Ambras Castle in Austria, Innsbruck Resort
Rating: 8,3/10 (1032 votes) 
The Ambras Castle is located on the top of a hill and is the most attractive tourist attraction in Innsbruck. The history of the castle is closely connected with the reign Ferdinand II. The first mentions of the palace date back to the X century, and it was called Amras. In 1563, Ferdinand II bought the castle in order to turn it into the center of European cultural life and his summer residence. The palace consists of a complex of buildings. So the Upper Castle was chosen as the residence of the emperor, and cultural exhibits were kept in the Lower Castle. Below the Upper Castle was created the Spanish Hall, where the library was housed, antiques and weapons were kept. After the death of Ferdinand II, the castle was inherited by his son Rudolph II, but since the interests of the son and father did not coincide, the castle quickly lost its status as the residence of the imperial family and was sold. In 1880, the castle underwent the last restoration, and it was converted into a museum. In 1920, Ambras Castle was taken over by the state. Today, the Upper Castle houses a unique portrait gallery of the Habsburg imperial family. More than 200 paintings by the most famous artists such as Van Dyck, Titian, Velazquez and others are presented here. The most interesting halls of the Lower Castle are the room of amazing things and the Cabinet of Curiosities, as well as the Armory. In the Cabinet of Curiosities you can get acquainted with unusual musical instruments, scientific instruments, scary and strange figurines like the image of a man who is completely overgrown with hair, death figurines and so on. The armory displays knightly armor and provides information about the tournaments of that time. The bathroom of Philippina Welser and the Spanish Hall are considered to be very unusual and beautiful rooms. The hall is built in the form of a festive gallery, where 27 Tyrolean rulers are depicted on the walls. The length of the Spanish Hall is 43 meters. Today it hosts the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, early music concerts as part of the Ambras Palace Concerts. In addition to buildings, the palace park, laid out by order of Ferdinand II in 1566-1570, is no less interesting. This park is represented by mixed forest, gorges, rocks, bridges, paths and an artificial waterfall. A particularly beautiful part of the park is the kitchen garden with a small pond and useful plants. Every year, a Renaissance festival is held in the palace park, during which adults and children can travel back to the Renaissance.    We also recommend reading Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Austria, Innsbruck Resort Topic: Ambras Castle in Austria, Innsbruck Resort. |
