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Things to do in Innsbruck
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Schloss Ambras
Schloss is German for castle; which
could also be used for a chateau, manor house or palace and if
it were in England, it would be known as a stately home.
However, the schlosses built after the middle ages, or to be
more specific, after the 16th century, were more homes than they
were fortresses or castles as we in America know them. The
picture to the right will attest to that since it is the Schloss
Ambras, or the castle of Ambras that sits in the hills in
Innsbruck, Austria. Its importance is associated with Archduke
Ferdinand II both culturally and historically, since it was his
home from 1563 to 1595. The bottom of the residence holds two
rooms that have the armor and weapons; on the first floor is a
costly art collection, with the upper story containing the
bathroom of Ferdinand's wife, Phillipine Welser. There is a
Spanish hall that sits between the upper and lower floors of the
home that contains beautiful examples of German Renaissance
architecture in the form of walls full of frescoes. During
the 10th century, a fortress of sorts was built on the site of
this castle, where the House of Andechs lived, but in 1133 it
was destroyed and no remains could be found, although there are
parts of the new castle that were constructed using parts of it.
This home was built by Archduke Ferdinand II, second son of
Emperor Ferdinand I, who upon being made the province of Tyrol's
governor in 1563, hired two Italian architects to transform the
existing medieval fort into a Renaissance mansion for his wife
Phillipine, a woman without title and he had secretly married.
It became Phillipine's home and where Ferdinand stored his
collection of portraits, armour, weapons and curiosities.
Ferdinand died in 1595, and his second son Karl II of Austria
received the castle in his will. Karl cared little for the
castle, and in 1606 sold it to Emperor Rudolf II. The house was
used infrequently after that sale, and it fell into disrepair.
Emperor Leopold I moved some of the items to Vienna; where today
may be viewed at the National Library. Archduke Karl Ludwig,
governor of Tyrol, in 1855, instructed Ambras to be refurbished,
so he could use it as a summer residence; but it eventually fell
into disrepair once more. Starting in 1950, the castle was run
by the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and was restored overall and
finally opened to be viewed by the public in 1970-1981.
Ferdinand II had become the best patron of the Hapsburg family,
and his collection at Ambras was displayed such that he was
considered to be way ahead of his time in regards to assembling
a marvelous collection set up like a museum. His three armouries
and gallery of art and curiosities had been set up and used as
if it were a museum right from the start. The chamber of art and
curiosities, as it is called, contains many wonderful relics,
scientific items, toys, or precious objects, housed where it was
originally put; whereas many others in the region of Europe were
vandalized, plundered or changed drastically. The magnificent
relics showcase the latter Renaissance encyclopedic collections
that are superb examples of that time. What is so unique is that
the exhibits still sit where they were put and meant to be
viewed by any visitors; with exquisite corals shown in
cabinet-boxes, turnery constructed of ivory, wood, glass
figurines, porcelain and silkpaintings belonging to the oldest
European collection of Asian artifacts. There are rare works of
art by European artisans such as the "little death" carved of
wood by Hans Leinberger and other objects like bronze animals,
handstones, clocks, coconut or rock crystal, goblets created
from rhinoceros horns, music and measuring instruments and
automats. One of the most prominent aspects of the collection
are the portraits of very strange little hairy people, Vlad
Dracula and many more. However, the favorites of Ferdinand were
his collections of armour and weaponry. His Rustkammer
collection contains some of the rarest suits of armor that was
made in the 15th century and previously owned by Emperor
Maximilian I and Archduke Sigimund. Tournament armor from the
German joust or course, plus the armor of the court's giant
Bartlma Bon, partaker in the famous tournament of Vienna in 1560
are all displayed. The Heldenrustkammer collection contains the
armor of famous commanders that were put into marvelous 16th
century display cases; and the Leibrustkammer collection holds
the duke's personal armor as well as the armor used by the court
of Innsbruck. One of the most magnificent free standing halls of
the Renaissance period is the Spanish Hall that was constructed
in the years 1569 to 1572 and contains 27 floor to ceiling
portraits of the princely rulers of the Tyrol region along its
expansive 43 meter length. The top floors of the castle, which
is the oldest, holds the Hapsburg Portrait Gallery with over
some 300 incredible portraits that date back to the 1400s and go
all the way to the last Holy Roman Emperor, Franz II; who also
happened to be a contemporary of Napoleon Bonaparte. Since the
ruling dynasties were interrelated, there are members of other
famous European families and all the paintings were done by the
best artists of their eras, like Diego Velazquez, Lucas Cranach,
van Dyck, Anton Mor and Titian.
