The Imperial Crown (Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, Ottonian Imperial Crown)
1273–1806
In its basic forms, the crown dates to the second half of the tenth century. It goes back to the renovatio imperii (the renewal of the concept of Empire) under Emperor Otto I and was the most important symbol of the office of emperor in the Holy Roman Empire.
Kept in the free imperial city of Nuremberg from the fifteenth century onwards, the crown was taken to Vienna in 1796 to prevent it falling into the hands of Napoleon. Since that time – with the exception of the National Socialist era – it has been preserved in the Vienna Treasury.
