Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

and the fifth-largest city in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the

Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass ( , shortly ; ) is a mountain pass over the Alps which forms the Austria-Italy border, border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Alps, major passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has the lowes ...

to the south, it had a population of 132,493 in 2018. In the broad valley between high mountains, the so-called North Chain in the

Karwendel Alps The Karwendel is the largest mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps. It is located on the Austria–Germany border. The major part belongs to the Austrian federal state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, while the adjacent area in the north is part ...

(

Hafelekarspitze The Hafelekarspitze is a mountain in the so-called North Chain (''Nordkette'') north of Innsbruck in Austria. Location and landscape Below and west of the summit is the top station of ''Hafelekar'', the second section of the Nordkette Cable ...

, ) to the north and

Patscherkofel Patscherkofel is a mountain and ski area in the Alps, in Tyrol in western Austria, 7 km (4 mi.) south of Innsbruck. The peak rises to a summit elevation of above sea level. The town of Igls at its northwest base is at , a vertical drop ...

() and

Serles Serles (2,718 m) is a mountain of the Stubai Alps in the Austrian state of Tyrol, Austria, between the Stubai Valley and Wipptal, near the Italian border. Its nickname is ''Altar von Tirol'', literally the ''Altar of Tyrol''. It has several l ...

() to the south, Innsbruck is an internationally renowned winter sports centre; it hosted the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

and

1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (, ) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 (), were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from February 4 to 15, 1976. The games were awarded to Inn ...

as well as the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1988 Winter Paralympics The 1988 Winter Paralympic Games () were the fourth Winter Paralympics, held again in Innsbruck, Austria. These were the last Paralympics to be held in a separate location from the Olympics. Beginning in 1992, the Olympics and the Paralympics we ...

. It also hosted the first

Winter Youth Olympics Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Differen ...

in 2012 and is going to host the 2027

Winter Deaflympics The Deaflympics, also known as Deaflympiad (previously called World Games for the Deaf, and International Games for the Deaf) are a periodic series of multi-sport events sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at which deaf athle ...

. The name means "bridge over the Inn".

History

Antiquity

The earliest traces suggest initial inhabitation in the early

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

. Surviving pre-Roman place names show that the area has been populated continuously. In the 4th century the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

established the army station Veldidena (the name survives in today's urban district Wilten) at Oenipons (Innsbruck), to protect the economically important commercial road from

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

- Brenner-

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

in their province of

Raetia Raetia or Rhaetia ( , ) was a province of the Roman Empire named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with Transalpine ...

. The first mention of Innsbruck dates back to the name ''Oeni Pontum'' or ''Oeni Pons'' which is

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for bridge (pons) over the Inn (Oenus), which was an important crossing point over the Inn river. The Counts of

Andechs Andechs is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria in Germany. It is renowned in Germany and beyond for Andechs Abbey, a Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB ...

acquired the town in 1180. In 1248 the town passed into the hands of the

Counts of Tyrol The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with the secularised ...

. The city's arms show a bird's-eye view of the Inn bridge, a design used since 1267. The route over the

was then a major transport and communications link between the north and the south of Europe, and the easiest route across the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. It was part of the

Via Imperii Via Imperii (Imperial Road) was one of the most important of a class of roads known collectively as imperial roads (') of the Holy Roman Empire. This old trade route ran in a south–north direction from Venice on the Adriatic Sea and Verona i ...

, a medieval imperial road under special protection of the king. The revenues generated by serving as a transit station on this route enabled the city to flourish.

Early history

Innsbruck became the capital of all Tyrol in 1429 and in the 15th century the city became a centre of European politics and culture as Emperor Maximilian I also resided in Innsbruck in the 1490s. The city benefited from the emperor's presence as can be seen for example in the Hofkirche. Here a funeral monument for Maximilian was planned and erected partly by his successors. The ensemble with a

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

and the bronze statues of real and mythical ancestors of the Habsburg emperor are one of the main artistic monuments of Innsbruck. A regular postal service between Innsbruck and

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

was established in 1490 by the

Thurn-und-Taxis-Post The Thurn-und-Taxis Post () was a private postal service and the successor to the Imperial Reichspost of the Holy Roman Empire. The Thurn-und-Taxis Post was operated by the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis between 1806 and 1867. The company was ...

. In 1564

Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria (Linz, 14 June 1529 – 24 January 1595, Innsbruck) was ruler of Further Austria and since 1564 Imperial count of County of Tyrol, Tyrol. The son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, he was married to ...

received the rulership over

and other

Further Austria Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (; , formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, includin ...

n possessions administered from Innsbruck up to the 18th century. He had

Schloss Ambras Ambras Castle () is a Renaissance castle and palace located in the hills above Innsbruck, Austria. Ambras Castle is above sea level. Considered one of the most popular tourist attractions of the Tyrol, Ambras Castle was built in the 16th century ...

built and arranged there his unique Renaissance collections nowadays mainly part of Vienna's

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien ( "Vienna Museum of art history, Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, i ...

. Up to 1665 a

stirps In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same ''nomen gentilicium'' and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was cal ...

of the Habsburg dynasty ruled in Innsbruck with an independent court. In the 1620s the first opera house north of the Alps was erected in Innsbruck (Dogana). The university was founded in 1669. Also as a compensation for the court as Emperor Leopold I again reigned from Vienna and the Tyrolean stirps of the Habsburg dynasty had ended in 1665. Combat du Bergisel

During the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

Tyrol was ceded to

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, ally of France.

Andreas Hofer Andreas Hofer (22 November 1767 – 20 February 1810) was a County of Tyrol, Tyrolean innkeeper and Droving, drover who became the leader of the 1809 Tyrolean Rebellion during the War of the Fifth Coalition. He was subsequently captured and exe ...

led a Tyrolean peasant army to victory in the

Battles of Bergisel The Battles of Bergisel were four battles fought between Tyrolese civilian militiamen and a contingent of Austrian government troops and the military forces of Emperor Napoleon I of France and the Kingdom of Bavaria at the Bergisel hill near ...

against the combined Bavarian and French forces, and then made Innsbruck the centre of his administration. The combined army later overran the Tyrolean

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

army, Hofer was fusilladed for his role and became a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

for the locals, his remains were returned to Innsbruck in 1823 and interred in the Franciscan church. Gustav Wilhelm Kraus Innsbruck 19Jh

Afterwards, until 1814 Innsbruck was part of Bavaria. The

Vienna Congress The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

restored the Austrian rule over the city. Innsbruck played a part during the revolution of 1848 in Austria. In May of that year, riots in Vienna made Emperor

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

to move the seat of government temporarily to the city. It remained part of the

Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ( composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it ...

