Merano Racecourse: sport, history and the Grand Prix
A place that tells more than you might first expect
At first glance, Merano Racecourse seems almost cheerful. The wide grounds in Maia Bassa, the warm yellow façades, the open setting between town, valley and mountains. From Hohenwart, your eye is drawn again and again to the broad green racecourse below. It lies there as a distinctive part of the Merano landscape, familiar and yet slightly out of time.
Look a little closer, however, and it soon becomes clear: this is more than a setting for horse racing. Merano Racecourse tells of sport and society, of Haflingers and great race days, but also of a period in history that deserves to be named precisely. The present racecourse was opened in Maia Bassa in 1935 and was designed by the architect Paolo Vietti Violi on behalf of the Fascist regime. That background does not make the place any less worth visiting. It makes it more layered.
For guests of Hotel Hohenwart, the racecourse is an easy excursion in Merano and environs. It is a place where tradition, tension and history meet. You do not need to be an expert in horse racing to sense its atmosphere: the broad course, the grandstands, the light over Merano and the mountains beyond.
Horse racing in Merano: sport and history
The present racecourse in Maia Bassa was opened on 30 August 1935. It was designed by the architect Paolo Vietti Violi on behalf of the Fascist regime. Merano Racecourse is therefore also a creation of its time: conceived on a large scale, designed to make an impression and part of an era in which architecture, public spaces and major sporting events carried political significance.
Only a few weeks after the opening, on 20 October 1935, the first so-called “Million Race” took place. This later developed into today’s Merano South Tyrol Grand Prix. Sporting importance, social life and the political history of the period are therefore closely bound together here.
Today, Merano Racecourse is above all a lively venue. On race days, the grandstands fill, horses and jockeys enter the course, conversations begin and there is a charge in the air. It is precisely this contrast between past and present that continues to shape the character of the grounds.
Haflingers, racing and the Merano South Tyrol Grand Prix
One of the best known traditions is the Haflinger race on Easter Monday. Haflingers belong to South Tyrol just as much as the mountains, alpine pastures and rural culture. With their chestnut coats, pale manes and strong, good natured presence, they bring a mood of their own to the racecourse.
For many guests and locals, the Easter Monday race is a spring fixture. It connects horse racing with regional identity and shows how deeply the Haflinger tradition is rooted in South Tyrol.
The great highlight of the racing calendar is the Gran Premio Merano Südtirol. It is one of Europe’s best known steeplechases and attracts an international audience each year. The 87th Merano South Tyrol Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, 27 September 2026, at Merano Racecourse. The race weekend begins on Saturday, 26 September, with further races of a high standard. Other race days, with flat racing and steeplechases, keep the season at Merano Racecourse alive.
The atmosphere of a race day
A race day in Merano speaks to many senses. The deep sound of hooves, the held breath before the start, the murmur of voices in the grandstand, the view across the course and the mountains beyond. The atmosphere feels both sporting and social.
Sitting in the grandstand, you are not simply watching a race. You observe horses, people, gestures, tension and brief moments of stillness. That is part of its appeal. Merano Racecourse is not an everyday excursion, but a piece of Merano culture to be experienced.
Benefits for guests of Hotel Hohenwart
For guests of Hotel Hohenwart in Schenna, Merano Racecourse is particularly easy to reach. As a partner of the racecourse, Hohenwart offers reduced entry tickets directly at reception.
Depending on availability, guided behind-the-scenes visits can also be arranged. Guests learn more about the horses, the procedures, the history of the grounds and the particular world of racing. A visit then becomes more than an afternoon in the grandstand. It becomes a deeper look at a place that tells far more than it first suggests.
An excursion from Schenna to Merano
A visit to the racecourse can easily be combined with a day in Merano. A morning walk through the spa town, a coffee beneath the arcades or a short detour to the Passer river. Later, a race day in Maia Bassa. In the evening, back to Hohenwart, where the day can come quietly to a close.
For guests who want to experience Merano and environs not only through landscape, but also through culture, the racecourse is a special recommendation. It shows a side of Merano that is not immediately in the foreground, and is interesting precisely because of that.
In the end, it may not be the result of a race that stays with you. Rather, it is the image of horses on the course, the charged quiet before the start, the warm yellow of the buildings, the light over Merano and the feeling of having been part of a particular history for a few hours.