The Hofburg is a former Habsburg palace in Innsbruck, and considered one of the three most significant cultural buildings in the country, along with the Hofburg Palace and Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. The Hofburg is the main building of a large residential complex once used by the Habsburgs that still includes the Noblewomen's Collegiate Foundation, the Silver Chapel, the Hofkirche containing Emperor Maximilian's cenotaph and the Schwarzen Mandern, the Theological University, the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum, Innsbruck Cathedral, the Congress, and the Hofgarten (Court Garden).

The original Hofburg palace was constructed from several elements under Archduke Sigismund around 1460. This structure included sections of medieval fortifications that ran along the eastern city wall. The building incorporated the Rumer Gate, which was later converted into the Heraldic Tower in 1499 by Jörg Kölderer under Emperor Maximilian I. The palace was expanded several times during the next 250 years. Between 1754 and 1773, the Hofburg palace underwent two stages of Baroque structural changes under Empress Maria Theresia: the south tract was constructed (1754–1756) on the Hofgasse according to plans by J. M. Gumpp the Younger, and the main façade was added (1766–1773) on the Rennweg according to plans by C. J. Walter. During this period, the Giants' Hall was completed with ceiling frescoes by F. A. Maulbertsch, and the Imperial Chapel was built (1765) in the room where Maria Theresa's husband Emperor Francis I had died.

Today, the Hofburg contains five themed museum areas: Maria Theresa's Rooms from the eighteenth century, Empress Elisabeth's Apartment from the nineteenth century, a Furniture Museum, an Ancestral Gallery, and a Painting Gallery. These themed museum areas illustrate various aspects of the political and cultural history of the former imperial palace, which remained in the possession of the Habsburgs for more than 450 years.

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Founded: c. 1460
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Austria

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4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Karaleah Kitzbichler (7 months ago)
the only thing that’s sad is that youre not allowed to take pictures JUST STUPID! and no one really speaks german there. It was still pretty tho
Pieter-Jan Elias (10 months ago)
They say please do not take pictures.. then when u do someone else comes up to you and says it’s forbidden to take pictures, then someone starts following you to make sure u take no pictures, either yes or no.. but like this is quite annoying! They are quite unfriendly! The Imperial suites are offcourse a must see! Great!
KJ Xu (11 months ago)
I visited using the Innsbruck card. The imperial apartments alone are worth the visit. Although smaller than the Schonbrunn Palace, the Hofburg is much quieter and you can take your time examining each room and the displays there in relative peace and quiet. The staff in the apartments are proactive and helpful in providing directions, and explaining the mirrors in the Giant's Hall. As with the Schonbrunn Palace, photos are not allowed in the apartments, and the staff also see to that. These mirrors are great for seeing the ceiling murals really clearly without having to strain your neck to look upwards. A strong recommendation if you have the Innsbruck card and 1-2 hours to spare.
Becky T (12 months ago)
The Hofburg had more to see than I expected, and we spent 1-1.25 hours in just the apartments, but could easily spend more if wanting to thoroughly read all information. It is more of a museum than staged apartments, though does have a few rooms like the throne room, dining room, and sitting room in a staged way. Signs throughout are very informative and in German, English, and Italian, and an audio guide is also available. There is a lift, and toilets looked to be on each floor. No photos are allowed inside, and the guards took great pains to remind everyone of this.
AA (12 months ago)
Saw many cool things in the museum. There was a huge room full of paintings on the walls and on the ceiling and is very magnificent. We went there when it’s about to close and everything was a bit rushed. So it’s better to save 1-1.5 hrs for this place as it’s quite big.
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