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Tuorist place in Innsbruck |
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| Wednesday, 26 March 2008 | |
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History of Innsbruck
 Innsbruck, the old provincial capital of Tirol, lies in the wide Inn valley at the intersection of two important traffic routes, between Germany and Italy and between Vienna and Switzerland. From all over the city there are vistas of the ring of mountains which rear up above the gentler terraces of lower ground on which it lies. To the north rise the jagged peaks of the Nordkette (North Chain),in the Karwendel range; to the south, above the wooded Bergisel ridge, the Saile (2,403m/7,887ft) and the Serles group (2,718m/8,920ft); and to the southeast, above the Lanser Köpfe, the rounded summit of the Patscherkofel (2,247m/7,375ft), so popular with skiers. Innsbruck still preserves its medieval core, the historic old town with its narrow, twisting streets and tall houses in Late Gothic style, many of them with handsome oriel windows and fine doorways.
Tuorist place in Innsbruck
Innsbruck - Tomb and Museum of Emperor Maximilian I
In the middle of the Innsbruck's Hofkirche's nave will be found the Tomb of the Emperor Maximilian I (d. 1519, buried in Wiener Neustadt), the finest work of German Renaissance sculpture, conceived as a glorification of the Holy Roman Empire. The central feature of the monument is the massive black marble sarcophagus with a bronze figure of the Emperor (by Alexander Colin, 1584). The wrought-iron screen was the work of the Prague craftsman G. Schmiedhammer (1573). On the sides of the sarcophagus are 24 marble reliefs depicting events in the Emperor's life (1562-66: mainly by A. Colin).
Around the sarcophagus stand 28 over-lifesize bronze statues (1508-50) of the Emperor's ancestors and contemporaries. The finest of these are of Count Albrecht IV of Habsburg (modeled by Hans Leinberger after a design by Dürer) and King Theodoric of the Ostrogoths and King Arthur of England (regarded as the finest statue of a knight in Renaissance art), both the latter being designed by Dürer and cast by Peter Vischer of Nürnberg in 1513. Of the female figures the artistically most valuable, including one of Elisabeth of Austria, are attributed to Veit Stoss and Hans Leinberger. In the north gallery of the church can be seen other pieces of sculpture from the tomb - 23 bronze statues of saints from the Habsburg family (1508-20) and 20 bronze busts of Roman emperors (c. 1530).
Innsbruck - Alpine Zoo; Alpenzoo
About 1km/0.75mi north of Innsbruck's St Nikolaus district we come to the 15th century Schloss Weiherburg and the Alpine Zoo with its aquarium. All kinds of mountain animals from the Alpine regions are to be seen, and the beautifully situated zoo has become very popular with both experts and tourists alike.
A total of 2,000 animals from 150 different Alpine species are kept in the zoo, which also includes the world's largest cold-water aquarium.
Innsbruck - Bergisel
 South of Innsbruck rises the hill (under which the Brenner railroad and motorway pass in tunnels) known as Bergisel (750m/2,460ft; a 15-minute walk from Wilten). On the hill there are various sports facilities: the Olympia ski-jump (known as the "Bergiselschanze", constructed in 1964 for jumps of up to 104m/340ft), from the top of which there is a splendid view, the Olympia Ice Stadium with sprinting lane and the Olympia artificial ice rink. The hill owes its fame to the heroic battles of 1809, when the Tirolese peasants, led by Andreas Hofer, three times freed their capital from the French and Bavarian occupying forces. On the north side of the hill, below the ski jump, stands a memorial to all the Tirolese who fought for their country's freedom. The central feature of this is the Andreas Hofer Monument (1893); adjoining that is a memorial chapel (1909) and to its rear the Tomb of the Tirolese Kaiserjäger (Imperial Riflemen). The Innsbruck Hofkirche (Court Church), built in 1553-63 in the local Late Gothic style, is a three-aisled hall- church with a narrow chancel, a tower set to one side and a beautiful Renaissance porch. The high altar (1758), side altars (1775) and choir screen (17th C.) should be noted. To the left of the entrance can be seen the monument (1834) of Andreas Hofer (b. St Leonhard in Southern Tirol 1767, shot in Mantua 1810), whose remains were deposited here in 1823. On either side lie his comrades in arms Josef Speckbacher (1767-1820) and the Capuchin friar Joachim Haspinger (1776-1858). The beautiful Helblinghaus opposite the Goldenes Dachl cannot fail to attract attention. Originally Late Gothic, it was remodeled in Baroque style about 1730; note particularly the stucco facade with cherubs, acanthus leaves and other decorative ornamentation. Adjoining the Innsbruck Hofkirche (Court Church) on the east, in the Neues Stift (New Abbey) or Theresianum (16th and 18th C.) can be found the Tirolese Museum of Folk Art. The museum's extensive collections, excellently displayed on three floors, include more than 20 Tirolese rooms, including brick-built houses with oriel windows from the Upper Inn valley and half-timbered houses from the Ziller valley, and a rich store of costumes, peasant furniture and tools from the various regions of Tirol, glass and pottery, cane chairs and textiles and metalwork, There is also a collection of Nativity groups from the 18th C. to the present day. In the cloister on the west side of the building lies the tomb of the Innsbruck sculptor Alexander Colin (d. 1612), by Colin himself.
In Innsbruck's southern district of Wilten stands one of the finest Roccoco churches in northern Tirol, the twin-towered parish church (1751-55). The interior is decorated with ceiling frescos by Matthäus Günther and stucco-work by Franz Xaver Feichtmayr; on the high altar is a 14th C. sandstone figure of "Mary under the Four Pillars".
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