The Tirol's Last Knight

A reflection on the life of one of the most colourful Habsburg rulers the 'Last Knight', Maximilian.

While Austria's eastern provinces have been marking the country's millennium with a major two-venue exhibition ‘Man, Myths and Milestones' (to be reviewed in full in October's History Today), over in the west of the country the province of Tirol has made its own contribution with an intriguing initiative that highlights the life and times of one of their most colourful Habsburg rulers, the 'last knight', Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 to 1519.

Officially opened in mid- June (along with the refurbishment for its 500th anniversary of one of Maximilian's greatest achievements, the Golden Roof of Innsbruck) the Maximilian Tirolean Exhibition Trails are geared to individual visitors who want to learn more of the ruler and the Gothic- Renaissance worlds that he bridged.

There are ten 'exhibition trails' – divided into one-day itineraries which lead visitors to architecture, paintings and sculpture around the Tirol – each exploring a particular facet of Maximilian's interests or character.

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