Tiffany

Meran - a Spa town in the middle of the Alps

by desert_princess

"Meran - a famous spa town"

Meran in German / Merano in Italian is probably best known as a spa town in Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy , known for its mediterranean climate and the pure, healthy air.

It is the second biggest city of the province (after Bozen-Bolzano) , located inside a basin at an altitude of 325m above sea level , surrounded by Snowy mountain peaks (1500-3335 m), at the entrance to the Passeiertal-Val Passiria, the Vinschgau and the Ultental valleys.
Medieval Castles and fortresses are watching over the city from ancient times till today.

Here at a high located plateau, you can find the Village called Tirol with its Castle that gave the name to the whole area. The contrast of the palm trees and the snowy peaks is lovely. The town is famous for its mineral springs and mediterranean climate.

"A look into history"

Meran-Merano, 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, Meran-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-Merano the Tyroleans eked out a victory against the French and the Bavarians. After World War I, Meran-Merano became part of Italy with the rest of the South Tyrol, but unlike Bozen-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. Nevertheless, all originally tyrolean geographic names were prohibited and exchanged through Italianised names (even surenames lost their validity until World War II). After 1945, it became one of the most important sites of tourism in the region.

"Meran in Numbers"

Municipality: Meran (German)
Merano (Italian)
District: Burggrafenamt-Burgraviato
Province: Bozen-Bolzano (South Tyrol)
Region: Trentino-South Tyrol
Country: Italy
Population 33 400 inhabitants (2002),
Language groups according to census of 2001
51.5% German , 48.0% Italian , 0.5% Ladin
Coordinates: 46°40′ N 11°09′ E
Sea level: 320 m
Area: 26.3 km²
Neighbourhoods: Gratsch-Quarazze, Obermais-Maia Alta, Untermais-Maia Bassa, Meran-Merano, Sinich-Sinigo,
Neighbouring communities: Algund-Lagundo, Burgstall-Postal, Hafling-Avelengo, Lana, Marling-Marlengo, Schenna-Scena, Tirol-Tirolo, Tscherms-Cermes, Vöran-Vereno
City partnerships: Salzburg
Postal Code: 39012
Area Code: 0473