The Triumphpforte at the south end of Maria-Theresien-Strasse is the most emotionally strange monument in Innsbruck. Built in 1765, it was begun for a royal wedding: Archduke Leopold’s marriage to Maria Ludovica of Spain. Then Emperor Francis Stephen died on August 18, 1765, during the festivities. Maria Theresa ordered the arch redesigned to carry both stories on opposite faces. The south face shows celebration: garlands, crowns, the newlyweds. The north face shows mourning: funeral urns and draped figures. No other triumphal arch in Europe does this. It’s an outdoor monument, free to walk through, five minutes from Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof. Stand at the center and turn around to read both faces.
monument in Innsbruck
Triumphpforte
The Triumphpforte at the south end of Innsbruck's Maria-Theresien-Strasse is the only triumphal arch in Europe that encodes both celebration and mourning on opposite faces of the same structure. The south face shows garlands, crowns, and wedding imagery for the 1765 marriage of Archduke Leopold to Maria Ludovica of Spain.
- Type
- monument
- Destination
- Innsbruck
- Cost
- Free to visit
- Founded
- 1765
- Era
- Late Baroque
- Address
- Maria-Theresien-Strasse, 6020 Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck
- Coordinates
- 47.2626, 11.3948
- Official website
- Visit website