Documentation of German Emperor Maximilian I's Tomb

Measuring Systems: ATOS

Keywords: Close range photogrammetry, laser scanning, data fusion, heritage documentation, visualization, conservation, project management

W. Boehler, M. Bordas Vicent, A. Marbs (i3mainz, Institute for Spatial Information and Srveying Technologies, Mainz, Germany);
K. Hanke (University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria)

June 2003

Innsbruck was the residence of the Habsburg Dynasty between 1420 and 1665. The Hofkirche with its tomb of German Emperor Maximilian I is one of the most famous and outstanding historical monuments, being in the property of the State of Tyrol. It was built between 1555 and 1565 under Ferdinand I (the brother of Emperor Karl V). The cenotaph (i.e.: empty tomb) of Maximilian is located in the center of the church’s nave. The cenotaph itself has a base of about 3 m x 5 m. 24 very delicate white marble reliefs are attached to a black marble structure which is decorated by bronze elements. With the kneeling Emperor and four more bronze statues on top of the monument it is about 5 m high. For centuries the tomb was separated from the visitors by a black iron lattice. In addition, the fine caved marble plates were covered by glass. Because of a basic conservation and restoration of the tomb, lattice and glass plates were removed for the first time ever since its construction in the 16th century. For a short period in May 2002 all sides were accessible after the temporary housing of the restoration technicians had been removed from one side and not yet been moved to the other side for the second restoration period. This time slot could be used for a complete metric documentation of the object.

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