The Innsbruck Hofkirche or the court church has been built to commemorate the royal lineage of Austria… specifically the members of the Christian Roman Empire. A great example of the German Goth Renaissance style, the church holds the elaborate cenotaph of Emperor Maximilian, as well as the ivory, inlaid silver chapel and the old and rare Ebert Organ besides numerous reliefs and paintings executed by the top artists of those times. The 28 ‘black men’ residing in the church are however the favourite residents of this church… they gave the church a new name (church of the black men).
History
Back in medieval times, Emperor Maximilian I (1459 to 1519) was obsessed with the idea of death and in the final years of life, he carried his coffin with him everywhere. He was said to leave horrible instructions of mutilations to his body after his death… the intention is to showcase the perishability of earthly glory. It was the emperor’s wish to be buried inside the St George castle chapel in Wiener Neustadt where there should be a huge tomb surrounded by statues of his real and imaginary ancestors who were to stand in a sort of funeral procession.
After Maximilian’s death, his son Charles V and grandson Ferdinand-I financed this huge project and artists and sculptors kept melding and carving… the last statue was completed in 1555. After considerable progress, it was clear that the Wiener Neustadt was too small for this grand tomb and then Ferdinand began building a monastery and tomb for his grandfather in Innsbruck. The construction of the Goth style building was over in 1553 (a mammoth collaborative project between the best artists and architects) and it was named Hofkirche/ Court Church.
A huge marble mausoleum decorated with grand riches was installed here and now they command a record number of visitors who are all awed by Maximilian’s death wish!! To his credit, the megalomaniac emperor had brought about several reforms besides constructing grand buildings which could remind the world about his power and personality.
This gorgeous tomb is just a shell though… the actual remains of the emperor were never brought here. They remain in Wiener Neustadt that’s almost 325 miles away. Apparently, the emperor’s two death wishes… to be buried in Wiener with an elaborate tomb and huge statues couldn’t be fulfilled together. So while his remains laid more than 300 miles away in Weiner (near Vienna) the elaborate tomb and the statues pay respects to his persona in Hofkirche. The Hofkirche went on to become a greatly loved attraction of Innsbruck and later it became a part of the Tyrolean state museums (there are 5 of them).
What to See and Do
Structure
The structure of the Hofkirche will be of great interest to students of history and architecture as it’s a remarkable innovation of design that still manages to conform to German Hall Church. The design is Andrea Crivelli’s and it has 3 naves that are separated by red round marble columns that sit on red cubes of marble. The capitals of the columns are made of white plaster and so is the vault. There is a lovely renaissance style porch at the Hofkirche which affords excellent views.
Multimedia Show
As soon as you enter, turn left to the church entrance and you will get the chance to see the free light, sound and multimedia show. The show will explain a lot about the life of Maximilian, his family, deeds and heritage besides facts about the construction and upkeep of Hofkirche. Watching the show is entertaining as well as informative and you will be able to appreciate the church attractions better afterwards.
High Altar
The high altar is extremely visually striking and was designed by Nicolaus Pakasi… Viennese court architect. There is a crucifixion painting (by Johann Auerbach) behind the table and at both sides, there are bronze statues… these represent St Francis of Assisi and St Teresa of Avila and are the work of leading sculptor Balthasar Moll. There are two extremely pretty marble statuettes of angels on each side of the shrine. If you look at the right side of the chancel you will be able to see the gorgeous renaissance organ and then a wonderfully decorative clock.
Views From The Terrace
Most tourists miss exploring the shortest arm of the church cross… here there is an elevated terrace-like corridor. 4 columns support this space and from here you can view one side of the chancel, a central nave and the big cenotaph.
Cenotaph
Of special interest in the gorgeously embellished black marble cenotaph that’s at the centre of the nave. This is a marble and gold huge tomb that’s encased by a highly decorative grille. Florian Abel of the Prague Imperial court used the courtly style of mannerism to create the full-sized draft of the high tomb. The construct took almost 80 years to be made… the figures like kneeling emperor, iron grille and the 4 virtues were added much later.