(Austria side after the

compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (, ) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereign ...

) as one of the 4 autonomous towns in

, the centre of the identically named district, one of the 21 ''

Bezirkshauptmannschaften A district ( ; Grammatical number#Overview, pl. ) is a second-level division of the executive (government), executive arm of the Austrian government. District offices are the primary point of contact between residents and the state for mos ...

''. During World War I, the only recorded action taking place in Innsbruck was near the end of the war. On 20 February 1918, Allied planes flying out of Italy raided Innsbruck, causing casualties among the Austrian troops there. No damage to the town is recorded. In November 1918 Innsbruck and all Tyrol were occupied by the 20 to 22 thousand soldiers of the III Corps of the First Italian Army. In 1929, the first official

Austrian Chess Championship The Austrian Chess Championship is held by the Austrian Chess Federation (''Österreichischer Schachbund''). For its correspondence chess subdivision, see OESB-FS. Unofficial Championships : Official Championships * Erich Eliskases won two mat ...

was held in Innsbruck.

Annexation and World War II

In 1938 Austria was annexed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in the ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Innsbruck was the location of two subcamps of the

Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

, including a special camp for prominent people from 16 countries and their families, who were held as hostages, including former

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime ...

Léon Blum André Léon Blum (; 9 April 1872 – 30 March 1950) was a French socialist politician and three-time Prime Minister of France. As a Jew, he was heavily influenced by the Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century. He was a disciple of socialist l ...

, former

regent of Hungary The regent of Hungary was a position established in 1446 and renewed in 1920. It was held by Admiral Miklós Horthy until 1944. Under Hungary's constitution there were two regents, one a regent of the ruling house, called the Nádor, and another ...

Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya (18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957) was a Hungarian admiral and statesman who was the Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946), Kingdom of Hungary Hungary between the World Wars, during the ...

, former Chancellor of Austria

Kurt Schuschnigg Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg (; 14 December 1897 – 18 November 1977) was an Austrian politician who was the Chancellor of Austria, Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert D ...

, Italian general

Giuseppe Garibaldi II Brigadier-General Giuseppe Garibaldi II (29 July 1879 – 19 May 1950), better known as Peppino Garibaldi, was an Italian soldier, patriot and revolutionary. He was grandson of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Biography Garibaldi was born in Melbourne, ...

and a nephew of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

. Between 1943 and April 1945, Innsbruck experienced twenty-two air raids and suffered heavy damage.

Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino

In 1996, the European Union approved further cultural and economic integration between the Austrian province of

and the Italian autonomous provinces of

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

and

Trentino Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...

by recognizing the creation of the

Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino In European politics, the term Euroregion usually refers to a transnational co-operation structure between two (or more) contiguous territories located in different European countries. Euroregions represent a specific type of cross-border region ...

Geography

Climate

Innsbruck has a

humid continental Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb'') since it has at least one month with a mean temperature below 0°C (32°F). Innsbruck has a larger annual temperature differences than most of Central Europe due to its location in the center of the Continent and its position around mountainous terrains. Winters are often cold or very cold (colder than those of all major

Western European Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

cities, as well as most central European cities) and snowy, although the

foehn wind A Foehn, or Föhn (, , , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm downslope wind in the lee of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of its moisture on windw ...

sometimes brings extreme thaws. Spring is brief; days start to get warm, often over , but nights remain cool or even freezing. Summer is highly variable and unpredictable. Days can be cool and rainy, or sunny and extremely hot, sometimes hitting . In summer, as expected for an alpine-influenced climate, the

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

is often very high as nights usually remain cool, being on average, but sometimes dipping as low as . The average annual temperature is 10°C (50°F).

Boroughs and statistical divisions

Karte Innsbruck - Katastralgemeinden und Statistische Stadtteile

Innsbruck is divided into nine boroughs (cadastral settlements) that were formed from previously independent municipalities or villages. These nine boroughs are further divided into twenty wards (cadastral districts). All wards are within one borough, except for the ward of Hungerburg (Upper Innsbruck), which is divided between two. For statistical purposes, Innsbruck is further divided into forty-two statistical units (''Statistischer Bezirk'') and 178 numbered blocks (''Zählsprengel''). The following are the nine boroughs with the population as of 31 October 2011: * Innsbruck (inner city) (18.524), consisting of Oldtown (''Altstadt''), Dreiheiligen-Schlachthof, and Saggen * Wilten (15.772), consisting of Mentlberg, Sieglanger, and Wilten West * Pradl (30.890), consisting of Pradler-Saggen, Reichenau, and Tivoli * Hötting (31.246), consisting of Höttinger Au, Hötting West, Sadrach, Allerheiligen, Kranebitten, and part of Hungerburg * Mühlau (4.750), consisting of part of Hungerburg * Amras (5.403), consisting of Roßau * Arzl (10.293), consisting of Neuarzl and Olympisches Dorf * Vill (535) * Igls (2.204)

Places of interest

Mountains

Nordkette The Nordkette, also variously called the North Chain, Northern Range, rarely the Inn Valley Range or Inn Valley Chain (''Inntalkette''), is a range of mountains just north of the city of Innsbruck in Austria. It is the southernmost of the four gr ...

Buildings and monuments

* Old Inn Bridge (''Alte Innbrücke'') *

Ambras Castle Ambras Castle () is a Renaissance architecture, Renaissance castle and palace located in the hills above Innsbruck, Austria. Ambras Castle is above sea level. Considered one of the most popular tourist attractions of the Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Amb ...

's tomb * St. Anne's Column (''Annasäule'') *

Bergisel Ski Jump The Bergisel Ski Jump (), whose stadium has a capacity of 26,000, is a ski jumping hill located in Bergisel in Innsbruck, Austria. It is one of the more important venues in the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, annually hosting the third competition of ...

* Büchsenhausen Castle * Canisianum *

Casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

(''Stadtsaal'') * Golden Roof (''Goldenes Dachl'') * Helbling House (''Helblinghaus'') * Imperial Palace (''Hofburg'') *

Hungerburgbahn The Hungerburgbahn is a hybrid funicular railway in Innsbruck, Austria, connecting the city district of Hungerburg with the city centre. The current line opened on 1 December 2007, replacing a previous alignment that operated from 1906 to 2005. ...

