Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=

Austro-Bavarian Bavarian (german: Bairisch , Bavarian: ''Boarisch'') or alternately Austro-Bavarian, is a West Germanic language, part of the Upper German family, together with Alemannic and East Franconian. Bavarian is spoken by approximately 12 million pe ...

) is the capital of

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

and the fifth-largest city in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass 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. The major part belongs to the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, while the adjacent area in the north is part of Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of B ...

(

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 Car ...

, ) to the north and

Patscherkofel Patscherkofel is a mountain and ski area in the Alps, in state of Tyrol, Tyrol in western Austria, 7 km (4 mi.) south of Innsbruck. The peak rises to a summit elevation of Height above mean sea level, above sea level. The town of Igls a ...

() 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 low ...

() to the south, Innsbruck is an internationally renowned

winter sports Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold are ...

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 Patriarc ...

and

1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (german: XII. Olympische Winterspiele, french: XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 ( bar, Innschbruck 1976, label= Austro-Bavarian), was a ...

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 (german: Paralympische Winterspiele 1988) were the fourth Winter Paralympics, held again in Innsbruck, Austria. These were the last Winter Paralympics to be held in a separate location from the Winter Olympics. Be ...

. It also hosted the first

Winter Youth Olympics The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event for athletes between 15 and 18 years old, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consisten ...

in 2012. The name means "bridge over the Inn".

History

Antiquity

The earliest traces suggest initial inhabitation in the early Stone Age. 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 ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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 ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

- Brenner-

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...

in their province of

Raetia Raetia ( ; ; also spelled 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 ...

. 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 branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

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

. The city's arms show a bird's-eye view of the Inn bridge, a design used since 1267. The route over the Brenner Pass 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 () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

. 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 (''german: Reichsstraßen'') of the Holy Roman Empire. This old trade route ran in a south–north direction from Venice on the Ad ...

, 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

Albrecht Dürer - View of Innsbruck - WGA7356

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 tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

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 was established in 1490 by the Thurn-und-Taxis-Post. Schloß Ambras (Merian)

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 Tirol. The son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, he was married to Philippine Welser ...

received the rulership over

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

and other

Further Austria Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (german: Vorderösterreich, 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-wes ...

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

Schloss Ambras Ambras Castle (german: Schloss Ambras Innsbruck) 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 ...

built and arranged there his unique Renaissance collections nowadays mainly part of Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum. Up to 1665 a

stirps In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (plural: ''stirpes''). The ''gen ...

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). In 1669 the university was founded. 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. Franz von Defregger 001

During the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

Tyrol was ceded to

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, ally of France.

Andreas Hofer Andreas Hofer (22 November 1767 – 20 February 1810) was a Tyrolean innkeeper and drover, who in 1809 became the leader of the Tyrolean Rebellion against the Napoleonic and Bavarian invasion during the War of the Fifth Coalition. He was subs ...

led a Tyrolean peasant army to victory in the Battles of Bergisel 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 generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

army and until 1814 Innsbruck was part of Bavaria. After 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 B ...

Austrian rule was restored. Until 1918, the town (one of the 4 autonomous towns in Tyrol) was part of the

Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

(Austria side after the

compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...

), head of the district of the same name, one of the 21 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in the

province. The Tyrolean hero

was executed in Mantua; his remains were returned to Innsbruck in 1823 and interred in the Franciscan church. During World War I, the only recorded action taking place in Innsbruck was near the end of the war. On February 20, 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 was held in Innsbruck.

Annexation and bombing

In 1938 Austria was annexed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in the ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

''. 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 it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province , image_skyline = ...

and

Trentino Trentino ( lld, Trentin), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the country's far north. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region ...

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 A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

climate (

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

''Dfb'') using isotherm or oceanic climate (''Cfb'') using the original isotherm since it has larger annual temperature differences than most of Central Europe due to its location in the centre of the Continent and its position around mountainous terrains. Winters are often very cold (colder than those of most major European cities) and snowy, although the

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

sometimes brings pronounced 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 is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak da ...

is often very high as nights usually remain cool, being on average, but sometimes dipping as low as . The average annual temperature is .

