After years of restoration work, the historic Miramare Park overlooking the Gulf of Trieste has reopened, bringing new life to a site that blends imperial legacy with romantic landscape design.
Commissioned in the mid-19th century by Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, the park was envisioned as a botanical haven and a personal retreat. Built in 1856 around the newly constructed Miramare Castle, the estate was designed in the style of an English romantic landscape garden, serving as an experimental station for the acclimatization of exotic plants collected from across the globe.
Spanning 22 hectares, the park still embodies the fusion of nature, landscape art and aristocratic vision that characterized its origins. Visitors can now once again stroll through its dense wooded areas, winding paths, ornamental gazebos and the iconic swan pond—hallmarks of Maximilian’s taste and era.
Among the site’s architectural highlights are the Castelletto, a small 19th-century eclectic residence; the historic greenhouses; the so-called “Ducal Bath”; and the chapel of San Canciano, a medieval structure deeply intertwined with the park’s layered history.
The Chapel of St. Cancian, which dates back to the 14th century, has undergone extensive structural restoration. Originally used by locals as a place of worship, the chapel had long fallen into disrepair before Maximilian integrated its remains into his romantic garden, preserving its ruins as a symbol of continuity and memory.
Inside the chapel, visitors will find a restored 19th-century polychrome wooden crucifix—an object with an extraordinary backstory. Carved from the wood of the frigate Novara, the vessel that carried Maximilian to Mexico and eventually brought his body back to Trieste after his execution in 1867, the crucifix stands as a poignant reminder of his dramatic fate.
For visiting hours and access information, guests are advised to consult the official Miramare Castle website or contact the local tourism office.
