Ambras Castle

Austria is simply littered with magnificent medieval castles that are scattered all over the country. But one of them emphasizes its importance, as evidenced by the minting of the castle on one side of the 10 euro coin - Ambras Castle, located in Innsbruck. Its historical significance is associated with the ruler of Austria and Tyrol, Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria. But his story began long before that.

The beginning of the story

Ambras became known for the first time in the 10th century, when it served as a fortress and residence for representatives of the Andex dynasty, owners of many lands, including in Tyrol. Soon, in 1133, the castle was destroyed, and remained in a ruined state until the 16th century, when it passed into the possession of the Austrian monarch Ferdinand II. He hired Italian architects to rebuild the remaining ruins into a Renaissance castle.

Ferdinand II was a passionate patron of art and culture. He collected collections of books, paintings, sculptures, rarities, weapons, armor, jewelry. All these treasures have been preserved in Ambras Castle to this day. After 1595, Ambras Castle changed hands, and it was only in 1919 that the revival of the castle museum began under the auspices of the Austrian state. In 1970, a large-scale restoration was initiated, and in 1981 the castle doors were opened to visitors.

Ambras today

Above Innsbruck, from the height of an Alpine hill, the snow-white building of Ambras Castle seems to hover like a cloud. Looking at its appearance, which looks more like an administrative building than a castle, it is difficult to imagine that it was once the favorite residence of Ferdinand II.However, once inside, you are rewarded in full.

Ferdinand's idea was to design a castle divided into two parts. The lower part was created on the ruins of the fortress, and the upper part was built over. The lower part of the castle was designed to accommodate its numerous collections, which were divided by subject. According to the idea of the monarch, all the exhibits were ordered: everything that was made of the same material lay side by side. Each type of material is laid out on a substrate of a certain color, for example: all gold objects are on a blue background, made of stone on a green background, wooden products on a red background, etc.

Hall of Arts and Wonders

Collections of jewelry and silverware, crystal cups, coins, bronze sculptures, caskets, statuettes, and wood carvings are on display in these chambers. There are also rarities and a collection of “Exotics” on display in this hall, which contains items brought from outside Europe. There are many curiosities among the exhibits: a two-headed animal, a bone statuette of Death, a portrait of a man with a hairy face, and more.

Armory Chamber

This part of the exhibition contains everything that was received in the form of diplomatic gifts or won in battle. There is a collection of weapons, armor, ammunition, equipment, personal weapons of the monarch, sculptures of horsemen in uniforms and horses. Rare weapons have found their place here: swords, bows and arrows, sabers, helmets, saddles, shields and much more.

The Habsburg Portrait Gallery

The gallery features two hundred paintings by famous artists that serve not only the history of the Habsburg dynasty, but also serve as evidence of the evolution of portraitism from late Gothic to Classicism. Among the paintings you can see works by Rubens, Titian, Diego Velazquez, Peter Paul and many other popular portrait painters.

The Spanish Hall

The Spanish Hall is one of the most luxurious and solemn rooms of Ambras Castle. This is a gallery decorated with amazing frescoes, mosaic doors made of various types of trees, decorative coffered gilded ceiling. Portraits of 27 Tyrolean rulers hang on the walls, ranging from the first Austrian monarch from the Habsburg dynasty, Albrecht I, to Ferdinand II. The portraits are all made against the background of landscapes. Initially, the hall was intended for balls and receptions. Now the gallery hosts classical music concerts and festivals of ancient music.

What else to see

There are many more interesting things to see on the territory of the complex: the courtyard with frescoes, the St. Nicholas Chapel, the Hall of Gothic sculptures, the bath, the Welser and much more. After tours of the castle, you can relax in the park, the landscape of which is designed according to the principle of a nature reserve, with gorges, cliffs, an artificial waterfall and a mixed forest. Its area covers 20 hectares. There is a well-maintained English park in the northern part of the castle. Ambras Castle is a work of art from the 16th century, it is rightfully considered the most beautiful castle of the Tyrolean land, storing the most valuable treasures.