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Hofburg

Top choice in Innsbruck


Grabbing attention with its pearly white facade and cupolas, the Hofburg was built as a castle for Archduke Sigmund the Rich in the 15th century, expanded by Emperor Maximilian I in the 16th century and given a baroque makeover by Empress Maria Theresia in the 18th century. The centrepiece of the lavish rococo state apartments is the 31m-long Riesensaal (Giant’s Hall).

This is adorned with frescoes and paintings of Maria Theresia and her 16 children (including Marie Antoinette), who look strangely identical – maybe the artist was intent on avoiding royal wrath arising from sibling rivalry in the beauty stakes.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Innsbruck attractions

1. Dom St Jakob

0.04 MILES

Innsbruck's 18th-century cathedral is a feast of over-the-top baroque. The Asam brothers from Munich completed much of the sumptuous art and stuccowork,…

2. Hofkirche

0.05 MILES

Innsbruck’s pride and joy is the Gothic Hofkirche, one of Europe’s finest royal court churches. It was commissioned in 1553 by Ferdinand I, who enlisted…

3. Volkskunst Museum

0.06 MILES

The Volkskunst Museum presents a fascinating romp through Tyrolean folk art from hand-carved sleighs and Christmas cribs to carnival masks and cowbells…

4. Goldenes Dachl

0.08 MILES

Innsbruck's golden wonder and most distinctive landmark is this Gothic oriel, built for Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), lavishly festooned…

5. Stadtturm

0.09 MILES

Guards once kept watch over the city from this onion-domed tower, which was completed in 1450. Puff up 148 steps for 360-degree views of Innsbruck's…

6. Hölblinghaus

0.1 MILES

A late-Gothic-turned-rococo townhouse that is the architectural equivalent of a wedding cake, with its piped-icing-like stucco, candy pastel colours and…

7. Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum

0.18 MILES

This treasure trove of Tyrolean history and art moves from Bronze Age artefacts to the original reliefs used to design the Goldenes Dachl. Alongside…

8. Annasäule

0.24 MILES

Topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary, this column was erected in 1703 to mark the repulsing of a Bavarian attack.

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