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Innsbruck
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The region around Innsbruck is primarily known as a winter-vacation center. The city itself has a rich history and a beautiful old town. Innsbruck became an important political center in the 1490's, when Kaiser Maximilian I based the imperial court there. It remained an imperial residence up to the 17th century and was incorporated into Bavaria after the Napoleonic carve-up of Europe. An insurrectionary movement was founded by Andreas Hofer after that. Many streets and squares are named after this local hero.

Innsbruck's old town is known as Altstadt. it is a small area bounded by the river and the Graben, following the course of the moat which used to surround the medieval town. Most of the city's sights are confined to that area. Innsbruck's main artery is Maria-Theresien-Strasse, famed for the view north towards the great rock wall of the Nordkette, the mountain that dominates the city. At its, down Salurnerstrasse, stands the Triumphpforte, a triumphal arch, which was erected in advance of celebrations marking the marriage of Maria Theresa's son Leopold in 1756. Three blocks east of that is the city's railway station. The Annasäule is a column supporting a statue of the Virgin, but named after Sankt Anne, who appears at the base. It was constructed to commemorate the retreat of the Bavarians on 29 July 1703, Sankt Anne's day.

North of the column Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse leads into the center. It ends at a plaza, overlooked by the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof), which is actually copper. It was added in the 1490's to hide a window from which the imperial court could observe the square below. The Maximilian Museum is housed inside the building. To the right is an alley that leads to Domplatz and the Domkirche Sankt Jakob. The church is home to a valuable Madonna and Child by German master Lucas Cranach the Elder. The Madonna is a bit hard to spot, as it is buried in the Baroque details of the altar. Next to the church is the Hofburg, which was built at the end of the Middle Ages, but was remodeled in the 18th century.

The Hofkirche is at the end of the Rennweg. It contains the Cenotaph of Emperor Maximilian, one of Innsbruck's most important Imperial monuments. The Cenotaph originally should have included 40 larger-than-life statues of the Kaiser, as well as 100 statuettes and 32 busts of Roman emperors, representing both the real and the spiritual ancestors of Maximilian, but when it was completed, not more than 32 of the statuettes and 20 of the busts were completed. It is still impressive though, but Maximilian himself was actually buried in Wiener Neustadt, at the other end of the country. Upstairs in the church is the Silberkapelle or silver chapel, named after the silver Madonna that adorns the far wall. Opposite is Archduke Ferdinand II's suit of armor and his remains are buried there as well. A ticket to the Hofkirche is combined with the Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum, through which the Hofkirche is entered. The museum boasts countless wood-paneled Tirolean peasant interiors, as well as several models of Tirolean village architecture.

Not far to the south is the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, which houses a large collection of Gothic paintings. Most of the paintings originate from churches in South Tirol, which now belongs to Italy, while some although some are by the 'Pustertal painters' based around Bruneck (now Brunico in Italy) in the East Tirol.

Schloss Ambras is also worth a visit. It is 2 km southeast of the city center and can be reached by tramway. It used to be the residence of Archduke Ferdinand of Tirol, in the 16th century. It boasts a collection of artworks and strange objects from around the world.

The Hungerburg plateau, which overlooks the city, is a good place for hiking. It can be reached with the Hungerburgbahn, which leaves from a station at the end of Rennweg. At an intermediate station is the Alpenzoo, where you can see a collection of animals indigenous to mountain regions. From the Hungerburg, a three-stage sequence of cable cars continues to the summit of the Nordkette itself. From the Nordkette the views are fantastic.

There are countless hotels and pensions in Innsbruck, as well as restaurants. Many of the Innsbruck's museums and sights are only open during the summer, while in the winter the city is packed with skiing tourists. Innsbruck is 385 km southwest of Wien (Vienna).


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