The Hofgarten () is a protected

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

located on the edge of the Altstadt (Old Town) section 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 ...

, Austria.Schulte-Peevers 2007, p. 170. The park covers an area of , and borders on the

Hofburg The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the Innere Stadt, center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also ser ...

, the Kongresshaus, and the

Tyrolean State Theatre The Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck () is the state theatre in Innsbruck, Austria, located near the historic Altstadt (Old Town) section of the city. The theatre is surrounded by the Imperial Hofburg, the Hofgarten, and SOWI Faculty of the Un ...

. The Hofgarten was originally laid out on the site of a river meadow under the direction of

Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria (Linz, 14 June 1529 – 24 January 1595, Innsbruck) was ruler of Further Austria and since 1564 Imperial count of County of Tyrol, Tyrol. The son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, he was married to ...

in the sixteenth century. At the time, it was one of the most elaborate gardens laid out north of the Alps. During its 600-year history, it was turned into a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

garden, a

French formal garden The French formal garden, also called the , is a style of "Landscape architecture, landscape" garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed ...

and, since 1858, an

English landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...

.Parsons 2000, p. 371. Its last conversion was conceived by

Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell (13 September 1750, in Weilburg – 24 February 1823, in Munich) was a German landscape gardener from Weilburg an der Lahn. He is regarded as the founder of the English gardens in Germany, which he introduced to the Ger ...

, but carried out four decades later by an unknown landscape designer who deviated significantly from Sckell's original proposal. The Hofgarten is managed by the Austrian Federal Gardens (''Österreichischen Bundesgärten''), a subordinate department of the Ministry of the Environment (''Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft''). Innsbruck - Tiroler Kunstpavillon

The Hofgarten is a

recreation area A recreation area is a type of protected area designated in some jurisdictions. By country Canada In the province of British Columbia, recreation areas are lands set aside for recreational use. These lands are also being evaluated to determine w ...

within the Old Town with an interesting and varied stock of mature trees, a set of ponds, a modern children's playpark, a

palm house Palm house is a term sometimes used for large and high heated display greenhouses that specialise in growing arecaceae, palms and other tropical and subtropical plants. In Victorian era, Victorian Britain, several ornate glass and iron palm house ...

, and a popular garden restaurant. The Hofgarten management is responsible for taking care of the park. It is notable that there are still plants in the park that were planted personally by the Austrian Empress,

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 ...

. The Tiroler Kunstpavillon (''Tyrolean Art Pavilion'') in the middle of the park dates back to 1733. Today, the pavilion supports numerous events—mainly concerts. Chess tournaments are fought on the outsize chess boards next to the pavilion. There is a lawn for sunbathing in the Hofgarten with a children's playpark. Otherwise walking on the ornate lawns is not permitted because they are susceptible to excessive use. The palm house contains a comprehensive collection of about 1,700 species of plant, which may be viewed mostly on working days. During the temporary art and sculpture exhibitions in the summer season the palm house may also be visited at weekends.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * Frenzel, Monika (1998). ''Gartenkunst in Tirol, von der Renaissance bis heute''. Tyrolia-Verlag Innsbruck-Vienna. * Frenzel, Monika (1978). ''Historische Gartenanlagen und Gartenpavillons in Tirol''. Dissertation, Innsbruck. * * * Seidl, Katharina (1995). ''Der Innsbrucker Hofgarten. Geschichte, Gartentheorie, Denkmalschutzsituation und Zukunftsaussichten'', Innsbruck, Univ., Dipl.-Arb. * Walde, Kurt (1964). ''Der Innsbrucker Hofgarten und andere Gartenanlagen in Tirol''. Universitätsverlag Wagner, Innsbruck.

External links

Austrian Federal Garden website about the Hofgarten

{{authority control Innsbruck Tyrolean culture Parks in Austria Tourist attractions in Innsbruck Geography of Tyrol (federal state)