The Cloisters of the Poor Clares

The cloister of the Poor Clares was the oldest and one of the most important medieval monasteries in Merano. Founded in 1309 on Piazza del Grano, it consisted of several buildings, two cloisters, a garden, and the monastery church. Across Via delle Corse street was the Chapel of St. Catherine, connected to the main monastery by an arched passageway.

Thanks to its massive outer walls, the monastery complex served as a secure refuge during times of war. Towards the end of the 14th century, the monastery was among the wealthiest religious centers in Tyrol, but it was plundered in 1525 during the German Peasants' War. In 1782, Emperor Joseph II dissolved the complex as part of church reforms, expelled the nuns, and secularized the buildings, transferring them into private ownership.

In the following centuries, the monastery underwent several renovations. Today, part of the complex houses the headquarters of the South Tyrolean People's Bank. Restorations have revealed Gothic architecture, medieval foundations, and frescoes. The surviving buildings and works of art testify to the significant role of the Poor Clare monastery in the medieval history of Merano.

The former cloister is open during the day; admission is free.

If you are at Merano train station, we recommend taking a bus (line 5, 4, 212 or 210) to Rennweg; from there it is only a two-minute walk.

You can reach Merano by car: from the north Munich – Rosenheim – Kufstein (A12 Inntal Freeway, obligatory toll) – Innsbruck (A13 Brenner Freeway, obligatory toll) – Brenner (A22 Brenner Freeway, obligatory toll) – Bolzano (Exit Bolzano South) – Merano (MEBO-Highway) Munich – Garmisch – Innsbruck – Brenner (A22 Brenner Freeway, obligatory toll) – Bolzano (Exit Bolzano South) – Merano (MEBO-Highway) Alternative: Brenner – Vipiteno – Passo Giovo – Val Passiria – Merano Ötztal – Passo Rombo – Val Passiria – Merano from the west Ulm – Kempten – Füssen – Fernpass – Imst – Landeck – Passo Resia (State Road 40 + 38) – Merano Bregenz – Feldkirch – Arlberg – Landeck – Passo Resia (State Road 40 + 38) – Merano St. Moritz – Ofenpass – Münster – Taufers in Muenster – Glorenza – Merano Zurich – Landquart – Klosters – Vereinatunnel – Zernez – Ofenpass – Münster – Taufers in Münster – Glorenza – Merano from the east Lienz – Innichen – Val Pusteria (State Road 49) – (A22 Brenner Freeway, obligatory toll) Bolzano – Merano (MEBO-Highway) – Merano.

There are some parking spaces on the Via delle Corse.