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 *

Buildings and monuments

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

Ambras Castle Ambras Castle (german: Schloss Ambras Innsbruck) 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 ...

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

Bergisel Ski Jump The Bergisel Ski Jump (german: Bergiselschanze), 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 ...

* Büchsenhausen Castle * Canisianum *

Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

* City Hall (''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 (''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. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, cro ...

(''Triumphpforte'') * Tyrolean State Theatre

Museums

* Alpine Club Museum *

* Armoury * City Archives * Grassmayr Bell Foundry and Museum * Innsbruck Stubaital station * Kaiserjäger Museum * Tyrol Panorama Museum (''Das Tirol Panorama'') * Tyrolean Folk Art Museum (''Tiroler Volkunstmuseum'') * Tyrolean State Museum (''Tiroler Landesmuseum'' or ''Ferdinandeum'') * Tyrolean Museum Railways (''Tiroler Museumsbahnen'')

Churches

* Court Church (''Hofkirche'') * Innsbruck Cathedral (''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 town Insbruck, 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 became famous b ...

'') *

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 Nordkette) 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 24.16% (left) *

Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria (german: Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Austria. It was led by Norbert Hofer from September 2019 to 1 June 2021.Staff (1 June 2021"Aus ...

18.56% (right) * Für Innsbruck 16.15% (conservative) * Austrian People's Party 12.17% (conservative) * Social Democratic Party of Austria 10.32% (left) *

NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum (german: NEOS – Das Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum) is a liberal political party in Austria. It was founded as NEOS – The New Austria in 2012. In 2014, NEOS merged with Liberal Forum and adopt ...

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 an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

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

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

was inspired to write the internationally successful ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...

'' series while lying intoxicated in a field in Innsbruck. From 2003 onwards each year Towel Day is celebrated worldwide on May 25.

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. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

in winter, ski-jumping and mountaineering 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 ...

around Innsbruck, with the Nordkette served by a cable car and additional chair lifts further up. Other ski resorts nearby include Axamer Lizum, 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 (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) 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 h ...

were held in Innsbruck twice, first in

, then again in

1976 Events January * January 3 – 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 11 – The 1976 ...

, when

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

voters rejected a bond referendum in 1972 to finance the

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

games, originally awarded in 1970. The

were the last games held in the German-speaking

(Austria, Germany, or Switzerland). Along with St. Moritz, Switzerland and

Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,303. The village of Lake Placid is near the center of the town of North Elba, southwest of Plattsburg ...

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. Innsbruck also hosts one of the 4 ski-jumping competitions of the 4 Hills Tournament every year. 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, it is the sport's highest profile annual ...

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

Universiade The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and " Olympiad". The Universiade is referred ...

in 2005. Innsbruck's Bergiselschanze is one of the hills of the famous

Four Hills Tournament The Four Hills Tournament (german: link=no, Vierschanzentournee) or the German-Austrian Ski Jumping Week (german: link=no, Deutsch-Österreichische Skisprung-Woche) is a ski jumping event composed of four World Cup events and has taken place in ...

. Innsbruck is home to the football club

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 ...

, which plays in the

Austrian Football Second League The Austrian Football Second League (german: 2. Liga) is the second-highest professional division in Austrian football. It was formerly called the First League (''Erste Liga''), from 2002 to 2018. The division currently contains 16 teams, and t ...

as of the 2019–20 season. Former teams include the FC Swarovski Tirol 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 It was – after the establishment of FC Swarovski Tirol in 1986 – the s ...

. FC Wacker Innsbruck's stadium, Tivoli Neu, 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 Europea ...

which took place in Switzerland and Austria in June 2008. The city also hosted an American Football final,

Eurobowl The Eurobowl 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 countries top league that was cal ...

XXII between the Swarco Raiders Tirol and the Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna. 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 takin ...

, the official international

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

championship. In 2018 Innsbruck hosted the IFSC Climbing World Championships 2018 from September 6 to September 16 and the 2018 UCI Road World Championships from September 22 to September 30.

Language

Innsbruck is part of the

region of

dialects The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...

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 the west ...

(''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 (german: Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich), the country's agency for collecting and publishing official statistics related to Aus ...

