Sightseeing in Meran
A journey of discovery through the town is an absolute must, as the town centre and also the immediate surroundings are home to countless treasures from the history of art and bear witness to an eventful past: fairytale castles, numerous predominantly Gothic churches with unusual architectural details, museums with idiosyncratic contents, a modern art gallery.... not to mention the famous green parks, promenades and footpaths and the mediaeval town centre with its arcades, narrow alleys and buildings bristling with oriels and arches.

The history of Meran Spa
Prehistoric finds of menhirs and ring and cup stones provide evidence of the very early settlement of the Meran basin in about 2000 BC. In about 15 BC the Romans occupied the whole of the Etscht valley and established the town as a military camp "Castrum Majense" and a staging point on the most important north-south transalpine crossing route. Because of Meran’s excellent location, trading played an important rôle in the Early Middle Ages for the new occupiers, the Ostrogoths, Franks, Lombards and Bavarians.

A milestone in the history of the small town at the foot of the Küchelberg was reached when the little town, because of its wonderfully strategic position, was appointed capital of the Tyrol and for the first time was granted town status (with town charter) in the 13th century. This is how the Burggrafenamt – the area between the town of Töll at the entrance to the Vinschgau valley and the village of Gargazon in the Etsch valley, with Meran exactly in the middle – became such an important administrative centre. Notable residences dating from this time give us an inkling of Meran’s significance then as the "old capital of the Tyrol".

In 1363 the House of Habsburg took responsibility for the fate of Tyrol, when the last Tyrolean Countess, Margarethe Maultasch, abdicated. Some time later, in 1420, the ducal court was finally moved to Innsbruck and in 1477 the Mint came to Hall in the Tyrol. Consequently Meran very quickly lost its pre-eminence and reputation as a centre of commerce. Little remained of the glory
of Tyrol’s former capital. Soon the towns of Bozen and Innsbruck assumed the lead in trade and commerce. It was not surprising that the population turned to crafts and agriculture. The proud Meran of the Tyrolean Counts had become an insignificant little rural town. It wasn’t until the Tyrolean struggles for freedom of 1809 that the Burggrafenamt became the centre of attention once more: on Küchelberg above Meran there was bitter fighting between the Tyroleans and the French. The Tyroleans were victorious. Shortly afterwards revolutionary changes took place: well known scientists and doctors began to show great interest in the town’s especially mild climate and the idea of turning Meran into a spa town took hold. Within a short time the town’s name was synonymous with recuperation and healing even beyond Tyrol’s borders. The spa town, or rather "climatic health resort" became the favourite travel destination of the Middle European nobility.
Not only the Hapsburgs esteemed the town on the Passer, but also the Prussian, English , French and Russian nobility highly valued Meran’s climate and location and its accompanying landscape. A new road network was laid out, the area around the town was enclosed, hotels and leisure facilities were built, parks and footpaths were made and, with this, the town’s green areas so popular today were created. At the turn of the century the town shone with a new splendour.

This striving for progress was only brought to a close when the First World War broke out. In the years between the wars efforts were made to repair a lot of the damage. In the thirties radon was found in the spring water on the Vigiljoch, providing the basis for a new health resort, for the Meran Spa.
In addition everything was done to create new facilities which would attract tourists: the opening of the race course, for example, took place at precisely this time.

However, the Second World War again put a powerful brake on the efforts to restore Meran’s reputation as a world famous spa. The hotels had to be closed. However negative the effect of this was on tourism, the temporary ending of the "seasons" had a positive effect on the survival of the town: the big hotels were turned into hospitals and, as a result Meran was spared from being bombed. Almost untouched by the devastating consequences of the war, reconstruction was begun after 1945, and soon succeeded in establishing Meran as one of the most important tourist resorts in South Tyrol. Today the town on the Passer has kept its charm as a thermal and climatic health resort and also as a town of culture. Elegant hotels, well-maintained gardens and generously laid-out parks bear witness to the town’s great past and to its present cosmopolitan nature. It is these, together with other modernisations made to the townscape, which characterise Meran as the unique " Mediterranean town in the heart of the Alps".