“Black Men” in the Hofkirche and cozy living rooms in the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum

Innsbruck’s Hofkirche is one of the city’s most important must-see sights! For us, the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum is more of an insider tip, even though every visitor to the church actually passes by.

The entrance to Hofkirche Innsbruck is located in the entrance area of the museum. Here you can purchase individual tickets or combined tickets. Our tip: be sure to visit both places, it’s worth it!

Access to the Hofkirche is through the former cloister of the monastery building.

Visit to the Innsbruck Hofkirche

The Hofkirche is located on the edge of Innsbruck’s old town. It is also popularly known as the Schwarzmander Church, which means Black Men’s Church. We soon find out why it bears this name.

Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564) had the Hofkirche and the adjoining Franciscan monastery built. The grandson of Emperor Maximilian I planned to erect a magnificent tomb there for his uncle.

Maximilian I did not have a permanent seat of government during his lifetime. He traveled through his country and stayed wherever he was needed. Innsbruck was one of his favorite places, even if he was not often to be found there. It was he who had the Golden Roof built.

The emperor had many monuments erected during his lifetime and also planned his tomb. He had statues of his ancestors cast in Innsbruck, which were to be placed at his grave. The grave guard at Falkenstein near St. Wolfgang was to be kept by members of the Order of St. George. Shortly before his death in 1519, the emperor changed his wishes and now wanted to be buried in Wiener Neustadt Castle. However, the numerous bronze figures were too heavy for the chapel and so the tomb was never erected there.

Years later, after the construction of the Hofkirche in Innsbruck was completed, Maximilian’s grandson had the empty tomb brought to Innsbruck and placed in the church. The 28 cast bronze figures were grouped around the tomb. The cenothaph was completed in 1584. However, Maximilian’s body was never reburied.

Black Men

The monumental and impressive tomb stands in the middle of the church. It is flanked on the right and left by bronze statues, all of which are painted black. Even though there are women among them, the figures are referred to as “Schwarze Mander” (Black Men).

Even before I take a closer look at the tomb, I reverently walk down the row of figures. What luck that they survived the Second World War unscathed. As the war approached Innsbruck, from December 25, 1943, two statues a day were taken to the rock cellar of a brewery. They were stored there, well protected, and were only brought back to the church after the end of the war.

Maximilian had originally planned 40 figures, which were to depict members of his family, members of other royal houses and important Christian personalities. However, 28 figures were actually realized.

Anyone walking past the row of figures today will see, for example:

• Archduchess Margaret of Austria, daughter of Maximilian and later governor of Mechelen (in present-day Belgium)
• Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy, Maximilian’s father-in-law
• Empress Maria Bianca Sforza, Maximilian’s second wife
• Duke Ernst the Iron of Austria, grandfather of Maximilian
• King Philip I (the Fair) of Castile, Maximilian’s son
• Emperor Frederick III, Maximilian’s father
• Gottfried of Bouillon, crusader, regent of the newly founded Kingdom of Jerusalem
• Elisabeth of Luxembourg, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia
• Mary of Burgundy, Maximilian’s first wife

Somewhat unnoticed and almost invisible are the small black statues located on the north gallery in Innsbruck’s Hofkirche, above the cenotaph. Originally, the emperor commissioned 100 figures to depict the Habsburg saints. The figures, which are around 66-69 cm tall, were cast between 1515 and 1528. However, only 23 statuettes were made in total. They are said to include Firmin of Amiens and Clovis I, for example.

The tomb

The tomb consists of an empty tumba on which the statue of Maximilian I kneels and prays. The tumba is made of colorful Salzburg limestone and is surrounded by a wrought-iron grille. Attached to this are marble plaques depicting events from the emperor’s life. One panel, for example, shows Maximilian’s marriage to Mary of Burgundy in 1477. His coronation as emperor (1486), which took place during his father’s lifetime, is also depicted. The lattice is beautiful. It looks as if the tumba is surrounded by interwoven leafy tendrils, flowers and arabesques. I also discover angels and coats of arms made of sheet metal. After completion, the grille was painted in different colors and some areas were gilded.

Other tombs in the Hofkirche

The other tombs in the church hardly stand out against the splendor of the emperor’s tomb.

The tombs of Archduke Ferdinand and his civil wife Philippine Welser are located in the Silver Chapel.

The Hofkirche

You almost forget that you are actually in a church. The Franciscans only left the Hofkirche in 2021 due to a lack of new members. The Capuchins now hold their services here.

Another gem in the church is the organ, which is over 450 years old. It has artistically designed side doors that are opened during concerts. The Ebert organ is said to be one of the oldest playable and most valuable Renaissance organs in the world.

The “Silver Chapel”, which is located above the church and can be reached via a staircase, is also impressive. It was built in 1577/78 as a burial chapel and contains an altar with a silver Madonna.

Tyrolean Folk Art Museum

The Tyrolean Folk Art Museum is located right next to the church in the former monastery building.

The museum collection was founded in 1888 when the Tyrolean Trade Association decided to set up a Tyrolean Trade Museum. The association feared that areas of traditional craftsmanship would irrevocably disappear due to increasing industrialization. They mainly collected contemporary products of high craftsmanship quality. It was not long before the collection was expanded to include objects from the old Tyrolean arts and crafts and “products of Tyrolean diligence”.

A museum was founded in 1903 and found its premises in the former monastery building in Innsbruck. In 1926, the province of Tyrol took over the collection and made it accessible to the public.

What can you discover in the museum?

On a tour of the museum, we saw exhibits, some of which were very bizarre. For example, I have never heard of a doughnut snapper.

The objects come from the possessions of peasant, middle-class and aristocratic families. They show arts and crafts. But you can also find typical household objects such as the small barrels. I thought that these were used for butter production, but I was wrong. These barrels were used to pound poppy seeds.

Another major area of the exhibition is the topic of customs. Here, masks and traditional costumes are presented, some of which are still worn today at parades and traditional events.

I was very impressed by the area where the “Stuben” are on display. Here, not only the interior furnishings from various farms, inns and apartments are on display, but also the entire wall and ceiling design. You can step into the parlors and find yourself, for example, in a living room from the 15th century or in a former guest room of an inn.

The museum is also known for its collection of Easter and Christmas cribs.

We really enjoyed the tour. There were exhibits where we are still puzzling over why they were needed and exhibits that captivated us with their beauty. The exhibition is varied and there is a lot to discover.

Visitor information

Address

Universitätsstraße 2,
6020 Innsbruck, Österreich