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Ambras Castle ((ドイツ語:Schloss Ambras Innsbruck)) is a Renaissance castle and palace located in the hills above Innsbruck, Austria. Ambras Castle is situated at an elevation of 587 meters.〔(Ambras Castle Elevation and Location )〕 Considered one of the most popular tourist attractions of the Tyrol, Ambras Castle was built in the sixteenth century on the spot of an earlier tenth-century castle, which became the seat of power for the Counts of Andechs. The cultural and historical importance of the castle is closely connected with Archduke Ferdinand II (1529–1595) and served as his residence from 1563 to 1595. Ferdinand was one of history’s most prominent collectors of art. The princely sovereign of Tyrol, son of Emperor Ferdinand I, ordered that the mediaeval fortress at Ambras be turned into a Renaissance castle as a gift for his wife Philippine Welser. The cultured humanist from the House of Habsburg accommodated his world-famous collections in a museum built specifically for that purpose, making Castle Ambras Innsbruck the oldest museum in the world. The Lower Castle contains armouries feature masterpieces of the European armourer’s art from the time of Emperor Maximilian I to Emperor Leopold I. As the only Renaissance ''Kunstkammer'' of its kind to have been preserved at its original location, the "''Kunst- und Wunderkammer''" (Chamber of Art and Curiosities) represents an unrivalled cultural monument. Above the Lower Castle is the famous Spanish Hall (''Spanische Saal''), a notable example of German Renaissance architecture, which contains an intricate wood-inlay ceiling and walls adorned with 27 full-length portraits of the rulers of Tyrol.〔Bousfield 2008, p. 472.〕 The Upper Castle contains an extensive portrait gallery featuring paintings of numerous members of the House of Habsburg.〔Bousfield 2008, pp. 472–473.〕 ==History== Long before Innsbruck became a city, references to an ''Amras'' or ''Omras'' appeared in documents dating from the tenth century. This early fortification in what was then the southwest corner of Bavaria was the seat of power of the Counts of Andechs, who became Margraves of Istria and later Dukes of the short-lived Imperial State of Merania from 1180 to 1248. This original fortification was destroyed in 1133 and no traces of it remain, although some of the material from the original structure was later used in the modern building.〔 In 1248, the castle ruins and property passed by inheritance from the Counts of Andechs to Count Albert IV of Tyrol. The modern Ambras Castle was built by Archduke Ferdinand II (1529–1595), the second son of Emperor Ferdinand I. When he was made provincial sovereign of Tyrol in 1563, Ferdinand II ordered two Italian architects to turn the existing medieval fortress into a Renaissance castle for his untitled wife Philippine Welser (1527–1580), whom he had married in secret.〔 Ferdinand II prepared his residence in the Upper Castle, beneath which he constructed one of the most artistically important halls of the late Renaissance—known as the Spanish Hall since the nineteenth century. In 1589, he added an additional building west of the Lower Castle for the purpose of housing his collection of weaponry. Ambras Castle was used as the official residence of Philippine as well as a place for Ferdinand II to house his collection of weapons, suits of armour, portraits, natural objects, as well as rarities and precious objects.〔 Philippine became a popular and beloved figure through her charity and willingness to help others, particularly the common people of Tyrol. Even the nobility brought their petitions to the former commoner. As signs of affection, people addressed their written petitions to "Merciful Miss" or "serene Princess Mrs. Philippine of Austria".〔 After Ferdinand's death in 1595, the second son of Ferdinand and Philippine, Margrave Charles of Burgau, inherited Ambras Castle. With little interest in the castle, and never having used it as a residence, Charles sold it in 1606 to Emperor Rudolf II.〔 In the following years, Ambras Castle no longer had the status of an official residence and was seldom lived in. Inadequate preservation measures led to the loss of valuable books, manuscripts, and hand sketches, and soon the palace fell largely into disrepair. In the seventeenth century, Emperor Leopold I (1640–1705) had some of the most valuable holdings of the Ambras collections—mostly books and manuscripts—moved to Vienna, where they can still be seen at the Austrian National Library.〔 In 1805, the remaining Ambras collections were threatened by the defeat of Austria by the French Empire. Fortunately, after recognized the private-law character of the Ambras collection, Napoleon (1769–1821) had it brought to safety in Vienna.〔 In 1855, Archduke Karl Ludwig, then governor of Tyrol, had the palace remodeled to use as a summer residence. Significant changes were made during this time to the palace and the surrounding park. The Outer Bailey (''Vorschloss'') was constructed with an ivy-clad entrance ramp for carriages. The park was redesigned as an English garden. Following Archduke Karl Ludwig's renouncement of his succession rights in 1889, the palace fell once again into ruinous condition. In 1880, it was converted into a museum and subsequently renovated.〔 In 1919, following the dissolution of the Austria-Hungary Empire, Ambras Castle became the property of the Republic of Austria. In 1950, the Kunsthistorisches Museum took over the administration of the castle and its collections. Throughout the 1970s, a comprehensive restoration took place of the Spanish Hall, the Upper Castle residential quarters, and the inner courtyard. In 1974, the Chamber of Art and Curiosities was completed. In 1976, the Portrait Gallery covering the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries was completed. In 1981, the Armoury was reopened in the Lower Castle.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ambras Castle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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