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Flusspromenade in Innsbruck photo by Ikiwaner –

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Innsbruck

Austria is brimming with alpine lakes, breathtaking mountains, modern and historic towns, attractive villages, fresh air, and adventure sports. Needless to say, the allure is obvious.

Innsbruck is one of the Austrian cities filled with potential. It is the meeting point of the past and the future in the heart of the Alps. Innsbruck has long been a bustling metropolis. The city has grown steadily since the initial settlements in the region which is now known as the old quarter.

With a vast range of attractions ranging from historical cathedrals to beautiful vistas and scenic cable car excursions, Innsbruck has a lot to offer and is a popular tourist destination in Austria.

This city has a ton of history and interesting facts to learn. Whether travelling for fun or interested in the culture. Here are some remarkable facts about Innsbruck.

1. Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol

Tyrol Austria October 1993 photo by Infrogmation –

Tyrol is an Austrian state (Land) located in western Austria. It is made up of the Austrian part of the medieval Princely County of Tyrol. It is a part of the current Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino (together with South Tyrol and Trentino in Italy).

Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol. Innsbruck became the capital of all Tyrol in 1429. The state of Tyrol is divided into two parts by a 7-kilometre broad strip. The larger area is known as North Tyrol, and the smaller area is known as East Tyrol.

To the east is the Austrian state of Salzburg, while to the south is the Italian province of South Tyrol, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before World War I. Tyrol is Austria’s third-largest state, with a total land area of 12,683.85 km2.

2. Innsbruck is the fifth-largest city in Austria

Innsbruck is Austria’s fifth largest city. The population of 132,493 in 2018 was found along the River Inn, near its intersection with the Wipp Valley, which gives access to the Brenner Pass 30 kilometres to the south.

It closely borders the wide valley surrounded by high mountains, including the so-called North Chain in the Karwendel Alps (2,334 meters) to the north and Patscherkofel (2,246 m) and Serles (2,718 m) to the south.

Check out some of the oldest cities in the world.

3. Innsbruck is divided into nine cadastral settlements

Austria, Innsbruck, city centre in front of the Nordkette photo by Mathias Bigge –

Innsbruck is divided into nine boroughs (cadastral settlements), all of which were once autonomous municipalities or villages. These nine boroughs are subdivided further into twenty wards (cadastral districts).

Except for the ward of Hungerburg (Upper Innsbruck), which is divided into two, all wards are inside one borough. Innsbruck is further subdivided into 42 statistical units (Statistischer Bezirk) and 178 numbered blocks for statistical purposes.

4. The city’s arms show a bird’s-eye view of the Inn bridge

The Inn bridge can be seen from above in the city’s arms, which have been in use since 1267. The Brenner Pass was then the shortest and most direct route across the Alps, serving as a vital transportation and communication link between northern and southern Europe.

5. Innsbruck was home to Emperor Maximilian I in the 1490s

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor photo by Albrecht D眉rer –

Innsbruck was named the capital of all of Tyrol in 1429, and in the 15th century, when Emperor Maximilian I lived there in the 1490s, it emerged as a major political and cultural hub in Europe.

The Hofkirche is one example of how the emperor’s presence helped the city. Here, Maximilian’s successors helped to create and erect a memorial for him.

6. The city’s most important attraction is the 鈥渂uilding with a golden roof鈥�

Innsbruck-goldenroof-nordkette photo by MartinBiely –

The “building with a golden roof” (Goldenes Dachl), constructed in 1500 by Emperor Maximilian, is the city’s most notable landmark. Copper tiles that had been gilded historically covered balconies.

The structure is a museum where visitors can find out more about the Emperor’s life and take in the cityscape from the famous balcony. With its 2,657 gilded copper shingles and rich fresco and relief decoration, the oriel in the middle of Innsbruck’s old town was an eye-catcher not only when it was built around 1500.

Today, more than 500 years later, the Golden Roof still attracts thousands of visitors every day and is Innsbruck’s most famous sight – far beyond the borders of Austria.

7. It survived heavy bombings during World War II

Innsbruck saw only one engagement during World War I, and that was at the close of the conflict. Allied aircraft attacking Innsbruck on February 20, 1918, from Italy caused losses among the Austrian forces stationed there.

During the Anschluss in 1938, Nazi Germany captured Austria. Innsbruck suffered twenty-two airstrikes between 1943 and April 1945, and it sustained significant damage.

8. The city is a famous Austrian Winter Sports location

Image by Mitja Mikolavcic from

Innsbruck is a world-renowned winter sports destination. This lovely city is located in western Austria, on the Inn River, at the foot of the high Alps, in the hilly region of Tyrol.

The city is a well-known Austrian ski resort, noted for its iconic ski jump Bergisel and other alpine sports.

9. Innsbruck has been chosen twice for the Winter Olympics

Innsbruck is a world-renowned winter sports destination, having hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964. The 1964 Winter Olympics, formally known as the IX Olympic Winter Games and colloquially known as Innsbruck 1964, was a winter multi-sport event held from January 29 to February 9, 1964, in Innsbruck, Austria.

The city was already an Olympic contender, having bid unsuccessfully to host the 1960 Games. Innsbruck won the bid for the 1964 Winter Olympics over Calgary, Canada, and Lahti, Finland.

The sports venues, several of which were created specifically for the Games, were located within a twenty-kilometre radius of Innsbruck. It also held the 1976 Winter Olympics, as well as the Winter Paralympics in 1984 and 1988. In 2012, it hosted the first Winter Youth Olympics.

10. Innsbruck’s zoo called 鈥淎lpen Zoo鈥� is located at the highest altitude in Europe

On the sunny slopes of the Hungerburg plateau, surrounded by snow-capped Alpine peaks, the Alpine Zoo Innsbruck (Alpenzoo Innsbruck) is a unique wildlife reserve with a spectacular setting.

Devoted to protecting native Tyrolean wildlife, the zoo is home to more than 2,000 animals, with over 150 different Alpine species represented. It is one of Europe’s highest-elevation zoos.

Alpenzoo, founded on September 22, 1962, by Austrian naturalist Hans Psenner, rose to prominence due to the restoration of endangered species such as the bearded vulture, Alpine ibex, and northern bald ibis into the wild.

The zoo is a non-profit organization, and the majority of its revenue comes from admission prices, although it also receives subsidies from the city of Innsbruck and the Tyrol government.

Also, check out the top 10 things you can do during your stay in Austria.