Ambras Castle

Ambras Castle is considered to be one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture in Austria. Built high up, it offers uninterrupted views of the mountains.

The foyer linking the lower and upper palaces has been transformed into a superb multimedia exhibition room, retracing the history of the palace's pioneers and their family trees. A scale model of the castle is also on display, showing how the building has changed over the ages.

As a true Renaissance prince, Ferdinand II was fascinated by a wide variety of themes. Among them was armoury, as you can see from the museum's immense collection in this field. You can see pieces that are unique in the world, such as the armour of Bartelmä Bon, a man in Ferdinand's service, which was 2.60 metres high! Fascinated by the Habsburgs' enemies, the sovereign also collected a large number of Ottoman suits of armour, serving as both trophies and objets d'art.

Equally passionate about science, Ferdinand II of Habsburg built up an impressive cabinet of curiosities over the years, with objects from all over the world.

You'll be amazed by the eclectic range of objects collected: portraits of a family suffering from hypertrichosis (a disease that causes facial hair growth), Native American headdresses, tools made from coral or ivory...

You can even see the world's only existing portrait of Vlad Dracula! The exhibition is laid out in such a way as to reproduce as faithfully as possible the cabinet of curiosities as it was in the XVIᵉ century.

The Habsburg Gallery contains more than 200 portraits of sovereigns and other eminent personalities who lived between the 15th and 18th centuries. These works were created by famous painters such as Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Diego Velázquez and Titian.

Finally, how can we talk about Château d'Ambras without mentioning the Spanish Room? Located in the upper part of the château, it will be the highlight of your visit. This 43-metre-long space, with its finely carved wooden ceiling and geometric tiling, is a nugget of Renaissance architecture.

It now hosts classical music concerts during theInnsbruck Early Music Festival in the summer. Concerts are also held in the park, which is also the venue for the Renaissance Festival.

After your visit, take a stroll in the gardens surrounding the palace. You can wander between the aromatic and medicinal plant gardens and the formal flowerbeds. You might even catch a glimpse of the peacocks that have made the park their home! You'll also have a breathtaking view of the River Inn below.

The garden has been renovated several times over the years, so only a few traces of the Renaissance remain. Among the features that have been left intact is the 'Grotto of Bacchus', supported by a pillar and four arches. It was common practice in the 16th century to create artificial grottoes inspired by Roman myths, with fountains dedicated to nymphs (female nature spirits).