St. Anne's Column

The Annasäule stands in the heart of Innsbruck on Maria-Theresien-Straße, a wide pedestrian avenue lined with elegant buildings. It is a tall red marble column topped by a statue of the Virgin as the Woman of the Apocalypse, rising above four statues of saints at its base. The monument was commissioned after Tyrolean forces drove out Bavarian troops on Saint Anne’s Day in 1703, during the War of the Spanish Succession. The column was designed by Cristoforo Benedetti and carved from red Kramsach marble. Its four corner statues represent Saint Anne, Cassian, Vigilius, and Saint George, each chosen for their local significance. The Virgin statue was consecrated in 1706 and has been carefully preserved, with the original now kept in a side chapel at St. Georgenberg-Fiecht Abbey. The saints’ statues were replaced in 2009, and their originals now stand inside the Altes Landhaus. Visitors find the column standing at the centre of a spacious square where people often gather. The surrounding street is lively with cafés and shops, making it a natural pause during a walk through the city. The red marble glows warmly in sunlight, and the statues’ expressions and details reward close inspection. The square itself is paved with broad stone flags, giving a clear view of the monument from all sides.