The Triumphal Arch () is one of the best known sights in the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n city of

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

. It is located at the southern end of the present Maria-Theresien-Straße, once the southern road out of the city.

History

This

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

was built in 1765 on the occasion of the wedding of Archduke Leopold, the second son of

Empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...

and

Francis Stephen of Lorraine Francis I (Francis Stephen; ; ; ; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1745 to 1765, Archduke of Austria from 1740 to 1765, Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1729 to 1737, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1737 to 1765. He ...

, to the Spanish princess, Maria Luisa, on 5 August 1765. Because Leopold’s father, Francis Stephen, died unexpectedly shortly after the wedding on 18 August 1765, a memorial motif was worked into the Triumphal Arch when he died. Its south side portrays motifs of the wedding of the young couple; its north side commemorates the death of the emperor. In

, contrary to normal practice, it was decided to build the Triumphal Arch from stone rather than wood. So

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

s of Höttinger

Breccia Breccia ( , ; ) is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or Rock (geology), rocks cementation (geology), cemented together by a fine-grained matrix (geology), matrix. The word has its origins in the Italian language ...

, which originated from the demolished outer city gate at the exit of the old town into today's Maria-Theresien-Straße, were reused. The work was carried out by Constantin Walter and Johann Baptist Hagenauer. In 1774, the reliefs made out by Hagenauer in stucco were worked by

Balthasar Ferdinand Moll Balthasar Ferdinand Moll (Innsbruck, Tirol 4 January 1717 – Vienna 3 March 1785) was an Austrian sculptor. Biography He came from a Tyrolean family of sculptors. His first training was from his father . He went to the Vienna Academy in 1738, ...

Sterzing Sterzing (; ) is a comune in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is the main town of the southern Wipptal, and the Eisack River flows through the medieval town. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Hi ...

into marble.

Architecture

The relief ornamentation depicts the state symbols of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

as well as people and events: * The Austrian

archducal hat The archducal hat () is the insignia of the Archduchy of Austria and is kept in the treasury of Klosterneuburg Monastery. It appears in heraldry such as the state coat of arms of Upper Austria. History The first archducal coronet (''Erzherzogs ...

with the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

* The Bohemian Wencelas crown with the Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, patronised by Maria * A portrayal of Empress Maria Theresa and

Francis Stephen Francis I (Francis Stephen; ; ; ; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1745 to 1765, Archduke of Austria from 1740 to 1765, Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1729 to 1737, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1737 to 1765. He ...

wearing a

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a symbol of triumph, a wreath (attire), wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. It was also later made from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cher ...

and portrait medallions of the couple * A profile portrait of the wedding couple, Archduke Leopold and Princess Maria Luisa * Portraits of Duchess Caroline of Lorraine and Duke Charles of Lorraine, cousins of the Emperor

Gallery

File:Triumphpforte.jpg File:2014-05-31 Innsbruck, Triumphpforte 1121.jpg File:Triumphpforte4.JPG File:Triumphpforte bei nacht.JPG File:2014-05-31 Innsbruck, Triumphpforte 1105.jpg

References

6020 Innsbruck, Maria Theresien-Straße - Triumphal Arch
''Burghauptmannschaft Österreich'' {{coord, 47, 15, 45, N, 11, 23, 41, E, region:AT-7_type:landmark, display=title Triumphal arches Baroque architecture in Austria Gates in Austria 1760s architecture Buildings and structures in Innsbruck Triumphal arches in Austria