The Hofburg

Historic background

A closer look at the Hofburg, one of the key historic sights in South Tyrol, proves how important Brixen became in spiritual and cultural terms during the economic upturn of the 17th and 18th century. Official seat of the bishops until 1973 and residence of the curators of the Principality until 1803, the building also hosted the main offices of the diocese up to 1964, when it was reorganised as the diocese of Bozen-Brixen. Its origins date back to the 13th century, when prince-bishop Bruno von Kirchberg had a medieval fortress built on the south-western corner of the city walls. Remains of the fortified towers and the moat have been preserved in the eastern and southern part of the complex. Hardly anything however remains of the ancient “castrum novum” itself, as prince-bishop Andrew of Austria had the Hofburg restored in Renaissance style in the late 16th century. The palace was extended and altered several times, most notably by prince-bishop Künigl in the early 18th century, who transformed the complex into an Episcopal residence in Baroque style. For the brief period of 25 years administration of the Hofburg was in the hands of the Habsburg monarchy from 1803 during the attempt to cut secular powers of the bishops. It became property of the church once again after this interlude, during which the bishops had never left their residence. In 1974 the official seat of the Diocese was transferred to Bozen. After extensive restoration the Hofburg has since hosted the Christmas crib museum as well as the archive and the museum of the Diocese, with its impressive display of ecclesiastical art and a thorough documentation of 1000 years of diocesan history.

Description

An eye-catching sight to the north and south of the inner courtyard are the arcades spanning across three floors. Andrew of Habsburg had originally intended the Renaissance-style loggias with their square pillars, round arches, balustrades and open alleys on all four sides. The 1,5-metre tall terracotta statues in the alcoves bearing coats of arms and symbolic lockets portray descendants of the Habsburg royal house. The east wing, built in 1606-1607, was fitted with arcades on the ground floor. Well worth seeing is the western part of the complex with its state rooms, Imperial apartments and the chapel at its centre, finished by prince-bishop Künigl in baroque style. The tower of the court chapel with its elaborate portal can be seen from the inner courtyard. The statue of Holy Mary Immaculate stands on top of the cranked frames, two buttos to her feet; the marble crest below is the emblem of the prince-bishops. The fresco showing a sundial was painted by Kaspar Waldmann.

Interesting details

The terracotta statues crafted by sculptor Hans Reichle had originally been 44; when, however, only two of the four arcades were built, some had to be transferred to other places: while seven were lost over the years, two are still found at the main entrance of the Hofburg and eight in an alley in the west wing. Two statues have been moved to the Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck and one is found in Augsburg, Germany. Originally intended to stand in alcoves, the back sides remained uncompleted. Several Austrian Emperors and popes were received in the pompous state rooms of the Hofburg: among the illustrious guests was also Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who on his journey to Italy famously gave a concert in the Baroque theatre hall. In the 17th century the Hofburg became notorious as a place of torture: during the witch-hunting period, a number of local women were forced to confess whatever crimes they had allegedly committed.

26.04.2017