Ambras Castle with its collections is the only former princely collection of art that can still be visited at its original, historical site.
While the so-called Upper Castle was conceived as a residential building, and was rebuilt and expanded into a Renaissance castle, in contrast the so-called Lower Castle, located to its south-west, was a new construction.
The irregular, four-wing building that emerged here after the 1570s housed stables in the south and a granary under the roof, whereas the other tracts accommodated the collections of Archduke Ferdinand II. These sections housed the armouries, the Chamber of Art and Wonders, as well as a library.
In 1589 the site was enlarged towards the west to create an additional tract to accommodate the so-called Heldenrüstkammer (Armoury of Heroes), which nevertheless was demolished in 1881 for structural reasons.