Leopold Fountain The Leopold Fountain (, more rarely ''Leopoldbrunnen'') in the Tyrolean state capital is a listed monument near the ''Altstadt'' of the city of Innsbruck. The fountain, which is on the ''Rennweg'' and is not far from the Tyrolean State Theatre ...

(''Leopoldsbrunnen'') * Maria-Theresien-Straße * Maximilian's Cenotaph and the Black Men (''Schwarzen Männer'') * Old Federal State Parliament (''Altes Landhaus'') * Old Town (''Altstadt'') * Silver Chapel (''Silberne Kapelle'') * City Tower (''Stadtturm'') *

Triumphal Arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

(''Triumphpforte'') *

Tyrolean State Theatre The Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck () is the state theatre in Innsbruck, Austria, located near the historic Altstadt (Old Town) section of the city. The theatre is surrounded by the Imperial Hofburg, the Hofgarten, and SOWI Faculty of the Un ...

Museums

* Alpine Club Museum *

Armoury An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

* City Archives * Grassmayr Bell Foundry and Museum * Innsbruck Stubaital station * Kaiserjäger Museum * Tyrol Panorama Museum (''Das Tirol Panorama'') *

Tyrolean Folk Art Museum The Tyrolean Folk Art Museum () is an Austrian heritage museum. Located next to the Hofkirche and across from the Hofburg in the Altstadt section of Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of citi ...

(''Tiroler Volkunstmuseum'') *

Tyrolean State Museum The Tyrolean State Museum (), also known as the Ferdinandeum after Archduke Ferdinand, is located in Innsbruck, Austria. It was founded in 1823 by the Tyrolean State Museum Ferdinandeum Society (''Verein Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum''). Sin ...

(''Tiroler Landesmuseum'' or ''Ferdinandeum'') * Tyrolean Museum Railways (''Tiroler Museumsbahnen'')

Churches

* Court Church (''Hofkirche'') *

Innsbruck Cathedral Innsbruck Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of St. James (), is an eighteenth-century Baroque architecture, Baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Innsbruck in the city of Innsbruck, Austria, dedicated to the apostle Saint James, ...

(''Dom zu St. Jakob'') * Old Ursuline Church * Jesuit Church * Church of Our Lady * Church of Our Lady of Perpectual Succour * Servite Church * Hospital Church * Ursuline Church * Wilten Abbey (''Stift Wilten'') * Wilten Basilica (''Wiltener Basilika'') * Holy Trinity Church * St. John's Church * St. Theresa's Church (Hungerburg) * Pradler Parish Church * St. Paul's State Memorial Church in the Reichenau * Evangelical Church of Christ * Evangelical Church of the Resurrection * Old Höttingen Parish Church * Höttingen Parish Church * Parish Church of St. Nicholas * Parish Church of Neu-Arzl * Parish Church of St. Norbert * Parish Church of Maria am Gestade * Parish Church of the Good Shepherd * Parish Church of St. George * Parish Church of St. Paul * Parish Church of St. Pirminius * Church of the Guardian Angel

Parks and gardens

* Alpine Zoo (''

Alpenzoo ''Alpenzoo Innsbruck'' is a zoo located in the city Innsbruck, in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is one of the highest elevation zoos in Europe. General Founded 22 September 1962 by the Austrian zoologist Hans Psenner, Alpenzoo reintroduced e ...

'') *

Baggersee Innsbruck Baggersee Innsbruck (also: ''Baggersee Rossau'') is located in the south-eastern part of Innsbruck at the Inn River and belongs to the city district Amras. With an area size of 2.8 ha it is the second largest lake in the city area. Only the Lake La ...

* Innsbruck University Botanic Garden * Hofgarten (''Court Garden'') * Rapoldi-Weiher Park * Ambras Castle Park (''Schlosspark Ambras'')

Gallery

File:Chateau ambras.jpg, Ambras Castle File:Zeughaus-innsbruck.jpg, Armoury File:Innsbruck 2 108.jpg, City Tower (''Stadtturm'') File:Helblinghaus3.JPG, Helblinghaus File:Innsbruck Flusspromenade.jpg, Innsbruck from the Inn river (looking towards

) File:Innsbruck 1 305.jpg, Maximilian's Cenotaph and the Black Men in the Court Church File:Goldenes Dachl 3950109736 571225b427 b.jpg, Old Town (''Altstadt'') with the

Goldenes Dachl The Goldenes Dachl (''Golden Roof'') is a landmark structure located in the Old Town (''Altstadt'') section of Innsbruck, Austria. It is considered the city's most famous symbol.Schulte-Peevers 2007, p. 168. Completed in 1500, the roof was decorat ...

File:Innsbruck Siebenkreuzkapelle 2.jpg, Siebenkreuzkapelle File:IA TirolerLandesmuseum A.jpg, Tyrolean State Museum (''Tiroler Landesmuseum'') File:Innsbruck-Basilique de Wilten.jpg, Wilten Basilica Panorama insbruck4

Government and politics

The results of the 2018 local elections were: *

Austrian Green Party The Greens – The Green Alternative (, ) is a green political party in Austria. The Greens currently sit in opposition. Formerly, they were part of the Schallenberg government, the Second Kurz government, and the Nehammer government. It won ...

24.16% (left) *

Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria (, FPÖ) is a political party in Austria, variously described as far-right, right-wing populist, national-conservative, and Eurosceptic. It has been led by Herbert Kickl since 2021. It is the largest of five part ...

18.56% (right) * Für Innsbruck 16.15% (conservative) *

Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party ( , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since January 2025, the party has been led by Christian Stocker (as an acting leader). It is currently the second-largest p ...

12.17% (conservative) *

Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...

10.32% (left) *

NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum () is a Liberalism in Austria, liberal political party in Austria. It was founded as NEOS – The New Austria in 2012. In 2014, NEOS merged with Liberal Forum and adopted its current name. Since 2018, B ...

4.73% (center) * Bürgerforum Tirol – Liste Fritz (FRITZ) 3.23% * Gerechtes Innsbruck (Gerecht) 3.10% * Tiroler Seniorenbund – Für Alt und Jung (TSB) 2.72% * Alternative Liste Innsbruck (ALI) 2.38%

Culture

Cultural events

Innsbruck is a very popular

tourist destination A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beau ...

