Every year again: the Ambras Castle Festival

12 August 2024

Post originally written in: Deutsch

The Ambras Castle Festival takes place every year. Make sure you mark the 15th of August in your diary, because you shouldn't miss this unique Renaissance and cultural festival, which is organized by Schloss Ambras Innsbruck and the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music. My family and I look forward to it every year. It is an integral part of our summer bucket list.

Schloss Ambras Innsbruck is one of the most important sights in Austria and is of course worth a visit all year round. Did you know that it was the first museum in the world museum? That alone is exciting. The fantastic location, the view over Innsbruck and the beautiful castle garden do the rest. On August 15, art, culture, music and culinary delights take center stage. On this day, the Renaissance castle shows its exciting side and invites you to celebrate and marvel.

Behind the scenes: preparations are in full swing

Many hard-working hands are involved in ensuring that a major event like this is a success. The organization begins almost a year in advance, as Julia Unterlechner, project manager and responsible for PR & communication at Schloss Ambras Innsbruck, tells us. She kindly gave us a glimpse behind the scenes. How are the preparations going? Who is performing this year? What special features can we look forward to?

Julia Unterlechner in conversation: Planning and highlights of the Ambras Castle Festival

Dear Julia, thank you very much for your time. I'm a big fan of the Ambras Castle Festival, it's a spectacle for me every year. What makes the Ambras Castle Festival so special?

Julia Unterlechner: "The Ambras Castle Festival is one of the biggest Renaissance and cultural festivals. One special feature is certainly the unique ambience of the Renaissance castle and the Renaissance garden. The elaborately crafted costumes based on original models as well as the appropriate guided tours, concerts and attractions also bring the Renaissance period back to life."

What highlights and program items can the public look forward to this year?

"The combination of culture, entertainment and the historical atmosphere makes the Ambras Castle Festival an unforgettable experience for the whole family. Visitors can look forward to flag-wavers, castle painters, live music, dance groups, stilt-walkers, acrobats, a jousting show and much more. Culinary delights are of course also provided."

That sounds very exciting. I imagine the planning is time-consuming - approximately how long does it take to organize such a big festival? Are there artists who perform every year?

"As we know, after the castle festival is before the castle festival. Over the years, however, some close collaborations have developed and the atmosphere around the castle festival is carried on together. For many of those involved, this event in August is a fixture and is one of the highlights for visitors and artists alike thanks to its unique ambience."

Ideally prepared

I can imagine that unexpected challenges can arise despite years of experience. Can you tell us something about that? How do you overcome them?

"As with every event, there is of course a lot of organization behind it. One exciting and unpredictable aspect is the weather every year. In recent years, we have usually been lucky and have been able to hold the castle festival without any major restrictions. Safety meetings and alternative options are of course essential for this."

Speaking of bad weather: a visit to a museum is perfect on a rainy day. Schloss Ambras Innsbruck, known as the first museum in the world, is predestined for this. I think the guided tours are particularly great - and I can confirm this from my own experience. Can you tell us how the guided tours during the castle festival differ from the regular guided tours?

"Guided tours and concerts are offered in short formats for the Ambras Castle Festival. As there is a lot to discover throughout the castle and in the park from 2 pm to 7 pm, we deliberately opted for the short program items, which are also very well received. During the short tours, we focus in particular on the Ambras highlights, such as the Chamber of Art and Curiosities or the Armory, as well as the annually changing special exhibitions - this year ‚Schauen erlaubt?‘ - in the center of attention. Due to the high number of Italian guests on August 15, we are also offering guided tours in Italian."

„Schauen erlaubt? Vielfalt Mensch“

This year's special exhibition „Schauen erlaubt? Vielfalt Mensch“ focuses on people who are or look "different". Thomas Kuster (exhibition curator at Schloss Ambras Innsbruck) was kind enough to tell us a little about it.

Thomas Kuster: "In ‚Schauen erlaubt? Vielfalt Mensch‘ we focus on the people and their life stories. The Ambras collection contains images of people with disabilities, people of short and tall stature and the Gonzalez family with their striking body hair. Diversity has always existed, even in the 16th century. The term refers to the fact that we humans are different and at the same time unique. This 'difference' can also be described as 'otherness'. But how were people who did not conform to the social norm treated in the 16th century and how was 'otherness' perceived? In the case of the tall Anton Frank, whose name and identity were restored in the course of research, it was his body diversity. The special exhibition sees itself as a reaction to the current widespread question of diversity in our society and invites visitors to reflect on their own perceptions: Is looking allowed?"

Generally speaking, where do you get the inspiration for your special exhibitions?

"We generate the ideas for our special exhibitions from the Ambras collections themselves. A former princely collection like the one at Ambras Castle in Innsbruck contains a veritable treasure trove of cultural and historical themes. Many aspects are always highly relevant in the here and now. Working with this collection is particularly exciting, diverse and varied."

Information about the

Ambras Castle Festival

Date: Thursday, August 15, 2024, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m
Location: Ambras Castle Innsbruck, Schlossstraße 20, 6020 Innsbruck
Admission free! Tickets for guided tours and concerts can be purchased directly on site on the day of the castle festival for € 6.
Free shuttle bus: The DEZ shopping center provides free parking for visitors to the castle festival. A free shuttle bus will take guests from the DEZ (bus stop opposite IKEA) via the Tivoli Stadium stop to Schloss Ambras Innsbruck every 15 minutes between 1 pm and 8 pm. Parking in Schlossstraße in front of the castle is not possible on August 15.