High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Chamber of Art and Curiosities is a cabinet of curiosities created by Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria in the 16th century. Representing an excellent example of a late Renaissance encyclopedic collection of its genre, it continues to be displayed at Ambras Castle near Innsbruck, the same setting since its inception. Ferdinand II, like many other rulers of the Renaissance, was interested in promoting the arts and sciences. He spent considerable time and money on his unique collection and converted the medieval Ambras Castle into a contemporary palace to display his possessions. Beside the chamber of arts and curiosities the castle is home to a collection of medieval weapons and the "Habsburg Portrait Gallery". The collection also contains paintings by Hans von Aachen. Today, these collections at Ambras are administered by the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.