, organizing the following events every year: * Innsbrucker Tanzsommer * Bergsilvester (New Year's Eve) * Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik (Innsbruck Festival of Early Music) * Los Gurkos Short Film Festival * Christkindlmarkt (Christmas fair) In 1971, author

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, humorist, and screenwriter, best known as the creator of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the ...

was inspired to write the internationally successful ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...

'' series while lying intoxicated in a field in Innsbruck. From 2003 onwards each year

Towel Day Towel Day is celebrated every year on 25 May as a tribute to the author Douglas Adams by his fans. On this day, fans openly carry a towel with them, as described in Adams' ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', to demonstrate their appreciati ...

is celebrated worldwide on 25 May.

Sports

Due to its location between high mountains, Innsbruck serves as an ideal place for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

in winter,

ski-jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...

and

mountaineering Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

in summer. There are several

ski resorts A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

around Innsbruck, with the

served by a cable car and additional chair lifts further up. Other ski resorts nearby include

Axamer Lizum Axamer Lizum is a village and ski resort in Tyrol, Austria, located southwest of the state capital Innsbruck. Known for its high-altitude terrain and long-lasting seasonal snow, Axamer Lizum features a variety of pistes and freeriding areas. ...

, Muttereralm,

, Igls, Seefeld, Tulfes and Stubai Valley. The glaciated terrain in the latter makes skiing possible even in summer months. The

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in ...

were held in Innsbruck twice, first in

, then again in

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, when

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

voters rejected a bond referendum in 1972 to finance the

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

games, originally awarded in 1970. The

were the last games held in the German-speaking

(Austria, Germany, or Switzerland). Along with

St. Moritz St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...

, Switzerland and

Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205. The village of Lake Placid ...

in the United States, it is one of three places which have twice hosted the Winter Games. It also hosted the

and

. Innsbruck hosted the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012. Other notable events held in Innsbruck include the Air & Style Snowboard Contest from 1994 to 1999 and 2008 and the

Ice Hockey World Championship The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), first officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the E ...

in 2005. Together with the city of Seefeld, Innsbruck organized the Winter

Universiade The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a Blend word, portmanteau of the wor ...

in 2005. Innsbruck's

Bergiselschanze The Bergisel Ski Jump (), whose stadium has a capacity of 26,000, is a ski jumping hill located in Bergisel in Innsbruck, Austria. It is one of the more important venues in the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, annually hosting the third competition o ...

is one of the hills of the famous

Four Hills Tournament The Four Hills Tournament () or the German-Austrian Ski Jumping Week () is a ski jumping event composed of four World Cup events and has taken place in Germany and Austria each year since 1953. With few exceptions, it has consisted of the ski ju ...

. Innsbruck is home to

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

clubs

WSG Tirol Wattener Sportgemeinschaft Tirol (), commonly known as WSG Tirol, is a professional association football club based in the town of Wattens, Tyrol, Austria, that competes in the Austrian Football Bundesliga, the top tier of the Austrian footb ...

and

FC Wacker Innsbruck FC Wacker Innsbruck was an Austrian association football club from Innsbruck, Tyrol. History The ''Fußball-Club Wacker'' ("Valiant") ''Innsbruck'' was established in 1915 by Jakob Hanspeter, Benedikt Hosp, Josef Leitner, Josef Albrecht and o ...

, who play in the

Austrian Bundesliga The Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...

and the

Austrian Landesliga The Austrian Landesliga is the fourth tier of football in Austria. It is divided into nine conferences — one for each Austrian state: *Burgenland: '' Landesliga Burgenland'' *Lower Austria: '' 1. Niederösterreichische Landesliga'' *Vienna ...

respectively. Former teams include the

FC Swarovski Tirol FC Swarovski Tirol was an Austrian association football club from 1986 to 1992, based in Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. A year later, FC Tirol Innsbruck was founded and it was considered the continuation of the club. History It was created by c ...

and

FC Tirol Innsbruck FC Tirol Innsbruck was an Austrian association football club from Innsbruck, Tyrol which existed between 1993 and 2002, when bankruptcy was declared. History Tirol Innsbruck was formed after the dissolvement of FC Swarovski Tirol in 1992 which w ...

. The teams' stadium,

Tivoli Neu The Tivoli Stadion Tirol (formerly named ) is a multi-purpose stadium in Innsbruck, Austria. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Bundesliga club WSG Tirol and Raiders Tirol of the European League of Footbal ...

, is one of eight stadiums which hosted

Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...

, which took place in Switzerland and Austria in June 2008. The city is home to the American football team

Raiders Tirol The Raiders Tirol (for the AFL-Teams SWARCO Raiders Tirol, formerly Papa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders) are an American football team based in Innsbruck, Austria. Founded in 1992, the Raiders since have become one of Austria's and Europe's most domina ...

. Innsbruck hosted an American football final,

Eurobowl The Eurobowl, first played in 1986, was the championship final game of a tournament style playoff to determine the champion of all of the American football leagues in Europe. The tournament featured the top or champion clubs from each country ...

XXII between the

Swarco Raiders Tirol The Raiders Tirol (for the AFL-Teams SWARCO Raiders Tirol, formerly Papa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders) are an American football team based in Innsbruck, Austria. Founded in 1992, the Raiders since have become one of Austria's and Europe's most domina ...

and the

Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna The Vienna Vikings is a professional American football club based in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1983, the Vikings are known as one of Europe's most dominant clubs, having won the Eurobowl title five times (2004–2007 and 2013), as well as be ...

. The city hosted opening round games in the

2011 IFAF World Championship The 2011 IFAF World Championship was the fourth instance of the IFAF World Championship, an international American football tournament. It began on July 8, 2011 with the final games commencing on July 16. It was hosted by Austria, with games tak ...

, the official international

American Football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

championship. In 2018 Innsbruck hosted the IFSC Climbing World Championships 2018 from 6 to 16 September and the

2018 UCI Road World Championships The 2018 UCI Road World Championships were held in Innsbruck, Austria. It was the 91st UCI Road World Championships and the third to be held in Austria. The World Championships consisted of a total of twelve competitions, one road race, one t ...

from 22 to 30 September.

Language

Innsbruck is part of the

Austro-Bavarian Bavarian (; ), alternately Austro-Bavarian, is a group of Upper German varieties spoken in the south-east of the German language area, including the German state of Bavaria, most of Austria, and South Tyrol in Italy. Prior to 1945, Bavaria ...

region of

dialects A dialect is a variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standardized varieties as well as vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardized varieties, such as those used in developing countries or iso ...

and, more specifically,

Southern Bavarian Southern Bavarian or South Bavarian, is a cluster of Upper German dialects of the Bavarian group. They are primarily spoken in Tyrol (i.e. the Austrian federal state of Tyrol and the Italian province of South Tyrol), in Carinthia and in t ...