, 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 ...

summarized 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 Tyr ...

(Tiwag, energy production), Bank für Tirol und Vorarlberg (financial services), Tiroler Versicherung (insurance) and MED-EL (medical devices) are located in Innsbruck. The headquarters of Swarovski (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 metre 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 and Brenner Autobahn respectively), providing freeway access to

, Italy and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, Germany. The A12 and A13 converge near Innsbruck, at which point the A13 terminates. Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof, 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 Brenner pass. 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 region ...

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

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

, London,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. 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 (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

routes. The metre-gauge

tram network A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

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 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 Sch ...

. 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 trol ...

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 slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

service to the district of Hungerburg, was reopened after a two-year closure for extensive rebuilding, with partial realignment and a new extension across the Inn River 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 ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

, 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 school was founded in 1562 by the Jesuit 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 (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

(Leopold-Franzens-Universität), the Innsbruck Medical University, and the university of applied sciences

MCI Management Center Innsbruck MCI Management Center Innsbruck is a privately organized business school in Innsbruck, Austria offering study programs leading to Bachelor and Master degrees as well as Executive Master programs (MBA, MSc, LL.M.), Executive Certificate programs ...

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 children in need and protect ...

, one of the world's largest charities, is located in Innsbruck. * The internationally active NGO

Austrian Service Abroad The Austrian Service Abroad is a non-profit organization founded by Andreas Hörtnagl, Andreas Maislinger and Michael Prochazka in 1998, which sends young Austrians to work in partner institutions worldwide serving Holocaust commemoration in f ...

was founded in Innsbruck in 1992 by Andreas Maislinger and Andreas Hörtnagl. Its central office is located at Hutterweg, Innsbruck. * Innsbruck has two

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, the Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck and the Innsbruck Medical University. The Innsbruck Medical University has one of Europe's premier

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

injury clinics. * The international headquarters of MED-EL, 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 ( ber, ⴰⵔⴼⵓⴷ, Latn, ber, Arfud; ar, أرفود) is an oasis town in the Sahara Desert, in the Drâa-Tafilalet region, eastern Morocco. It is divided into several districts: Hay Salam, Hay Jdid, Hay Ziz, Hay el Bathaa, Hay Ann ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

for the MARS2013 expedition during February 2013.

Notable residents

Margaretha von Habsburg, duchess of Saxony

Portrait of Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle by Willem Key

Monarchy & Aristocracy

* Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (1415 – 1493), Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death, the first emperor of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

. * Margaret of Austria, Electress of Saxony (c. 1416–1486), 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 ov ...

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

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...

and a Margravine of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

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

Spanish Habsburgs Habsburg Spain is a contemporary historiographical term referring to the huge extent of territories (including modern-day Spain, a piece of south-east France, eventually Portugal, and many other lands outside of the Iberian Peninsula) ruled be ...

. * Catherine of Austria, Queen of Poland (1533 – 1572), one of the fifteen children of

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I ( es, Fernando I; 10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek: Cetin, grad izbornog sabor ...

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). Ea ...

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 ...

(1585–1618), by birth

Archduchess of Austria The Archduchy of Austria (german: Erzherzogtum Österreich) was a major 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 Claud ...

(1630–1665), ruler of

including Tyrol * Maria Leopoldine of Austria-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 Ferdinand III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608, in Graz – 2 April 1657, in Vienna) was from 1621 Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary from 1625, King of Croatia and Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 until his death in 1657. Fe ...

* 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 Leopol ...

(1653–1676), by birth

and by marriage

and the second wife of Leopold I * Leopold, Duke of Lorraine Leopold (1679 – 1729), surnamed the Good, was

Duke of Lorraine The rulers 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 kings of ...

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 in Innsbruck – 2010), prince of the

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry is the Roman Catholic, Catholic cadet branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, founded after the marriage of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág, Princess ...

Public Service

Eusebio Kino Eusebio Francisco Kino ( it, Eusebio Francesco Chini, es, Eusebio Francisco Kino; 10 August 1645 – 15 March 1711), often referred to as Father Kino, was a Tyrolean Jesuit, missionary, geographer, explorer, cartographer and astronomer bor ...

