About this place
Just east of the Hofburg stands the Hofkirche, the Imperial Court Church, commissioned by Ferdinand I and built between 1553 and 1563 as a grand memorial to his grandfather, Emperor Maximilian I. At its heart rises one of the finest sculptural ensembles of the German Renaissance: a black marble sarcophagus encircled by twenty-eight larger-than-life bronze statues, known to locals as the Schwarze Mander, or Black Men. These dark giants depict Maximilian's real and legendary ancestors and heroes, from King Arthur to his beloved first wife Maria of Burgundy, standing in a silent honour guard. Yet the tomb beneath them is empty. Maximilian had asked to be buried in Wiener Neustadt, and there his remains still lie, leaving this monumental cenotaph as one of Europe's most spectacular and poignant empty graves.
Key facts
- 28 statues — Larger-than-life bronze figures guard the tomb, though 40 were originally planned
- 0 bodies — The grand sarcophagus is empty; Maximilian I is buried in Wiener Neustadt
- 24 reliefs — Carved marble panels by Alexander Colin retell scenes from the emperor's life
📍 Innenstadt, 6020, Innsbruck