(''Südbairisch''). Irina Windhaber, professor for linguistics at the Universität Innsbruck, has observed a trend among young people to choose more often Standard German language structures and pronunciation.

Economy and infrastructure

Innsbruck is a substantial tourist centre, with more than a million overnight stays. In Innsbruck, there are 86,186 employees and about 12,038 employers. 7,598 people are self-employed. Nearly 35,000 people commute every day into Innsbruck from the surrounding communities in the area. The unemployment rate for the year 2012 was 4.2%. The national statistics office,

Statistik Austria Statistics Austria, known locally as Statistik Austria, is the official name of Austria's Federal Statistical Office (), the country's agency for collecting and publishing official statistics related to Austria. In 2000 a bill (''federal law for s ...

, does not produce economic data for the City of Innsbruck alone, but on aggregate level with the

Innsbruck-Land District The Bezirk Innsbruck-Land is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in Tyrol, Austria. It encloses the Statutarstadt Innsbruck, and borders Bavaria (Germany) in the north, the district Schwaz in the east, South Tyrol in Italy to the south, and th ...

summarised as NUTS 3-region Innsbruck. In 2013, GDP per capita in the NUTS 3-region Innsbruck was €41,400 which is around 60% above the EU average. The headquarters of

Tiroler Wasserkraft Tiroler Wasserkraft AG (TIWAG) is an Austrian company that generates electricity from hydropower based in Innsbruck, Austria. The company mainly produces electricity through hydropower. The company operates several hydropower plants in the Tyro ...

(Tiwag, energy production),

Bank für Tirol und Vorarlberg Bank für Tirol und Vorarlberg (that is Bank for Tyrol and Vorarlberg) is a regional Austrian bank with headquarters in Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fift ...

(financial services), Tiroler Versicherung (insurance) and

MED-EL MED-EL is a global medical technology company specializing in hearing implants and devices. They develop and manufacture products including cochlear implants, middle ear implants and bone conduction systems. MED-EL is a privately owned comp ...

(medical devices) are located in Innsbruck. The headquarters of

Swarovski Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glas ...

(glass), Felder Group (mechanical engineering) and Swarco (traffic technology) are located within from the city. Residential property is very expensive by national standards. The average price per square metre in Innsbruck is €4,430 (2015), which is the second highest per square meter price among Austrian cities surpassed only by Salzburg (€4,823), but followed by Vienna (€3,980).

Transport

Innsbruck is located along the A12/A13 highway corridor (

Inn Valley Autobahn The Inn Valley Motorway or Inntal Autobahn A12 is an autobahn in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol and part of Euroroutes E45 and E60. It begins as a continuation of the German Bundesautobahn 93 on the German-Austrian border near Kiefersfe ...

and

Brenner Autobahn The Brenner Autobahn ( or , ) refers to a major European truck route that connects Innsbruck in Austria to Verona in northern Italy. Numbered as the A13 in the Austrian section, the motorway is relatively short and entirely located within the s ...

respectively), providing freeway access to

, Italy and

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Germany. The A12 and A13 converge near Innsbruck, at which point the A13 terminates.

Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof (German language, German, 'Innsbruck Main Station' or 'Innsbruck Central Station') is the main railway station in Innsbruck, the capital city of the Austrian States of Austria, federal state of State of Tyrol, Tyrol. Open ...

, the most important railway station of Innsbruck and Tyrol, is one of the busiest railway stations in Austria. It is served by the Lower Inn Valley line to Germany and eastern Austria, the Arlberg line to the west and the Brenner line, which connects northern Italy with southern Germany via the

. Since December 2007 suburban services have been operated as the Innsbruck S-Bahn.

Innsbruck Airport Innsbruck Airport , also known locally as ''Kranebitten Airport'', is the largest international airport in Tyrol in western Austria. It is located approximately from the centre of Innsbruck. The airport, which was opened in 1925, handles regio ...

is located in the suburb of Kranebitten, which is located in the west of the city. It provides services to airports including

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. It also handles regional flights around the

, as well as seasonal flights to other destinations. During the winter, activity increases significantly, due to the high number of skiers travelling to the region. The airport is approximately from the centre of Innsbruck. Trambahn in Innsbruck

Local public transport is provided by Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe (IVB), a public authority operating a network of bus and

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

routes. The metre-gauge tram network consists of four city lines, 1, 2, 3 and 5, and two lines serving the surrounding area: , the Innsbrucker Mittelgebirgsbahn to Igls, and line ''STB'', the

Stubaitalbahn The Stubaitalbahn (Stubai Valley Railway) is an long narrow gauge interurban tram from Innsbruck to Fulpmes in Tyrol, Austria. In the city of Innsbruck, it uses the local tramway tracks Tramway track is used on tramways or light rail o ...

running through the Stubai Valley to

Fulpmes Fulpmes is a market town and a municipality in Stubaital, Tyrol, Austria. In 2015 it had a population of 4,250, of whom 14.5% did not have Austrian nationality. Fulpmes is the center of iron production in the area, and lies at the base of the Schl ...

. The network is planned to be enlarged during the coming years to reach the neighboring village Rum in the east and Völs in the west. Numerous bus lines serve the inner city and connect it with surrounding areas. Until 2007 the bus network included two

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

routes, but these were abandoned in preparation for planned expansion of the tram network. In December 2007, the

, a

funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...

service to the district of Hungerburg, was reopened after a two-year closure for extensive rebuilding, with partial realignment and a new extension under the

Inn River The Inn (; ; ) is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The long river is a right tributary of the Danube, being the third largest tributary of the Danube by discharge. The highest point of its drainage basin is the summit of Piz Berni ...

and into central Innsbruck. The line was also equipped with new vehicles. Because of the unique design of the stations, drafted by the famous architect

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-born British architect, artist, and designer. She is recognised as a key figure in the architecture of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Born ...

, the funicular evolves immediately to a new emblem of the city. The line was rebuilt by the Italian company Leitner, and can now carry up to 1,200 persons per hour. It is operated by a private company, the 'Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen'.