(1645 – 1711), Jesuit missionary & explorer of Northwest Mexico & Southwest USA, student and later teacher at Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck. * Josef Speckbacher (1767-1820) a leading figure in the rebellion of the Tyrol against Napoleon * Joseph Hormayr, Baron zu Hortenburg (1781/2–1848) statesman & historian. * Hermann von Gilm (1812–1864) lawyer and poet *

Vinzenz Maria Gredler Vinzenz Maria Gredler (30 September 1823, in Telfs near Innsbruck – 4 May 1912, in Bozen) was an Austrian naturalist. Gredler, who was a Dominican Order, Dominican friar, first studied classics (1835–1841) then philosophy and Christian theol ...

(1823 in Telfs – 1912) a Dominican friar, classicist, philosopher theologian and naturalist * Ignatius Klotz (1843–1911), American farmer and politician in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

* Oswald Redlich (1858–1944) historian and archivist of

auxiliary sciences of history Auxiliary (or ancillary) sciences of history are scholarly disciplines which help evaluate and use historical sources and are seen as auxiliary for historical research. Many of these areas of study, classification and analysis were originally deve ...

* Heinrich Schenkl (1859–1919) classical philologist, son of Karl Schenkl * Diana Budisavljević (1891–1978), humanitarian who led a major relief effort in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

* Blessed Jakob Gapp (1897-1943) Roman Catholic priest and a

Marianists The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM is a clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men ( brothers and priests) commonly called the Marianists or Marianist Brothers and Priests. Its members add the nominal ...

. * Karl Gruber (1909 – 1995) an Austrian politician and diplomat * Reinhold Stecher (1921–2013) prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Bishop of the Diocese of Innsbruck 1980 to 1997. * Professor Dr. Christian Schwarz-Schilling (born 1930 in Innsbruck) a German politician, entrepreneur, philanthropist and media and telecommunications innovator. *

Marcello Spatafora Marcello Spatafora (born 30 July 1941) is a retired Italian diplomat, former Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations. Career Marcello Spatafora was born in Innsbruck, Austria. He studied law at the University of Pisa, at the pres ...

(born 1941), Italian diplomat, former

Permanent Representative A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country’s diplomatic mission to an international organisation. Organizations that receive permanent representatives from their member states include the United Nations, the World Tr ...

of Italy to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

* Gerhard Pfanzelter (born 1943 in Innsbruck) prominent Austrian diplomat. * Andreas Maislinger (born 1955) Austrian historian and founder of the

Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service Gedenkdienst is the concept of facing and taking responsibility for the darkest chapters of one's own country's history while ideally being financially supported by one's own country's government to do so. Founded in Austria in 1992 by Andreas Ma ...

* Christoph Hofinger (born 1967) researcher and political consultant *

Gabriel Kuhn Gabriel Kuhn (born 1972) is a political writer and translator based in Sweden. Biography Kuhn became straight edge and active in radical circles as a teenager. Following post-secondary studies in Austria and the United States, Kuhn lived in th ...

(born 1972), political writer and translator based in Sweden *

René Benko René Benko (born 20 May 1977) is an Austrian real estate, media and retail investor and founder of the Signa Holding. The company is considered Austria's largest privately held real estate conglomerate. Benko is one of the richest Austrians. N ...

(born 1977), real estate investor and founder of Signa Holding

War figures

* Raoul Stojsavljevic (1887 in Innsbruck - 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 Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

in the 20 July Plot in 1944. *

Anton Malloth Anton Malloth (13 February 1912 – 31 October 2002) was a supervisor in the "Theresienstadt concentration camp#Small Fortress, Kleine Festung" (Small Fortress) part of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. From June 1940 to May 1945, Malloth wo ...

(1912 – 2002) a supervisor in the

Theresienstadt concentration camp Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination ca ...

. *

Constanze Manziarly Constanze Manziarly (14 April 1920 – disappeared 2 May 1945) was born in Innsbruck, Austria. She served as a cook and dietitian to Adolf Hitler until his final days in Berlin in 1945. Early life Manziarly was born in Innsbruck, Austria, on 14 ...

