Innsbruck
Innsbruck is the capital of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn river Valley.
City houses appr. 125,000 residents. Innsbruck is a well-known alpine wintersport resort, being hosted two winter olympics in 1964 and 1976.
Innsbruck became the capital of Tyrol in 1429 and in the 15th century the city became a centre of European politics and culture as emperor Maximilian I moved the imperial court to Innsbruck in the 1490s. In 1669 the still active university was founded.
Recreation
Weekender (Tschamlerstraße 3) – this café and club offers almost weekly indie live bands.
Treibhaus (Angerzellgasse 8) – Vivid bistro with almost daily events (comedy shows, concerts and dances). Every Friday free concert. Garden, jazz salon and two big event halls.
Kinderwelt in Kaufhaus Tyrol offers activities for children.
Patscherkofel is a decent ski resort for wintersport acitivities.
Alpenzoo (Weiherburggasse 37) – Europe’s highest situated zoo specializing in alpine animals. Terrariums, aviaries and aquariums (world’s biggest collection of alpine fish species).
Shopping
Kaufhaus Tyrol mall (Maria-Theresien-Straße 31) offers many kinds of stuff with five levels, and is a splendid place for buying reasonable-priced souvenirs.
Franziskanerplatz, Sparkassenplatz and Anichstraße as well as Museumstraße are popular shopping areas with many cozy stores.
Something to explore
Old Town
This semi-circular historical quarter in the core of Innsbruck introduces to old Tyrolian architecture with the Baroque, Renaissance and Rococo hues.
Highlights of that idyllic quarter include the Baroque Helblinghaus, embellished with a beautiful stucco façade with cherubs and other ornaments. Nearby is the 16th-century Golden Eagle (Goldener Adler), an old inn, where many emperors and even famous writer Goethe visited. Notable landmark, 57-meter-high Stadtturm, a watchtower built in the 14th century along with the adjoining Old Rathaus gives great views of the Old Town. Other interesting landmarks include the Ottoburg, a residential tower built in 1494; the Deutschordenshaus (House of the Teutonic Order) built in 1532; and the Burgriesenhaus (Castle Giant’s House), built in 1490 for a court giant.
Hofkirche
This Gothic church in the Old Town is an important landmark. The church was built in 1553 by Emperor Ferdinand I, as a memorial to his grandfather Emperor Maximilian I, whose cenotaph within boasts a remarkable collection of German Renaissance sculpture. Interior contains galleries, high slender colonnettes of red marble with beautiful Corinthian capitals, and a lectern. The cenotaph is surrounded by 28 large bronze statues of ancestors, relatives and heroes, being sculpted between 1502-1555.
Schloss Ambras
This glorious Renaissance castle is situated at an elevation of 587 meters, above the city. The castle was built in the 16th century on the spot of an earlier 10th.century castle, which became the seat of power of the Counts of Andechs. It also served as a residence of Archduke Ferdinand II from 1563 to 1595. Notable detail is the Spanish Hall with 27 full-length portraits of the rulers of Tyrol, as well as the “Rüstkammer”, armoury housing very rare examples of armour from the 15th century which originally came from the collections of Emperor Maximilian I and Archduke Sigismund.
How to get around in Innsbruck
Local public transport consists 4 tram lines and a bus network, being operated mainly by the Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe. The special bus line The Sightseer connects the major sights like Schloss Ambras, Bergisel and Alpenzoo to downtown. The journey planner and ticket prices of the IV are visible here.
A suburban train system called S-Bahn with five routes (S1 – S5) connects Innsbruck to villages and towns around the city. Timetables and fares can be found here.
How to get in Innsbruck
The Innsbruck Kranebitten Airport serves the Tyrol region. Its airlines are visible here.
Trains are operated frequently to/from Venice, Bolzano, Zurich, Munich, Graz, and Vienna; by the Austrian national railway company ÖBB. Ticket prices and timetables of the ÖBB are visible here.
Top 5 in Innsbruck
- Old Town
- Shopping at Franziskanerplatz
- Skiing at Patscherkofel
- Hofkirche
- Helblinghaus
Text: Timo Hellman
Photos: With the CC licence / Ghirlandajo, Taxiarchos228, Katharina Arnfelser, Andrew Bossi