Look towards the base of the tomb… there is Hagau marble (Jurassic limestone) used in its construction. There is a bronze frieze of trophies that lie beneath two rows of pristine white marble reliefs. You will be able to identify armour suits, musical instruments, vases, weapons etc. amongst the reliefs. Though it was Hieronymus Longi who directed the construction of the tomb, the reliefs were created by a leading artist of those times – Alexander Colin.
Note the 4 stone bas reliefs at the ends of the tomb and 8 bas reliefs on the sides… they depict important events of Macmillan’s life. There is the depiction of a marriage between Maximillian to Mary of Burgundy and the victory over the French at Guinegate First battle. Then there is recapturing of Arras fortress and the victory of Sigmund Tyrol over Venetians at Calliano and other events right to the betrothal of Ferdinand (Macmillan’s Grandson) to Anne of Hungary and Bohemia. A very intricate fine wrought-iron grille (created by Jog Schmidhammer of Prague Court) surrounds the tomb.
Statues
It’s impossible to miss the 28 full-sized bronze statues (relatives, heroes and ancestors) which surround the cenotaph. It took 53 years to complete all of them and the first statue was created in 1502. All the leading artists of those times including Christian Amberger, , Jörg Kölderer, Gilg Sesselschreiber, Ulrich Tiefenbrunn, Albrecht Dürer besides prominent sculptors Peter Vischer the Elder, Hans Leinberger, G. Löffle etc. worked on these pieces. The statues represent the Austrian royalty lines and are all finely executed.
Remember that some of the figures are quite heroic and entirely fictitious like King Arthur and Godfrey Bouillon. Maximillian had planned for 40 statues but only 28 could be constructed. The Church is often referred to as ‘Black men church’ / Schwarzman Der Kirche “but the naming is not entirely accurate as there are statues of many women including Mary of Burgundy and Bianca Maria Sforza (Maximilian’s wives). Then there are statues of Joanna the Mad (daughter in law), Duke of Burgundy (father in Law) and Charles the Bold. Of course, the statue of King Arthur (look out for the statue with 3 lions on his shield) commands a lot of interest. The statues will strongly remind you of a giant chess set shown in Harry Potter movies.
There are also 23 small statues of the patron saints of Habsburg… these were designed by Jog Koldere and first carved into wood and then cast into the wax.
Ebert Organ
The Ebert Organ belonged to the brilliant maestro Jog Ebert and was first used in this church in 1561. The organ dates back to 1558 i.e. it was created much earlier than the church. Note the beautiful pinewood casing and the decorative Gullwing doors that protect the organ’s interiors. The adoration of infant Jesus by shepherds is painted in the closed doors while the open double doors depict Archangel Gabriel and annunciation along with a painting of resurrection of Christ on the lower doors.
Andreas Hofer Tomb
Don’t miss a look at the tomb of Andreas Hofer in the church grounds (Tyrolean freedom fighter) which is housed here since 1823. In the year 1809 Andreas Hofer led many hundreds of Tyroleans against Napoleonic troops on Bergisel. He was given capital punishment for this in Mantua and Innsbruckers regard him as a hero. His aides Josef Speckbacher, Joachim Haspinger and Kajetan Sweth were also buried here.
Silver Chapel
The Silberne Kapelle is located on the upper floor bang opposite the entrance of the Folk Art Museum and Hofkirche. It’s staggering to know that 3 entire elephant tusks and 300 kilos of Ebony went into the making of this alter. The Silver Chapel is so named after the silver altar dedicated to Mary. There are silver reliefs surrounding Mary who represent the Laurentian Litany. This was intended as a funeral chapel and was built by Ferdinand II for himself and his first wife Philippina Welser.
The older part of Silver Chapel contains Philippina’s sarcophagus and also the tomb of Katarina von Loxan (Philippina’s aunt), the latter is lesser-known… you will see it behind a carved iron grill next to the stairs that lead to the chapel. Philippina’s sarcophagus is surrounded by marvellous reliefs. History says that Queen Philippina was a great beauty and trained in the art of making potions and traditional beauty recipes… some have even accused her of witchcraft. The intricately carved silver alter and Madonna (created by Giovanni Lucchese) are the main attractions of this room.