(1920-1945) cook/dietitian to

until his final days in 1945

Arts

Jacob Regnart Jacob Regnart (French: ''Jacques Regnart''; 1540s – 16 October 1599) was a Flemish Renaissance composer. He spent most of his career in Austria and Bohemia, where he wrote both sacred and secular music. Biography Regnart was born at Douai, one ...

(1540s–1599) Flemish Renaissance composer of sacred and secular music * 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 Johann Paul Schor (1615–1674), known in Rome as Giovanni Paolo Tedesco ( ''Tedesco'' literally means ''German'' in Italian), was an Austrian artist. He was the preeminent designer of decorative arts in Baroque Rome, providing drawings for state b ...

(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 primarily of landscapes and maritime scenes * Georg Mader (1824 – 1881) an Austrian painter. *

Edgar Meyer Edgar Meyer (born November 24, 1960) is an American bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. He has won five Grammy Awards and been nominated seven times. Meyer is a member of the Telluride Bluegras ...

(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 Clemens Holzmeister (27 March 1886 – 12 June 1983) was a prominent Austrian architect and stage designer of the early twentieth century. The Austrian Academy of Fine Arts listed his life's work as containing 673 projects. He was the father of ...

(1886–1983), architect and stage designer *

Erwin Faber Erwin Faber (21 July 1891 – 4 May 1989) was a leading actor in Munich and later throughout Germany, beginning after World War I, and through the late-1970s, when he was still performing at the Residenz Theatre (The National Theatre of Bava ...

(1891–1989), leading actor in Munich and Germany, in the late-1970s he performed at the

Residenz Theatre The Residence Theatre (in German: Residenztheater) or New Residence Theatre (Neues Residenztheater) of the Residence in Munich was built from 1950 to 1951 by Karl Hocheder. The renovation of 1981 by Alexander von Branca removed the decoration w ...

* 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 in Innsbruck – 2006) a Russian writer and public figure. * Judith Holzmeister (1920–2008) actress, married to the actor

Curd Jürgens Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens (13 December 191518 June 1982) was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens. He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in '' Des Teufels Gene ...

1947–1955 *

Otmar Suitner Otmar Suitner (German pronunciation: �ɔtmaʁ zuˈiːtnɐ 16 May 1922 – 8 January 2010) was an Austrian conductor who spent most of his professional career in East Germany. He was born in Innsbruck and died in Berlin. He was Principal Conduct ...

(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 Dietmar Otto Schönherr (; 17 May 1926 – 18 July 2014) was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in 120 films between 1944 and 2014. He was famous for playing the role of Major Cliff Allister McLane in the German science fiction series '' Rau ...

(1926–2014) an Austrian film actor *

Ilse von Alpenheim Ilse von Alpenheim (born February 11, 1927) is an Austrian pianist. Biography Born at Innsbruck, she was trained by her mother, a piano teacher, and made her first public appearance as soloist at the age of nine in Joseph Haydn's Piano Conce ...

(born 1927) pianist * William Berger (born 1928 in Innsbruck - 1993) was an Austrian American actor * Erich Urbanner (born 1936 in Innsbruck) Austrian composer and teacher. * Peter Noever (born 1941 in Innsbruck) designer and curator–at–large of art and architecture * Christian Berger (born 1945) Austrian cinematographer *

Radu Malfatti Radu Malfatti is an Austrian trombone and harmonica player, and composer. He was born in Innsbruck, in the province of Tyrol, on December 16, 1943. Malfatti is associated with the style of music known as reductionism and has been described as "a ...

(born 1946), trombone player and composer *

Helga Anders Helga Anders (11 January 1948 – 30 March 1986) was an Austrian actress. She was born Helga Scherz in Innsbruck, to an Austrian father and a German mother, and she grew up in Ruhpolding and Bielefeld after her parents divorced. She made her ...

(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 Innsbruck) a visual artist. * Gabriele Fontana (born 1958 Innsbruck) an Austrian operatic soprano. *

Thomas Larcher Thomas Larcher (born 16 September 1963, in Innsbruck) is an Austrian composer and pianist. Biography and Work Thomas Larcher completed his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna under Heinz Medjimorec and Elisabeth Leonsk ...

