Discover Innsbruck: Insider tips worth seeing

I've said it before: Innsbruck is my dream city. I love it because the mountains tower up all around it as if they had to protect the city. In the case of Innsbruck, the unique location is complemented by a sometimes gnarled Tyrolean friendliness, which is not only documented in the language of the locals. Seekers have many opportunities to find the sometimes rugged, alpine soul of our city, which cannot be depicted on postcards or Instagram. My tip: Innsbruck's professional tourist guides know how to illuminate all corners of the 'Capital of the Alps' and convey them in an exciting way.

Why am I suggesting this? Because I recommend all curious people to explore Innsbruck's soul. It is the small and subtle details that characterize the flair of this city. As I said, you can go on your own search or join a guided tour of the city. Whether a culinary, cultural or welcome tour, everything is possible. Click HERE for the selection.

For all those who are wondering what the soul of this city is all about: I offer here a selection of those lovely and sometimes unusual sights that I am talking about. As a foretaste, so to speak, of the interesting details that await our clever readers. The fact that I am limiting myself to the city center is due to space constraints. I don't want to fill books with them.

In the following, I present those nooks, crannies and artistic works that reveal themselves to visitors - usually after a long search and a closer look. Anyone who knows the answer is cordially invited to leave a comment.

Question 1: Why is Innsbruck Cathedral not - as usual - in the center of Innsbruck's old town, where markets and hustle and bustle prevail, but on the northern edge?

Question 2: Emperor Maximilian I left his mark on Innsbruck's old town. He even had his father, who was after all a Roman-German emperor, depicted with donkey ears on a sculpture plaque. Where is this plaque located?

Question 3: More than 20 buildings in Innsbruck's old town have frescoes depicting the Virgin Mary with child. Which painting by which artist served as the model for these exterior frescoes? And where does the original hang today?

Question 4: Knights' games were once held in the heart of Innsbruck's old town, which were also enjoyed by Emperor Maximilian I. This 'sporting' tradition has survived to this day. So where were or are these games held? And on which house can this relief plaque be seen?

Question 5: 1809 is virtually etched in the history of Tyrol and Innsbruck as the year of resistance against the Bavarian-Napoleonic occupation. The fighting was not only on Mount Isel, but also in the city. Where can you find a publicly visible war relic from the days of these battles in the old town? Here's a tip: if you want to place yourself in the middle of the battles of 1809, you can do so digitally. "Experience Tyrol" is the name of a digital multiverse in Kaufhaus Tyrol, which I can truly recommend.

Question 6: The fact that cocoa is harvested in Innsbruck is actually unbelievable but a fact. Where does the main ingredient of chocolate grow in the city - albeit in small quantities?

Question 7: The famous cenotaph of Emperor Maximilian I is located in the Hofkirche. Why do mythical bronze statues such as King Arthur guard this tomb alongside actual historical figures?

Question 8: The Reformation left its mark on Innsbruck. The Hutterites were a reformist movement whose leader Jakob Hutterer was burned at the stake in Innsbruck on February 25, 1536. Where was the pyre?

Question 9: The castle giant 'Haidl' and the court dwarf 'Thomele' once lived at the Innsbruck court. Both became very wealthy and were even able to afford suitable accommodation. As an aside, Thomele is even said to have once jumped out of a wedding cake. And the figure of the castle giant can be admired on the first floor of the town tower. My question: where did the two of them live in the old town?

Question 10: The Innsbruck Triumphal Arch was once commissioned by Empress Maria Theresa. Where did the stones used to build the arch come from? A hint: it was a massive recycling operation.

Question 11: Innsbruck's old town has two little-noticed exterior frescoes. One is a quaternion eagle, the other an unfinished Gothic vaulted fresco. Where are these frescoes located and what is the significance of the name 'Quaternion'?

Question 12: Last but not least, a now legendary figure from Innsbruck's old town: I have christened him the 'Schluchtenscheißer'. Where does this brave boy stick his butt out at visitors? Picture: W. Käutler

If you stroll through the city with your eyes open, you are sure to find the answers to these questions yourself. For all those who would like to know in advance where they can see the interesting details in Innsbruck, we have the answers here.

