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The Hofburg in Innsbruck is a residence built and inhabited by the Habsburgs. Originally a castle complex from the late Middle Ages, it was expanded into a palace in the early modern period and became the seat of the Tyrolean princes and the residence of various members of the dynasty until the founding of the republic in 1918. The current state is based on the expansions under Empress Maria Theresa by the Court architect Johann Martin Gumpp the Younger in Rococo style and can be partially visited.
The first inn on this site was used by Duke Leopold III. This and
other properties were acquired by his son Frederick IV, whose son
Archduke Sigmund the Rich in Coins, Count of Tyrol, had a medieval
castle built. His successor, the Roman-German king and later Emperor
Maximilian I, expanded the complex. In 1534 the ceiling of the
Riesensaal, which had been renovated in 1510, was destroyed by fire and
then restored by King Ferdinand I. Due to earthquake damage to the
walls, the castle facade was reinforced in 1536 with semi-circular
towers.
It was Maria Theresa, who ruled from 1740 to 1780, who
commissioned the conversion in the style of courtly Viennese rococo.
This is how the magnificent building still presents itself today. Maria
Theresa was only in Innsbruck twice, in 1739 while passing through and
in 1765 for the marriage of her son Leopold II to the Spanish princess
Maria Ludovica, which is commemorated by the triumphal gate at the end
of Maria-Theresien-Straße. The wedding was overshadowed by the death of
her husband Franz Stephan von Lorraine (as a result of a stroke) on
August 18, 1765. The room where he died was converted into a chapel by
order of the Empress. At that time, she also had the noble women's
convent in Innsbruck built there. The canonesses had to pray for the
late emperor. Members of the imperial family used the castle until the
end of the monarchy in 1918. It was also the seat of the Tyrolean
princes and is now owned by the Republic of Austria.
The Innsbruck Hofburg has a built-up area of around 5000 square
meters, there are around 400 rooms, including over 30 private
apartments. The building has four floors, the chapel and two larger
halls are several floors high.
The large courtyard is accessed
through the southern castle gate, further on is the smaller kitchen
courtyard to the west. You can also visit the state rooms, including:
Riesensaal (Festsaal) with portraits of Maria Theresa, her husband and
their 16 children. The room is 31.5 meters long, 13 meters wide and 11
meters high. It is not named because of its size, but because of the
giants depicted in paintings from the 16th century.
Gardesaal
(reception room for the Riesensaal)
Imperial Apartments (Lorraine
Room, Chapter Room, Ferdinand Room)
Hofburg chapel with anteroom and
sacristy
Andreas-Hofer-Saal, Andreas Hofer resided here from August
13 to October 21, 1809
Yellow Room, White Salon, Pink Salon, Roundel
Room, Passage Room, Bedroom, Corner Cabinet, Chinese Room, Audience Room
The courtyard garden, which is diagonally opposite, belongs to the
Hofburg.