Portici (Laubengasse)

Merano's Lauben, or Portici, form an arcaded medieval commercial street between the parish square and Piazza del Grano.

Why it matters

Laubengasse took shape in the thirteenth century as the Counts of Tyrol developed Merano as an administrative and commercial centre. Its paired arcades created a planned market street, and a local tradition says Count Meinhard II ordered it to surpass Bolzano's arcades in length. The Lauben remain a defining part of the city's historic urban fabric, reflecting the trade that helped Merano grow.

What to notice

The street has two parallel rows of arcades, known as the water arcades near the Passer and the mountain arcades uphill. Bay windows, bow-fronted oriels and facades in Gothic, Renaissance and later styles record centuries of rebuilding. The Bolzano Gate marks one end of the medieval commercial axis, while the Castello Principesco gate and nearby parish church speak to the street's civic and religious setting.

Context and history

The Laubengasse was laid out in the thirteenth century between Pfarrplatz, beside the Duomo, and Kornplatz, where grain was traded. The two arcade rows developed along this axis; a cross-street at Galileistraße was cut through in 1913. Trade is documented from the fourteenth century, and the Bolzano Gate dates from the same period. The street's commercial role continued through changes in regional power and the growth of Merano as a spa town.