Friedrich von Deuster

Deuster came from a rich family in Bavaria. When Trauttmansdorff Castle was auctioned in 1897, he seized his chance. He wanted to spend the winters here with his wife, 17 years his junior. Meran was at that time experiencing a boom and many members of Europe's moneyed aristocracy acquired a holiday residence on the "southern balcony" of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In the year that Empress Elisabeth died, the Baron had the east tract of the castle expanded to permit the building of a rococo hall. The year of its opening and the Deuster coat of arms can be seen on the end walls. The three graces depicted on the ceiling symbolise finery, joyfulness and conviviality. This is where the Baron held his elegant soirées.

The Baron, like Count Trauttmansdorff before him, made the castle the focus of a model business. He developed wine and fruit interests, while his brickworks profited from the expansion in building in Meran. Following the annexation of South Tyrol he lost everything. In 1921 Deuster, as a German citizen, had his assets expropriated. He returned, a bitter man, to Bavaria.