Empress Elisabeth
Sissi at Trauttmansdorff
10/03/2023
Die Gärten von Schloss Trauttmansdorff
The Austrian Empress Elisabeth loved the spa town of Merano and Trauttmansdorff Castle.
After her arrival “in the strictest incognito” (yet with a retinue of 102 people!) via the newly commissioned Brenner Railway, Sissi moved into her rooms – sumptuously furnished and renovated especially for her – at Merano’s Trauttmansdorff Castle for the first time on 16 October 1870.
A castle for an empress
A new court telegraph office, with direct connection to Vienna, was even set up expressly for Sissi. The monarch only used a few rooms of the castle, which was unusual for an empress. There were, however, the most beautiful rooms in the entire castle: they offered spectacular views of the Adige (Etsch) Valley and were graced with lavish tiled ovens, frescoes and elaborately ornamented wooden ceilings. On account of its sunny location, protected from the wind, the Austrian Empress Elisabeth selected Trauttmansdorff Castle for her vacation.
It was thanks to Empress Sissi’s stay at Trauttmansdorff and the speedy recovery of her ailing daughter, Marie Valerie, that the town of Merano achieved world fame as a health resort. Trauttmansdorff Castle became a fashionable destination for aristocrats and the well heeled – and was always fully booked.
It was not until 1889 – 18 years after her first stay at Merano’s Trauttmansdorff Castle and half a year after the death of her son, Rudolf – that Sissi issued the order to rent the castle for another stay. Her return to Merano was most likely due to “memories of earlier, happier times,” as the empress later wrote about her stay at Trauttmansdorff. Empress Sissi spent two of her four Merano health sojourns at Trauttmansdorff Castle.
Sissi Terrace & Sissi's Throne
In 1908, Baron von Deuster, who was the owner of Trauttmansdorff Castle, erected a white three-meter-long marble, with pictures of the couple, at the empress’s favorite spot beneath an old chestnut tree. Today the same bench sits regally on a stately terrace, redesigned in 2005, located on the southern end of Trauttmansdorff Castle. The wide, semi-circular steps done in marble and slate allow the visitor to practically float up to Sissi’s Throne, gleaming and white.
Sissi Promenade & Bust of Sissi
Passionate about sports, Sissi loved long walks. She requested that "charming footpaths" be strewn with "fine gravel" so that she could "take a walk far removed and undisturbed by the noise of the world". Even today, Trauttmansdorff visitors use some of these same historical paths around the botanical garden when they walk along the Sissi Promenade.
Sissi statue
The city of Merano keeps the memory of her stay alive too. The Summer Promenade is home to a "Sissi" statue, and "Sissi's Walk" today links Trauttmansdorff Castle to the old town of Merano.
The former living quarters of Empress Sissi on the second floor of Trauttmansdorff Castle have been preserved right up to the present day and are open to visitors. The fresco room, which is graced by a richly ornamented wooden ceiling and frescoes dating from 1564, is the oldest room in the castle.
Permanent exhibition
Immerse in Sissi’s world
A permanent exhibition has been housed within the historical walls since 2008. Here, visitors are immersed in Sissi’s world and thoughts, viewing an exhibit of her own personal items and listening to radio play staged in a modern way.