Castles

If Stone Walls Could Talk…
The outposts, fortresses and ruins that once served in the maintenance of power, in defence, and as residences now adorn Merano’s urban landscape.

It is those ruins and fortresses that convey − more than other places − the history of this land. In South Tyrol, forts gained importance in the tenth and eleventh centuries, when the vassals of the Adige Valley embarked on the struggle against the authority of the bishops and the Counts of Trento, Bressanone and Chur in order to free themselves from their dependence on them. Many of these structures, which are very striking, were subsequently converted into residences when Merano made its transformation into City of Cures.