Merano Racecourse: 40 hectares of green in the middle of town

Whichever side you look down on Merano from, the first thing to catch your eye will be the racecourse. No wonder: the 40-hectare site starts just below the Nöderberg and, running east to west, reaches far into town. Every autumn it hosts, among other races, the Merano Grand Prix, where horse and rider have to tackle 5 kilometres and 24 obstacles.

Here in Maia Bassa, where wide orchards used to mark the edge of town, the racecourse and its grandstand opened in 1935, exactly as you still find them today. The green offers a flat track for fast gallop races, while a winding course of hedges, timber fences and some deep ditches forms the notorious steeplechase course. But the crowning glory is the oxer: this spread fence, up to 1.5 metres high and 2.5 metres wide, sits right in front of the grandstand. Here the horses (and their riders) have to fly several metres through the air at full speed.

The main grandstand holds almost 16,000 spectators and, with its cantilevered flat roof, is regarded as a masterpiece of modernism. The roof projects 12 metres and makes sure you get a clear view of the whole site from everywhere. Behind the main grandstand you will still find the historic totalisator, which still shows race results from the late 1970s.

A few years ago a coworking space moved into the belly of the grandstand, right where a restaurant used to be. Where people once drank and dined, young, modern companies now push bits and bytes back and forth. The author of this website also has the honour of having a desk here.

The racecourse is mainly used for – yes, really – horse racing :-) Around 140 races are held here on race days during the warmer months. The season traditionally opens with the Haflinger gallop race on Easter Monday and ends in October, when in 2026 some races were even held on Friday afternoons. Most races, though, take place on Sundays. Tickets cost around 5–11 euros and go up to around 40 euros for the Grand Prix in autumn. Now and then there are concerts, and the site is also used by the model pilots of MTM Merano, who have to stick to very strict rules.

The two highlights for 2027 are already set: the Haflinger gallop race takes place on Easter Monday, 29 March 2027. The Merano Grand Prix is scheduled for the last weekend in September, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 September 2027. The main race is on the Sunday.