Trieste: Castle entices visitors with its beauty, view

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. R.J. Biermann
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  If you enjoy history and castles, then the Miramare Castle should be on your "Must visit" list during your stay at Aviano, Italy.

On a recent trip to Trieste, Italy, my family and I stopped at the castle, which is about an hour-and-a-half drive from the Aviano area.

Miramare Castle was built in the mid-19th century for Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife, Charlotte. Ferdinand was only 22 years old when the castle's construction began in 1856.

Ferdinand, once the Commander in Chief of the Austrian Imperial Navy, chose Trieste because it overlooked the sea. Architect Carl Junker built the exterior of the castle almost entirely of limestone and completed construction in 1860.

Ferdinand hired craftsman, Franz Hofmann, to furnish and decorate the interior. Ironically, Ferdinand would never see Hofmann's finished work, since he departed for Mexico in 1864 to become the emperor of the Second Mexican Empire.

Some of the first floor was fashioned after Ferdinand's quarters on his Austrian Imperial Navy frigate, the Novara. A noticeable item seen in various wall hangings, carvings and paintings is the pineapple, which Ferdinand chose as a symbol of abundance for the coat he designed for the castle. The Maximilian's bed is another item of note, which was given to them by Pope Pius IX as a wedding gift.

The castle sits on 54 acres of land, dubbed Miramare Park. In 1859, Anton Jelinek, a gardener who Ferdinand met on the Novara, was hired to landscape the area. The garden was built for Charlotte and includes flora from Asia, America, Africa and Europe.

In 1864, the Maximilian's left Trieste for Mexico, never to return to the castle.

Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s royalty would stay in the castle during visits to the area. Throughout WWI and WWII the castle was used by several countries' militaries. In 1955 the castle was turned into a museum.

If you're a history enthusiast, love castles and beautiful scenery, visit the Miramare Castle in Trieste.