For all those witty readers and clever readers who want to look for the described petitessen of Innsbruck's old town themselves, here are the 'solutions', so to speak. Have fun. Some blogs that describe them in more detail are helpful. Such as "The Hidden Corners" and the alleyways of the old town or Emperor Maximiöian I, a medieval PR genius and Our Palm House, an exotic rainforest

Question 1: Innsbruck belongs to the type of Inn-Salzachcity. In these towns, the churches and cemeteries are usually located just outside the social center of the town. There is also the theory that the church cannot be 'disturbed' by the hustle and bustle of the market, as mentioned in the parable of Jesus and the merchants in the temple as a deterrent example.

Question 2: The sculpture plaque is located at the Goldenen Dachl. Maximilian stands between his father, Frederick III, and his uncle, Sigmund „der Münzreiche“.

Question 3: The original painting ‚Mariahilf' by Lucas Cranach d.Ä. adorns the main altar of Innsbruck Cathedral. It was the destination of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in the late Middle Ages and early modern times.

Question 4: Knights' games were held between the moat and the Golden Roof, whose biggest fan was Emperor Maximilian I, who is depicted as a spectator on a sculpture plaque on the Renaissance house above the Cafe Katzung is depicted as a spectator. See also: https://www.innsbruck.info/blog/de/kunst-kultur/die-gassen-der-innsbrucker-altstadt/

Question 5: The grenade ball is located on the outer wall of the famous Café Munding in the Kiebachgasse 16.

Question 6: With a bit of luck, visitors to the Palm House at the northern exit of Innsbruck's Hofgarten can admire a cocoa fruit on the tree.

Question 7: Emperor Maximilian had his 'family tree' researched for years. The partly faked results reached far back into the past; he counted King Arthur as one of his relatives. He therefore had to be present in the court church.

Question 8: Jakob Hutter was burned at the stake in front of the Golden Roof. In other words, as publicly as possible to document what happens if you turn away from the Catholic faith.

Question 9: Thomele and the castle giant lived virtually next door to each other at Hofgasse. Thomele in the so-called 'little giant house', on which the fresco shown is also emblazoned. Nikolaus Haidl lived at Hofgasse 12. It also contains the famous 'whispering arch', which makes the 'silent mail' audible.

Question 10: In the run-up to her son's wedding, Maria Theresa decided to demolish the city gate because the passageway was too small for the planned pomp and fanfare. These stones were reused and the Triumphal Gate was built with them. The presumed appearance of the city gate is impressively shown in the digital version of Experience Tyrol shown.

Question 11: A quaternion eagle is a special representation of the double-headed imperial eagle of the Holy Roman Empire. It symbolizes the empire and its structure by depicting the coats of arms of imperial estates in groups of four (the so-called quaternions) on the feathers of its wings. It is located in the arcades of the building at Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 35. The Gothic design of an arcade ceiling fresco can be found in the arcades in front of the Helblinghaus in the Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 10. See also https://www.innsbruck.info/blog/de/kunst-kultur/die-gassen-der-innsbrucker-altstadt/, at the end of the blog.

Question 12: Well, the little goblin is located directly below the Golden Roof, virtually in the ceiling of the passageway into the arcades. https://tirolischtoll.wordpress.com/2024/11/28/rustikales-innsbruck-heiligenbilder-drachen-schluchtenscheisser/

The mysterious details of the Golden Roof are shown here.

My TIP: A guided tour through Innsbruck

Not all guided tours are the same. Innsbruck offers a whole range of thematically different guided tours. You can get an overview here.

By the way: February 22, 2025 is World Guide Day again. The region's professional guides offer numerous FREE guided tours on a wide variety of topics.

Cover picture: a detail taken from the impressive multimedia show Experience Tirol, on display in Kaufhaus Tyrol.

Worth seeing!