The castle of San Zeno was built in the city of Merano in 1242 AD, that is, in the late antiquity, with a unique and distinctive architectural design, which appears today as an architectural imprint that time has failed to imitate. The building, which constitutes one of the fortification gates, develops in the form of a rectangle and includes a large inner courtyard. The castle was surrounded by a moat and the drawbridge that crossed the valley led directly to the inner courtyard of the castle.