Ambras Castle is located three kilometres from the centre of the large Austrian city of Innsbruck. It now functions as a museum. The palace stands 587 metres above sea level.
The site used to be a fortified medieval fortress dating back to the 10th century. However, when Archduke Ferdinand II, son of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, came to rule Austria in 1563, he ordered the demolition of the dilapidated citadel and the construction of a more elegant Italian Renaissance style building. Architects from neighbouring Italy were even hired for this purpose. Interestingly, the new palace served as a gift for Ferdinand's favourite wife, Phillipina Welser, whom the emperor's son married without his father's consent because she was of ignorant origin.
Ferdinand II was a rather generous patron of the arts and acquired many works of art, which are still preserved in Ambras Castle. There is also a collection of antique weapons and armour on display. But of particular note is the famous Spanish Hall, which is a masterpiece of the German Renaissance and is characterised by its unique wooden ceilings. There are 27 life-size portraits of the rulers of Tyrol, as well as more than 300 other portraits of representatives of the ruling Habsburg dynasty. Interestingly, many of them belong to outstanding painters such as van Dyck, Lucas Cranach, Diego Velázquez and others.
The palace is now an imposing white-washed building with three floors. It is particularly notable for its brightly coloured window sashes. It is also worth paying attention to the so-called Lower Castle, which is one of the few surviving "Kunstkammer" built in the Renaissance style. It now houses a weapons museum. The architectural complex also includes a steep access walkway, lush lower gardens and an elegant tower where the gatekeeper used to live.