Around 1580, the ceiling and upper part of the walls of the north portion of Silver Chapel were brilliantly painted. There are hexagonal shaped tempera paintings that show scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary and there is a pattern of angel heads with different kinds of facial expressions.
The southern part of the chapel is dedicated to Anna Katrina (Ferdinand’s second wife) and Ferdinand himself. Of great interest here is a valuable Italian cedar wood organ that dates back to 1560… it is still in working condition.
Through the silver chapel and a north-facing corridor, Hofkirche connects to the Royal Hofburg… a series of courtyards prettily offering a view of the Nordkette. The structure and view of this place allow insight into what’s happening outside the city walls (Innsbruck was once a royal residence city).
Concerts & Talks
Classical instrument concerts are sometimes held in Hofkirche and if you happen to catch one it’s a treat to hear the grand old organ play in such magnificent surroundings. Sometimes there are historical talks about the Austrian royal lineage and themed tours by different guides.
NOTE: for an attraction this popular, one wishes that more importance was paid to signage in English. Non-German speakers will find it difficult to understand the sparse signage and it’s tiring to constantly ask the staff about directions. In any case, the staff too speak very little English which is why watching the multimedia show at the beginning (these are available in English) is a must for an informed visit.
Open Hours, Tours & Tickets
You need to enter the church through the visitor’s door on the side. The main door is only open when there is a church concert. Opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and from 12.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Church service is held every day at 6.30 a.m. and 8 a.m. while on Sundays service is held 3 times a day (9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.)
The entrance fee is 7 euros only per adult
A free multimedia guided light and sound show in Italian/ French and English is included in the admission price. However, you need to check the availability of the guides and you need to make a reservation especially if you are visiting with a group.
There is free entry to the Hofkirche Court Church on certain days like 25th December, 1st January, 24th December, December 31st etc.
You can also buy a combined ticket for the Tyrolean State Museums that costs about 11 euros. This will allow you to visit the five Tyrolean State Museums, including Das Tirol Panorama (360 degrees mural painting of Tyrolean Freedom Fighters), Museum of Tyrolean Folk Art (Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum), Zeughaus, Ferdinandeum/Landesmuseen apart from Hofkirche.
Entry is free for anyone under the age of 19 and for holders of the Innsbruck Card.
You can book guided tours combining Hofkirche with several other attractions from this Viator site.
Location & Contacts
Hofkirche court church is located in Alstald i.e. Old Innsbruck. All Innsbruck city tours, as well as old town city tours, include a stop at Hofkirche. The City hop on hop off bus service also stops near the Hofkirche. The old town is best explored on foot… it’s simply too full of history and trivia. If you decide to take a bus to the old town then 4123 and 4125 will take you near Museumstrasse and 4127 will take you to Hofburg (both of these are near the court church). The nearest parking facility (paid) is the Congress Garage.
You cannot enter the Hofkirche through the big main church door… you need to go a little left and enter through a smaller door that also provides entry to the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum.
Tiroler Landesmuseen, Museumstrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck
Phone: +43/512/594 89 – 514; Website
After you are done exploring the court church, pop into the next door and go through the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum that holds the most significant collection of cultural artefacts from Tirol. In fact, the Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum (another name for the folk art museum) shares the entrance with the Hofkirche. You can also visit the Dom zu St Jakob and the Altstadt von Innsbruck… both of which are nearby.
After so much sightseeing, you are bound to feel hungry so pop in for some excellent Italian food at II Convento on Burggraben. For authentic Austrian/ German cuisine, the Speckeria in Hofgasse is ideal. Universitaetsstrasse has some offbeat dining options too like Himal Nepal Kitchen. You will get burgers at Ludwig Das Burger restaurant and craft beer at Tribaun (both at Museumstrasse).
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.