The Triumphal Arch in Innsbruck, 1998

Triumphal Arch

The south end of Innsbruck´s main artery, Maria-Theresien Street, is spanned by a Triumphal Arch, modeled after those in Rome. Empress Maria Theresa ordered it built in 1765 with a twofold purpose: To honor the marriage of her son, the Duke of Tuscany, later Emperor Leopold II, to Maria Ludovica from Spain, and to mourn the death of her beloved husband, Francis I Stephen of Lothringen, who died during the celebrations. The marble friezes were created by Balthasar Moll in 1744. One side of the Arch symbolizes the joyful aspect of the event, the other side the sadness.

Text from: www.innsbruck-tourismus.com/index.html?_site=innsbruck&am...