(born 1963 in Innsbruck) an Austrian composer and pianist. *

Armin Wolf Armin Wolf (; born 19 August 1966) is an Austrian journalist and television anchor. In 2017 ''Politico Europe'' called him "one of Europe’s most skilled (and feared) political journalists". He was named "European Journalist of the Year 2019" at ...

(born 1966), journalist and television anchor *

Eva Lind Eva Lind (born 14 June 1966) is an Austrian soprano singer and TV presenter. Since her international breakthrough in 1985, she specialises in coloratura soprano roles in operas and operettas, besides maintaining an active career in concerts and ...

(born 1966), operatic soprano *

Aleksandar Marković Aleksandar Marković may refer to: * Aleksandar Marković (conductor) * Aleksandar Marković (politician) {{hndis, Markovic, Aleksandar ...

(born 1975) Serbian, principal conductor of Tyrolean Opera House *

Alice Tumler Alice Tumler (born 11 November 1978) is an Austrian television presenter. Early life and education Tumler was born in Innsbruck and is the daughter of an Austrian father with Slovenian-Italian descent and a French mother from the island of Marti ...

(born 1978), television presenter * Georg Neuhauser (born 1982), singer in Serenity (band) *

Manu Delago Manu Delago (born 31 July 1984) is an Austrian Hang player, percussionist and composer based in London. Biography Delago was born in Innsbruck, Tyrol, and took music lessons as a child in accordion and piano. As a teenager he mainly played dru ...

(born 1984),

Hang Hang or Hanging may refer to: People * Choe Hang (disambiguation), various people * Luciano Hang (born 1962/1963), Brazilian billionaire businessman * Ren Hang (disambiguation), various people Law * Hanging, a form of capital punishment Arts, e ...

player, percussionist and composer based in London * Amira El Sayed (born Innsbruck 1991) an Egyptian-Austrian actress and author *

Nathan Trent Nathanaele Koll (born 4 April 1992), known professionally as Nathan Trent, is an Austrian singer. He represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Austria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song " Running on Ai ...

(born 1992) singer for Austria in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2017 The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "1944" by Jamala. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ...

* Victoria Swarovski (born Innsbruck 1994), singer, TV Presenter ''Let's Dance Germany'', Billionaire Heiress of the Swarovski empire

Science

* 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 who mainly 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 Georg Johann Luger (March 6, 1849 – December 22, 1923) was an Austrian designer of the famous Luger pistol and the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. Early life and military service Georg Luger was born in Steinach am Brenner, Tyrol to Dr. Ba ...

(1849 – 1923) an Austrian designer of the famous

Luger pistol The Pistole Parabellum—or Parabellum-Pistole (Pistol Parabellum), commonly known as just Luger or Luger P08 is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The Luger was produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 ...

* Erwin Payr (1871–1946), surgeon, eponymn of Splenic-flexure syndrome or "Payr's disease" * Meinhard von Pfaundler (1872–1947), pediatrician, interest in the diathetic aspects of disease * Arnold Durig (1872 – 1961) Austrian physiologist, investigated

organisms at high altitude Organisms can live at high altitude, either on land, in water, or while flying. Decreased oxygen availability and decreased temperature make life at such altitudes challenging, though many species have been successfully evolutionary adaptation, ...

* Otto E. Neugebauer (1899–1990) Austrian-American mathematician and

historian of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Mesopo ...

Bruno de Finetti Bruno de Finetti (13 June 1906 – 20 July 1985) was an Italian probabilist statistician and actuary, noted for the "operational subjective" conception of probability. The classic exposition of his distinctive theory is the 1937 "La prévision: ...

(1906–1985), Italian probabilist, statistician and actuary, noted for the conception of

probability Probability is the branch of mathematics concerning numerical descriptions of how likely an event is to occur, or how likely it is that a proposition is true. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and 1, where, roughly speakin ...

Meinhard Michael Moser Meinhard Michael Moser (13 March 192430 September 2002) was an Austrian mycologist. His work principally concerned the taxonomy, chemistry, and toxicity of the gilled mushrooms (Agaricales), especially those of the genus ''Cortinarius'', and th ...