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Nordpark Cable Railways
Let's get ready to ride.
Which is exactly what you can do in Innsbruck, that can't be
done anywhere else in the world. Ride to the Swiss Alps in a
cable car, directly from the center of the city in Innsbruck,
Austria. Called the Nordkettenbahnen, this new cable system will
take you from the city of Innsbruck up to the high mountains in
just 20 short minutes, where along the way you will see more
beauteous panoramic views than anywhere else in the world, and
get breathtaking views like never before. The first station of
Hungerburg you will be able to see the entire city of Innsbruck
where the views are clear over 350 days a year. This station or
section is only 450 feet up the mountainside, while the next
section sits at over 1650 feet above, called the Seegrube. Here
the views are of the Zill Valley Alps, the Stubai, the middle
Inn Valley and the Wipp Valley near the Italian border. Want to
go higher? Then climb aboard and go to 3375 feet into the air to
the next section called Hafelekar. Inn Valley is very populated,
which is completely the opposite of the pristine wilderness of
the Karwendel Alpine Park that sits across from it, creating a
contrast so brilliant that you will spend many hours just
viewing this most unforgettable vision. If you have come here
for skiing, then you had better be excellent, as this
Hafelekarrinne is one of the steepest courses in all of Europe
with a gradient that is 70%! You must be an expert to ski this
course; and if it is a snowy powder on the run, then you will
have a lot of local company out here hitting these magnificent
slopes for that incredible adrenalin rush. And since you are in
the Alps, make sure that you have all the necessary equipment,
avalanche information and updates; and dress for the most
extreme weather possible. The snowboarding here is as awesome as
the skiing and this is world famous for its ski trails and runs.
There are many areas for the children to enjoy this winter
wonderland for skiers or snowboarders; with child care services
available as well as instruction for folks of all ages.
Wednesdays are school students days from 11 AM and could be full
of wild screaming happy kids, but that is usually how it is up
here most of the time anyway. Skiing these slopes will bring out
the best wild child in you that you have inside. If you
are on the slopes in the winter and spending the whole day
there, then be sure to try the great restaurants on the Seegrube
and Hafelekar sections where the sights are as wonderful as the
food. The highest point of the mountain at Hafelekar is over
3300 feet and you can sit on the top floor of the restaurant to
enjoy the amazing panoramas that exist up here. They offer
authentic Tyrolean foods and snacks. The same holds true in the
summer when you are on the mountainside for hiking and need a
place to stop and catch your breath with some fresh clean air
and would like a snack to accompany you.
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Alpenzoo
The Alpenzoo is the highest
zoo in the world, sitting at over a thousand feet above the sea,
and is home to all the animals that call the Alps their home.
Housed here are over 2000 species that include the small yellow
cockerel, moose, bearded vulture with wingspans over 4.5 feet
and the mammoth bison. Otters playfully swim and jump in the
cold waters, while varieties of fish whisk in and out of sight.
And speaking of sights, don't forget to look out over the
mountains where the vistas are beautiful. The rangers that look
after the animals here also take care of any endangered species
or disabled critters that were brought here to be nursed back to
health and into their wild home along the Alps. They also house
bears and wolves here, but the special sight to see is the
bearded vulture that was almost made extinct in this area by the
hunters long ago; not realizing that they were slowly destroying
these mighty birds.
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