Education

Innsbruck is a university city, with several locally based colleges and universities. Innsbruck is home to the oldest grammar school ''( Gymnasium)'' of Western Austria, the "

Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck The Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck is a public gymnasium grammar school in Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. Founded in 1562 by the Jesuits in the course of the Counter-Reformation, it is the oldest school in Western Austria and one of the oldest s ...

". The school was founded in 1562 by the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

order and was the precursor of the university, founded in 1669. Innsbruck hosts several universities. The most well-known are the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (; ) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. It is the largest education facility in the Austrian States of Austria, ...

(Leopold-Franzens-Universität), the

Innsbruck Medical University The Medical University of Innsbruck () is a university in Innsbruck, Austria. It used to be one of the four historical faculties of the Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck and became an independent university in 2004. History The medical tra ...

, and the university of applied sciences

MCI Management Center Innsbruck MCI Management Center Innsbruck, located in Innsbruck, Austria, is a private business school that provides a range of study programs culminating in Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Additionally, it offers Executive Master’s programs such ...

Organizations

* The international headquarters of

SOS Children's Villages SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit international development organization headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria. The organization provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to families facing difficultie ...

, one of the world's largest

charities A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

, is located in Innsbruck. * The internationally active NGO

Austrian Service Abroad The Austrian Service Abroad () is a non-profit organization funded by the Austrian government which sends young Austrians to work in partner institutions worldwide serving Holocaust commemoration in form of the Austrian Memorial Service, support ...

was founded in Innsbruck in 1992 by

Andreas Maislinger Andreas Maislinger (born 26 February 1955 in Sankt Georgen bei Salzburg, St. Georgen near Salzburg, Austria) is an Austrian political scientist and wiktionary:Founder, founder and former chairman of the Austrian Service Abroad. He also is the fou ...

and

Andreas Hörtnagl Andreas Hörtnagl (born 28 November 1942) is an Austrian politician. Born in Matrei am Brenner, Hörtnagl was mayor of Gries am Brenner from 1980 to 1992. He became well known because of the conflict with his predecessor Jakob Strickner, wh ...

. Its central office is located at Hutterweg, Innsbruck. * Innsbruck has two

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, the

Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (; ) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. It is the largest education facility in the Austrian Bundesland of Tirol, and the th ...

and the

. The Innsbruck Medical University has one of Europe's premier

ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

injury clinics. * The international headquarters of

, one of the largest producers of

cochlear implants A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech unde ...

, is located in Innsbruck. * The Aouda.X space suit simulator is being developed by the OeWF in Innsbruck. Also, the Mission Support Centre for many of the OeWF Mars analogue missions is situated in the city. This MSC used time delayed communication with ''Camp Weyprecht'' in the desert near

Erfoud Erfoud (, Latn, ber, Arfud; ) is an oasis town in the Sahara Desert, in the Drâa-Tafilalet region, eastern Morocco. It belongs to ait atta tribe, divided into several districts: Hay Salam, Hay Jdid, Hay Ziz, Hay el Bathaa, Hay Annahda, and Hay ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

for the MARS2013 expedition during February 2013.

Notable residents

Monarchy and aristocracy

Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III (German language, German: ''Friedrich III,'' 21 September 1415 – 19 August 1493) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death in 1493. He was the penultimate emperor to be Coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor, crowned by the p ...

(1415–1493),

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

from 1452 until his death, the first emperor of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

. *

Margaret of Austria, Electress of Saxony Margaret of Austria (c. 1416 – 12 February 1486), a member of the House of Habsburg, was Electress consort of Saxony from 1431 until 1464 by her marriage with the Wettin elector Frederick II. She was a sister of Emperor Frederick III. Life ...

(–1486), member of the House of Habsburg, was Electress of Saxony 1431–1464 by her marriage with the Wettin elector Frederick II. She was a sister of Emperor Frederick III. *

Sigismund, Archduke of Austria Sigismund (26 October 1427 – 4 March 1496), a member of the House of Habsburg, was List of rulers of Austria, Duke of Austria from 1439 (elevated to Archduke in 1477) until his death. As a scion of the Habsburg Leopoldian line, he ruled over F ...

(1427–1496), Habsburg archduke of Austria and ruler of Tyrol from 1446 to 1490 * Elisabeth of Brandenburg (1510–1558), princess of the

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...

and a Margravine of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (20 August 151721 September 1586), Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, typically known as Cardinal Granvelle in English, was a Burgundian statesman, made a cardinal, who followed his father as a leading minister of th ...

(1517–1586), Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, Burgundian statesman, followed his father as a leading minister of the

Spanish Habsburgs Habsburg Spain refers to Spain and the Hispanic Monarchy, also known as the Catholic Monarchy, in the period from 1516 to 1700 when it was ruled by kings from the House of Habsburg. In this period the Spanish Empire was at the zenith of its in ...

. *

Catherine of Austria Catherine of Habsburg or Catherine of Austria may refer to: * Catherine of Habsburg (1256–1282), daughter of Rudolf I of Germany and wife of Otto III, Duke of Bavaria * Catherine of Austria, Duchess of Calabria (1295–1323), daughter of Albert I ...

, Queen of Poland (1533–1572), one of the fifteen children of

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I (10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of rulers of Croatia, Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek ...

and

Anna of Bohemia and Hungary Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (23 July 1503 – 27 January 1547), sometimes known as Anna Jagellonica, was Queen of Germany, Bohemia, and Hungary and Archduchess of Austria as the wife of King Ferdinand I (later Holy Roman Emperor). Early ...

Anna of Tyrol Anna of Tyrol (4 October 1585 – 14 December 1618) was by birth an Archduchess of Austria and member of the Tyrolean branch of the House of Habsburg and by marriage Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen of Bohemia and Queen of Hungary. The fi ...

(1585–1618), by birth

Archduchess of Austria The Archduchy of Austria (; ) was a major Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy. With its capital at Vienna, the archduchy was centered at the Empire's southeastern periph ...

and member of the Tyrolese branch of the

and by marriage

Holy Roman Empress The Holy Roman Empress or Empress of the Holy Roman Empire (''Kaiserin des Heiligen Römischen Reiches'') was the wife or widow of the Holy Roman Emperor. The elective dignity of Holy Roman emperor was restricted to males only, but some empresse ...

Archduchess Isabella Clara of Austria Isabella Clara of Austria (12 August 1629 – 24 February 1685) was a Duchess consort of Mantua, Montferrat, Nevers (until 1659), Mayenne (until 1654) and Rethel (until 1659) by marriage to Charles II, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat. From 1665 ...

