- Type
- Palace / château
- Built
- c. 1563 · 16th century
- Style
- Renaissance architecture
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 47.2567°, 11.4347°
History
The medieval castle on a hill above Innsbruck belonged to the Andechs family and later to the Habsburgs. Around 1563 Archduke Ferdinand II, governor of Tyrol, began rebuilding it as a Renaissance residence for his wife Philippine Welser, daughter of an Augsburg merchant. The Spanish Hall, one of the finest Renaissance halls north of the Alps, was added in 1569–1572. In the Lower Castle the archduke assembled armouries, a library and a chamber of art and curiosities, a forerunner of modern museums. After his death in 1595 part of the collection went to Vienna, and since the 20th century the castle has been a branch of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
What to see
The Upper Castle houses a gallery of portraits of the Habsburgs and their relatives spanning several centuries, while the Lower Castle holds armouries with tournament armour and the cabinet of curiosities with artworks, exotic specimens and instruments. The Spanish Hall impresses with its coffered ceiling and portraits of the rulers of Tyrol. The castle is surrounded by a landscaped park with views of the Alps.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q700764
Popularity: articles about this site in 35 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).