Sophisticated Traveller - City Guide Innsbruck

However, if you should you find yourself trapped within the Inn valley its worth being aware of the historical significance of this once famous city. It is a city which today maintains a degree of nostalgic charm, complete with numerous ancient churches, buildings and monuments. What's more, with a population just on 150,000, Innsbruck remains a reasonably active city and a major centre of commerce for the region.

For those not drawn to the winter skiing or summer mountaineering facilities, the appeal often lies in immersing oneself into the historical environment of the region, focusing in particular upon Innsbruck's Old Town.

The renowned Golden Roof is perhaps the most recognised attraction, built in 1500 for Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and decorated with almost 3000 gold-plated copper tiles, it was used by the emperor and dignitaries to view the events in the square below - i.e. a balcony. Decorated with the emperor’s coat of arms, symbols and other figures of his life, it is in fact a replication, the originals being located in the Tiroler Landesmuseum.

This is ultimately a day trip destination, at most a brief riposte and opportunity to stretch ones legs on the way to somewhere more interesting. Famous ultimately as the location of the 1964 and 1976 winter Olympics, Innsbruck is notable also for being the capital of Tyrol and a popular destination for skiers and snowboarders.

In fact, the region attracts more North American winter visitors than any other European ski destination, which in itself should serve as a deterrent, particularly so noting that the beautiful and considerably more exclusive ski resort of Lech is only 94km's further afar.

Landmarks aside, Innsbruck does offer an alternate array of relatively interesting activities which should appeal to a more vibrant clientele. Whilst historical buildings and Tyrolean museums may not be for all, quality dining with an emphasis on regional cuisine and a passable nightlife is available to those in the know.

As a major ski destination, it is not surprising that Innsbruck is home to one of Europe's premier ski injury clinics, the Innsbruck Medical University. It is also home to the Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck and the international headquarters of SOS Children's Villages, one of the world's largest charities.

In December, Innsbruck hosts the world-famous Air and Style Competition at the Olympic Ski Jump stadium. Attracting over 25,000 visitors it makes for an interesting and amusing diversion for skiing aficionados and the curious alike.

A Brief History:

With the first recorded quotation of Innsbruck dating back to 1187, actual settlement of the area is believed to pre-date the Bronze Age. From the time of the Roman Empire, the city developed as an important military and transport link between the north and south Alpine regions, the nearby route over the Brenner Pass being the most direct passage across the Alps

Innsbruck prospered as a transit station for trade and in 1429 it was proclaimed the capital of Tyrol, later to become the centre of European politics and culture under Emperor Maximilian I.

Following the ceding of Tyrol to Bavaria throughout the Napoleonic wars, Andreas Hofer, against Bavarian and French forces, subsequently led a Tyrolean peasant army to victory on the Berg Isel, establishing a new administration with Innsbruck at its centre. A short lived victory at that, the region was returned to Bavarian rule until 1814

Annexed by the German Nazi regime in 1938 as part of the unification of Austria, the city suffered heavily from air raids to the end of the war in 1945.