Within the Gulf of Trieste, the Bay of Grignano is enclosed on one side by a promontory that extends northwards. Tradition has it that this was the place where, on a cold spring day in 1855, Maximilian of Hapsburg had to put ashore from a boating trip because of a sudden squall of bad weather and strong gusts of the local wind, the Bora. Struck by the tough untamed beauty of the coastline and the nearby hilly outcrop the archduke is said to have decided to buy this entire site and use it to realize what had perhaps been the dream of his life: the creation of a park and palace befitting his rank. He would name the place using the Spanish word Miramar, though he himself often used the Spanish version, Miramare – the name which is still used today.
The entire zone would become a key feature of the Trieste coastline. Now owned by the state, both the castle and the park were the fruit of the decisions taken by Maximilian himself, given that he personally oversaw the stages of design and construction. As a result, the building and grounds as they stand today are an expression of Maximilian’s character and passion, a unique testimony to his wide-ranging cultural interests. The furnishings and interiors of the castle are almost entirely original, and the park contains various rare species personally chosen by the archduke himself. To know Miramar is to know Maximilian – and, through him, to become aware of the various trends in architecture in the mid nineteenth-century Europe.*
Miramare is a delightful place. We have apartments – warm in winter and cool in summer – from which one can hear the murmuring of the sea and observe all the fishing boats as they cut through the blue waves.
Charlotte of Belgium, 1861*
*From Castle Miramare historical and museum park by Rossella Fabiani
Gee there no body of water like that in my home town. I got a few photos of Bonners Ferry empty buildings…http://www.peppylady.blogspot.com/2016/01/went-out-and-what-would-you-do-for-our.html
It is a spectacular view isn’t it?
Few stop to think that it took the Power and Wealth of the most undeserving of people (usually just a few that JH would call the ‘THEM’ of the day) to have such palaces built. They have bequeathed treasured to us. Every oppressive cloud has a shed-load of silver behind it, eh?
I bet they would be horrified to find that it was now a show piece for anyone who chooses to visit. Miramare is a jewel of a place, inside and out
This place reminded me so much like a place I saw in Lisbon…
Can’t remember its name thou.
Sigh… signs of ageing.
Wonderful location and images.
Miramare is stunning!