Innsbruck Court Church

With the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I, the Innsbruck Court Church, also known as the Schwarz-Mander Church, is Tyrol’s most important monument to art and one of the most magnificent imperial tombs in Europe.

28 larger-than-life bronze statues representing the relatives of Emperor Maximilian and his models flank the high tomb. Marble reliefs depicting scenes from the Habsburg’s life adorn the cenotaph. Other attractions in the Hofkirche include the Ebert organ, which is more than 450 years old, Andreas Hofer’s funerary monument, and the Silver Chapel with its silver altar and the tombs of Archduke Ferdinand II and his wife Philippine Welser.

The Court Church is evidence of a European court art that went far beyond the German-speaking area, for which Maximilian I and Ferdinand I employed the best artists of their time, such as Albrecht Dürer, Peter Vischer the Elder, Alexander Colin and others. The court art in Innsbruck, which was influenced by the Habsburgs, is international, but also connected to local traditions. Hardly any other ruler figure has remained so vivid in the memory of the population as Maximilian I (1459-1519). His name is associated with Innsbruck’s central position in Europe at that time.