subterranean
perspective: that of roots and bulbs.
Trauttmansdorff’s will even outdo itself
this season, though: its Glass house, opening
in late summer, will feature special
plant collections and terrariums that provide
insights into exotic worlds. Because
the Touriseum will be marking its tenth
anniversary, this year’s special exhibition
poses the question, "Where will the developments
in tourism of the last ten years
take us?"
➍ Terme Merano: Spa and
Nature
“Treatments courtesy of Mother Nature in
south Tyrol” is the motto, and local natural
products play a key role in the health and
wellness services offered at Terme Merano.
south Tyrolean products provides the
raw materials used for the various treatments
as well as for the Terme Merano
proprietary line of bodycare products,
with apples, grapes, whey, wool and herbs
all sourced in the region. Besides being a
wonderful example of modern architecture,
the Terme Merano are one of the best
thermal parks in europe. The five hectares
of land on which the complex is built showcase
a variety of flora, providing optimum
conditions for people seeking relaxation
and peace and quiet. in total, there are
more than 5,900 shrubs and bushes and
300 different species of tree, all of which
contribute to turning the area into a green
oasis in the very heart of the town.
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