HISTORY

Museo Storico e il Parco del Castello di Miramare,
a noble and romantic place
straddling art, nature and beauty

The Museo Storico e il Parco del Castello di Miramare is a state museum of the Italian Ministry of Culture that has enjoyed special autonomy since 2016.
The castle is located on the tip of the promontory of Grignano, just a few kilometres from the city of Trieste.
It was built between 1856 and 1860 at the behest of Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, Emperor of Mexico, who chose it as a private residence for himself and his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium (or Charlotte of Saxony Coburg-Gotha, Princess of Belgium).
The building, boldly jutting out into the sea, boasts an enchanting panoramic position; the richness of Mediterranean scents and colours, the dazzling architecture, combine in a perfect synthesis of art and nature.
The Park covers an area of 22 hectares and takes on the traits of the English landscape garden and the orderly and symmetrical traits of the formal garden, with the geometric organisation of the parterre area, an expression of the passions and culture of its creator-designer.
After Maximilian’s tragic death in 1867 in Mexico and Charlotte’s departure for Belgium, Miramare became a destination for short stays by the Habsburgs.
With the end of World War I, the complex came under the direct control of the Italian government, opening to the public in 1929.
From 1932 Miramare became the home of Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta, who lived there for 7 years, adapting the apartments to the style of the time.

Today, Miramare aims to be a highly dynamic place that can relate its identity to the contemporary world, to the cultural landscape, and to the rich cosmopolitan and cross-border heritage of the area in which it stands. (Andreina Contessa, director)