(1629–1685), by birth

as a member of the Tyrolese branch of the

Sigismund Francis, Archduke of Austria Sigismund Francis, Archduke of Further Austria (27 November 1630 – 25 June 1665) was the ruler of Further Austria including Tyrol from 1662 to 1665. Biography He was born at Innsbruck, the second son of Leopold V, Archduke of Austria and ...

(1630–1665), ruler of

including Tyrol *

Maria Leopoldine of Austria Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Tyrol (6 April 1632 – 7 August 1649) was by birth Archduchess of Austria and member of the Tyrolese branch of the House of Habsburg and by marriage the second spouse of her first cousin, Ferdinand III, Holy Roman E ...

-Tyrol (1632–1649), by birth

and member of the Tyrolese branch of the

and by marriage the second spouse of her first cousin, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III * Archduchess

Claudia Felicitas of Austria Claudia Felicitas of Austria (30 May 1653 – 8 April 1676) was by birth an Archduchess of Austria and by marriage Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Archduchess consort of Austria, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia as the second wife of Leopo ...

(1653–1676), by birth

and by marriage

and the second wife of Leopold I *

Leopold, Duke of Lorraine Leopold the Good (11 September 1679 – 27 March 1729) was Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1690 to his death. Through his son Francis Stephen, he is the direct male ancestor of all rulers of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, including all Emperor ...

(1679–1729), surnamed the Good, was

Duke of Lorraine The kings and dukes of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were ...

and Bar from 1690 * Ignaz Anton von Indermauer (1759–1796), nobleman who was murdered in a peasant revolt * Henry Taaffe, 12th Viscount Taaffe (1872–1928), landowner, held hereditary titles from Austria & Ireland until 1919 when he lost both; son of Eduard Taaffe, 11th Viscount Taaffe. * Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1931–2010), prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry

Public service

* Eusebio Kino (1645–1711), Jesuit missionary and explorer of Northwest Mexico and Southwest US, student and later teacher at

. * Josef Speckbacher (1767–1820) a leading figure in the rebellion of the Tyrol against Napoleon * Joseph Hormayr, Baron zu Hortenburg (1781/2–1848) statesman and historian. * Hermann von Gilm (1812–1864) lawyer and poet * Vinzenz Maria Gredler (1823 in Telfs – 1912) a Dominican friar, classicist, philosopher theologian and naturalist * Ignatius Klotz (1843–1911), American farmer and politician in Wisconsin * Oswald Redlich (1858–1944) historian and archivist of auxiliary sciences of history * Heinrich Schenkl (1859–1919) classical philologist, son of Karl Schenkl * Diana Budisavljević (1891–1978), humanitarian who led a major relief effort in Yugoslavia during

* Blessed Jakob Gapp (1897–1943) Roman Catholic priest and a Marianists. * Karl Gruber (1909–1995) an Austrian politician and diplomat * Reinhold Stecher (1921–2013) Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of the Diocese of Innsbruck, 1980 to 1997. * Professor Dr. Christian Schwarz-Schilling (born 1930) a German politician, entrepreneur, philanthropist and media and telecommunications innovator. * Marcello Spatafora (born 1941), Italian diplomat, former Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations * Heidemarie Cammerlander (born 1942), member of the Municipal Council and Landtag of Vienna * Gerhard Pfanzelter (born 1943) prominent Austrian diplomat. *

(born 1955) Austrian historian and founder of the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service * Christoph Hofinger (born 1967) researcher and political consultant * Gabriel Kuhn (born 1972), political writer and translator based in Sweden * René Benko (born 1977), real estate investor and founder of Signa Holding

War figures

* Raoul Stojsavljevic (1887–1930), World War I flying ace * Otto Hofmann (1896–1982), SS-Obergruppenführer director of Nazi Germany's "Race and Settlement Main Office", sentenced to 25 years for war crimes in 1948, pardoned 1954 * Robert Bernardis (1908–1944), resistance fighter, part of the attempt to kill Adolf Hitler in the 20 July Plot in 1944. * Josefine Brunner (1909–1943), socialist, resistance member and victim of the Nazism, Nazi regime * Anton Malloth (1912–2002), a supervisor in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. * Constanze Manziarly (1920–1945), cook/dietitian to Adolf Hitler until her final days in 1945

Arts

* Jacob Regnart (1540s–1599) Flemish Renaissance composer of sacred and secular music * William Young (composer), William Young (died 1662) English viol player and composer of the Baroque era, who worked at the court of Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria in Innsbruck * Johann Paul Schor (1615–1674), artist, known in Rome as "Giovanni Paolo Tedesco" * Michael Ignaz Mildorfer (1690–1747), painter, painted primarily religious themed works * Josef Ignaz Mildorfer (1719–1775), painter of frescoes * Franz Edmund Weirotter (1733–1771), painter, draughtsman and etcher of landscapes and maritime scenes * Georg Mader (1824–1881) an Austrian painter. * Edgar Meyer (painter), Edgar Meyer (1853–1925), painter, built himself a castle and engaged in politics * Karl Schönherr (1867–1943) Austrian writer of Austrian Heimat themes. * Mimi Gstöttner-Auer (1886–1977) Austrian stage and film actress * Clemens Holzmeister (1886–1983), architect and stage designer * Erwin Faber (1891–1989), actor in Munich, in the late-1970s he performed at the Residenz Theatre * Igo Sym (1896–1941), Austrian-born Polish actor and collaborator with Nazi Germany * Carl-Heinz Schroth (1902–1989), actor and film director, appeared in 60 films * Heinrich C. Berann (1915–1999) father of the modern panorama map, born into a family of painters and sculptors * Peter Demant (1918–2006) a Russian writer and public figure. * Judith Holzmeister (1920–2008) actress, married to the actor Curd Jürgens 1947–1955 * Otmar Suitner (1922–2010) conductor who spent most of his professional career in East Germany, Principal Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1960 to 1964 * Dietmar Schönherr (1926–2014) an Austrian film actor * Ilse von Alpenheim (born 1927) pianist * William Berger (actor), William Berger (born 1928–1993) was an Austrian American actor * Erich Urbanner (born 1936) Austrian composer and teacher. * Peter Noever (born 1941) designer and curator–at–large of art and architecture * Christian Berger (born 1945) Austrian cinematographer * Radu Malfatti (born 1946), trombone player and composer * Helga Anders (1948–1986) Austrian television actress * Reed Gratz (born 1950), Jazz pianist/composer, Professor at University of Innsbruc

