HofGarten (Court Garden), Innsbruck

On the edge of the Old City of Innsbruck, there is a park. It is a protected park of 25 acres. It is close by the Imperial Palace, the Congress House and the Tyrolean State Theatre. It is the Court Garden. It is 600 years old.

In the 16th century Archduke Ferdinand II marked the site of a meadow and garden by the River Inn. It soon became one of the most elaborate gardens north of the Alps. It has been, by turns, a Renaissance garden, a formal French garden and an English garden. The Court Garden has existed in the 15th century. Back then, only members of the court were permitted to use the park.

There are rumors that Empress Maria Theresia worked at gardening there. It is said that while she didn't like Jews and Protestants, she certainly liked gardening. The Archduke laid out a fabulous garden arrangement of a palace and other structures. There were kitchen gardens and ornamentals, fountains, arcades, a maze and a pheasant garden.

The gardens today show the influence of 19th century preferences. There is a Palm House, a glass conservatory erected in 1964. It houses some of the Botanical Collection of the Austrian Federal Gardens. The former Imperial Summer House is now a music pavilion. There is a lawn for sunbathing and a children's playpark.

After a hard days work in the garden, Empress Maria Theresia might say: "A pox on you for littering and keep off the grass." Yes, stay on the paths, the grass is vulnerable.