The Castle of Miramare

The Castle of Miramare was built by order of Ferdinand Maximilian of Hapsburg who decided to have a residence for himself and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium befitting his rank built on the outskirts of Trieste.

The castle’s grounds include an extensive cliff and seashore park of 22 hectares (54 acres) designed by the archduke. The grounds were completely re-landscaped to feature numerous tropical species of trees and plants.

Visitors to the castle will be able to see the following: Maximilian’s chambers and those of his consort, Charlotte; the guest rooms; the information room telling the history of the castle and the park’s construction; the Duke Amedeo of Aosta’s apartment with furnishings from the 1930s in the Rationalist style. All the rooms still feature the original furnishings, ornaments, furniture and objects dating back to the middle of the 19th century. Particularly noteworthy are the music room where Charlotte used to play the fortepiano, now on show in room VII and the archduke’s office, which reproduce the cabin and the stern wardroom respectively of the frigate Novara, the war-ship used by Maximilian when he was Commander of the Navy to circumnavigate the world