THE MIRAMARE CASTLE

STORY This eclectic edifice was built between 1856 and 1860 according to the wishes of Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg (later to become Emperor of Mexico), and planned by Carl Junker. The interior furniture and decorations are genuine period pieces. The extensive park (22 hectares) is located on the seashore and was designed by the Archduke. The cliff it was built on, which had no vegetation whatsoever at the time, was cultivated with numerous tropical species of trees and plants.

There is a natural reserve... Flora & Fauna The promontory is safeguarded for its particular geomorphological characteristics that determine the flora and the fauna and make Miramare a unique environment. Indeed, it represents all the distinctive features of the Gulf of Trieste. The Gulf is characterised by strong tidal ranges that may exceed 1.5 m, whereas other Mediterranean coasts reach an average level of 20 cm.

Biological monitoring surveys have been carried out in the protected area for several years and have detected more than 1200 species belonging to different taxa (species or subspecies). They range from small planktonic organisms to marine reptiles such as Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) and big mammals such as Tursiops (Tursiops truncatus), which are occasionally seen in the Gulf.