The Riesensaal in the Innsbruck Hofburg

The last extensive remodelling of the Innsbruck Hofburg dates to the reign of Maria Theresa. The empress particularly desired the aspect of dynastic continuity to be emphasized in the interior decoration of the palace: the climax of the sequence of rooms that comprised the imperial apartments, the Riesensaal (‘great hall’), was furnished with life-size portraits of Maria Theresa’s family with her children and grandchildren in order to celebrate the union of the dynasties of Habsburg and Lorraine.