* Gabriele Sima (1955–2016), opera singer * Norbert Pümpel (born 1956) a visual artist. * Gabriele Fontana (born 1958) an Austrian operatic soprano. * Thomas Larcher (born 1963) an Austrian composer and pianist. * Armin Wolf (born 1966), journalist and television anchor * Eva Lind (born 1966), operatic soprano * Aleksandar Marković (conductor), Aleksandar Marković (born 1975) Serbian, principal conductor of Tyrolean Opera House * Alice Tumler (born 1978), television presenter * Georg Neuhauser (born 1982), singer in Serenity (band) * Manu Delago (born 1984), Hang (instrument), Hang player, percussionist and composer based in London * Amira El Sayed (born 1991) an Egyptian-Austrian actress and author * Nathan Trent (born 1992) singer for Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 * Victoria Swarovski (born 1994), singer, TV Presenter ''Let's Dance Germany'', Billionaire Heiress of the

empire

Science

* Adam Tanner (mathematician), Adam Tanner (1572–1632) Jesuit professor of maths and philosophy, eponym of the Moon crater Tannerus * Ferdinand Johann Adam von Pernau, Count of Rosenau (1660–1731) Austrian ornithologist * Johann Nepomuk von Laicharting (1754–1797), entomologist and Professor of Natural Science * Wilibald Swibert Joseph Gottlieb von Besser (1784–1842), Austrian-born botanist, worked in Western Ukraine * Philipp Sarlay (1826–1908) principal of telegraph office, technological and scientific pioneer * Leopold Pfaundler (1839–1920), physicist and chemist, wrote the kinetic theory of gases * Georg Luger (1849–1923) an Austrian designer of the famous Luger pistol * Erwin Payr (1871–1946), surgeon, eponym of Splenic-flexure syndrome or "Payr's disease" * Meinhard von Pfaundler (1872–1947), pediatrician, interest in the Diathesis–stress model, diathetic aspects of disease * Arnold Durig (1872–1961) Austrian physiologist, investigated organisms at high altitude * Otto E. Neugebauer (1899–1990) Austrian-American mathematician and historian of science * Bruno de Finetti (1906–1985), Italian List of mathematical probabilists, probabilist, statistician and actuary, noted for the conception of probability * Meinhard Michael Moser (1924–2002) mycologist of the taxonomy, chemistry and toxicity of the Lamella (mycology), gilled mushrooms * Klaus Riedle (born 1941) German power engineering scientist, helped develop more efficient gas turbines for power generation * Prof. Herbert Lochs (1946–2015) prominent German/Austrian medical doctor and scientist * Peter Zoller (born 1952) theoretical physicist and Professor at the

* Wolfgang Scheffler (inventor), Wolfgang Scheffler (born 1956), inventor/promoter of large, flexible, parabolic reflecting dishes that concentrate sunlight for cooking and in the world's first solar-powered crematorium * Christian Spielmann (born 1963), physicist and a professor at the University of Jena *Veronika Sexl (born 1966), pharmacologist and toxicologist with interests in cancer research. Since 1 March 2023 she is rector of the

.Neues Rektor innenteam im Amt
/ref> Roderich Menzel 01

Sport

* Hady Pfeiffer (1906–2002), Austrian/German alpine skier, competed 1936 Winter Olympics * Roderich Menzel (1907–1987), amateur tennis player and, after his active career, an author * Lotte Scheimpflug (1908–1997), Austrian/Italian luger, competed 1920s to the 1950s * Gustav Lantschner (1910–2011), alpine skier & actor, competed 1936 Winter Olympics * Erich Eliskases (1913–1997), chess grandmaster in the 1950s, represented Austria, Germany and Argentina * Hermann Buhl (1924–1957) mountaineer, considered one of the best climbers of all time * Egon Schöpf (born 1925) alpine skier, competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics, 1948 and 1952 Winter Olympics * Dagmar Rom (1928–2022) a former alpine ski racer, won two gold medals at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1950, 1950 World Championships * Walter Steinegger (born 1928) former ski jumper who competed in the 1952 Winter Olympics * Fritz Dinkhauser (born 1940) hammer thrower and bobsleigher at the 1968 Winter Olympics * Gert Elsässer (born 1949), skeleton racer who competed in the early 1980s * Franz Marx (born 1963), sport wrestler, qualified for the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona * Markus Prock (born 1964), luger who competed between 1983 and 2002 * Barbara Schett (born 1976) Austrian tennis player and sportscaster * Fritz Dopfer (born 1987) World Cup alpine ski racer, specializing in the giant slalom and slalom * David Lama (1990–2019) Rock climber and mountaineer. * René Binder (born 1992), racing driver * Nicol Ruprecht (born 1992), rhythmic gymnast * Gregor Schlierenzauer (born 1994), Ski jumper, all-time leader in the number of World Cup victories * Susanna Kurzthaler (born 1995), biathlete * Vanessa Herzog (born 1995), speed skater * Simon Bucher (born 2000), Austrian Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics, 2020 Olympic swimmer * Jakob Schubert (born 1990), Austrian professional rock climber. He won bronze in both the 2020 Summer Olympics, 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

* Freiburg im Breisgau in Baden-Württemberg, Germany ''(since 1963)'' * Grenoble in Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France ''(since 1963)'' * Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina ''(since 1980)'' * Aalborg in Denmark ''(since 1982)'' * Tbilisi in Georgia (country), Georgia ''(since 1982)'' * Ōmachi, Nagano, Ōmachi in Japan, ''(since 1985)'' * New Orleans, Louisiana, United States ''(since 1995)''

Partnerships

* Kraków in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland ''(since 1998)''

Austrian Service Abroad

The

is a NGO, which provides positions for an alternative Austrian national service at 85 organizations in 35 countries worldwide in the sectors Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service, Holocaust Memorial Service, Austrian Social Service, Social Service and Austrian Peace Service, Peace Service. It was founded by

and

in 1998 and is based in Innsbruck.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * *

History

Antiquity

Early history

Annexation and World War II

Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino

Geography

Climate

Boroughs and statistical divisions

Places of interest

Mountains

Buildings and monuments

Museums

Churches

Parks and gardens

Gallery

Government and politics

Culture

Cultural events

Sports

Language

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Education

Organizations

Notable residents

Monarchy and aristocracy

Public service

War figures

Arts

Science

Sport

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Partnerships

Austrian Service Abroad

See also

References

Further reading

External links