Ambras Castle in Innsbruck

Ambras Castle, which is situated above Innsbruck and can be seen for miles, is considered one of the most important sights of the state capital. Its cultural and historical significance is inseparably linked with the person of Archduke Ferdinands II (1529-1595), who, as a genuine Renaissance prince, was an enthusiastic patron of the arts and sciences. He started the splendid Anbras collections and had a museum built according to state-of-the-art criteria to house them in the Lower Castle.
The exhibition today in the Lower Castle attempts to reconstruct the Archduke’s museum: his Chamber of Art and Curiosities, the Chambers of Armour and the Antiquarium. When Ferdinand lived there, the residential areas were in the Upper Castle. Today, these three floors accommodate the exceptional Portrait Gallery of the Habsburgs with paintings of Albrecht III (1349-1395) through to Emperor Franz I (1768-1835). More than 200 portraits make up the exhibition, including valuable works by famous artists such as Lukas Cranach, Anton Mor, Tizian, van Dyck and Diego Velásquez. On the ground floor of the Upper Castle is a collection of late medieval artworks, the highlight of which is the Emperor Maximilian I's St. George altar piece.

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