(1924–2002) mycologist of the taxonomy, chemistry and toxicity of the gilled mushrooms * Klaus Riedle (born 1941 in Innsbruck) German power engineering scientist, contributed to the development of more efficient gas turbines for power generation * Prof. Herbert Lochs (1946 – 2015) prominent German/Austrian medical doctor and scientist * Peter Zoller (born Innsbruck 1952) theoretical physicist and Professor at the

* 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 The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

Sport

* Hady Pfeiffer (1906–2002), Austrian/German alpine skier, competed

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

Roderich Menzel Roderich Ferdinand Ottomar Menzel (; 13 April 1907 – 17 October 1987) was a Czech-German amateur tennis player and, after his active career, a writer. Birth Roderich Menzel was born in Reichenberg in Bohemia (today Liberec in the Czech Republi ...

(1907–1987), amateur tennis player and, after his active career, an author * Lotte Scheimpflug (1908–?), Austrian/Italian luger, competed 1920s to the 1950s *

Gustav Lantschner Gustav "Guzzi" Lantschner (12 August 1910 – 19 March 2011) was an Austrian-born German alpine skier turned actor. He competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics. He was born in Innsbruck, Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich off ...

(1910–2011), alpine skier & actor, competed

Erich Eliskases Erich Gottlieb Eliskases (15 February 1913 – 2 February 1997) was a chess player who represented Austria, Germany and Argentina in international competition. In the late 1930s he was considered a potential contender for the World Championship. ...

(1913–1997), chess grandmaster of the 1930s and 1940s, represented Austria, Germany and Argentina *

Hermann Buhl Hermann Buhl (21 September 1924 – 27 June 1957) was an Austrian mountaineer. He was innovative in applying Alpine style to Himalayan climbing. His accomplishments include the first ascents of Nanga Parbat in 1953 and Broad Peak in 1957. Ear ...

(1924–1957) mountaineer, considered one of the best climbers of all time * Egon Schöpf (born 1925) alpine skier, competed in the 1948 and 1952 Winter Olympics *

Dagmar Rom Dagmar Rom (16 June 1928 – 13 October 2022) was an alpine ski racer from Austria. At age 21 she won two gold medals at the 1950 World Championships in Aspen, Colorado, in the slalom and giant slalom events. Two years later she won a silver m ...

(born 1928) a former alpine ski racer, won two gold medals at the 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 The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

* 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 Fritz Dopfer (; born 24 August 1987) is a German former World Cup alpine ski racer, specializing in the technical events of giant slalom and slalom. Born in Innsbruck, Austria, to a German father and an Austrian mother, the family lived in ...

(born 1987) World Cup alpine ski racer, specializing in the giant slalom and slalom * David Lama (1990–2019) Rock climber and mountaineer. *

René Binder René Binder (born 1 January 1992) is an Austrian racing driver. He is the nephew of former Formula One driver Hans Binder, and his father, Franz, was also a racing driver. Career Binder was born in Innsbruck. He began his racing career in ...

(born 1992), racing driver * Susanna Kurzthaler (born 1995), biathlete * Vanessa Herzog (born 1995), speed skater *

Gregor Schlierenzauer Gregor Schlierenzauer (; born 7 January 1990) is an Austrian former ski jumper who competed from 2006 to 2021. He is one of the most successful ski jumpers of all time, having won the Ski Jumping World Cup overall title, the Four Hills Tourname ...

(born Innsbruck 1994), Ski jumper, all time leader in the number of World Cup victories

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

* Freiburg im Breisgau in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, Germany ''(since 1963)'' *

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

in Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France ''(since 1963)'' *

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

''(since 1980)'' * Aalborg in Denmark ''(since 1982)'' *

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

''(since 1982)'' * Ōmachi in Japan, ''(since 1985)'' *

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States ''(since 1995)''

Partnerships

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

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 Holocaust Memorial Service,

Social Service Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administ ...

and Peace Service. It was founded by Andreas Maislinger and Andreas Hörtnagl in 1998 and is based in Innsbruck.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * *