Meran

Title

Meran

Description

View shows the city of Merano in the northern Italian province of South Tyrol.

ca. 1840

Artist

Frommel (1789-1863)

Carl Ludwig Frommel was a German draftsman, etcher, copper and steel engraver, professor in Karlsruhe and director of the Grand Ducal Picture Gallery.

Historical Description

Merano itself was first mentioned in 857 as Mairania. In the 12th century at the latest, Merano became the center of the County of Tyrol. At the end of the 14th century, Merano was granted numerous princely privileges by Leopold III to promote trade. In 1445 the famous minnesinger Oswald von Wolkenstein, who was visiting Merano, died in the sovereign's castle. With the move of the sovereign Frederick "with the empty pocket" to Innsbruck in 1420, as well as the rise of the Brenner Pass to the most important trade route across the Eastern Alps as a result of the construction of the Kuntersweg, Merano quickly lost its pre-eminence and its importance as an economic center. The transfer of the provincial mint by his successor Duke Sigmund to Hall in the Inn Valley around 1475 also weakened Merano's position. It was not until the Tyrolean freedom fights of 1809 that Merano again became the center of attention: on the Küchelberg above Merano, the Tyroleans won a victory over the French and the Bavarians. In 1855 Merano became a health resort, nobles and the upscale bourgeoisie came in ever greater numbers.