The city of Innsbruck is the capital and largest city in Tyrol, a western state in Austria’s salient, or panhandle. Tyrol (Tirol in German and Tirolo in Italian) is a larger historic and cultural region in the Alps in both Austria and Italy. In Medieval times, Tyrol was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. In the 19th century, the region became a part of the Austrian Empire and subsequently Austria-Hungary until World War I. In 1918, the modern day border between Austria and Italy was set and Tyrol divided between the two countries.
Tyroleans in Austria primarily speak German, and those in Italy Italian, but they also speak three minor languages and many subregional dialects. Ladin, a Romance language, and Cimbrian and Mócheno, both Germanic languages, are the three minor languages spoken in different parts of Northern Italy. Though not united by one common language or nation, Tyroleans share similar cultural elements such as food, dress and customs.
Land im Gebirge
The motto of Tyrol, “Land in the mountains,” in German, Ladin, and Italian.
Terra inter montes
Terra fra i monti
Although the earliest human evidence in the area dates back to Neolithic times, Innsbruck first formed as a town in the 12th century and became the capital of Tyrol in the mid-15th century. The city was heavily influenced by the Hapsburg family, rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, and it grew in importance as a European cultural center during the Renaissance. The Hasburgs built the Hofburg, or Imperial Palace, which was expanded upon significantly in subsequent centuries.
In the late 15th century, Maximilian I took up residence in Innsbruck. He commissioned the Goldenes Dachl, or Golden Roof, to celebrate his third wedding. The most well-known symbol of Innsbruck, the Golden Roof overlooks the pedestrian heart of the Old Town and is composed of over 2,500 gold-gilded copper tiles. Under a decade later, Maximilian would be proclaimed the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The Hofkirche, or Court Church, was built as a memorial to Maximilian and, although his remains are buried elsewhere, it contains a large and elaborate cenotaph.
In my sparse free time between conference activities, I managed to visit the Volkskunst Museum, an impressive museum of Tyolean folk art displaying objects of local cultural heritage. I climbed up the City Tower at sunset. Built in 1450, the tower overlooks the Golden Roof, the entire Old Town, and the River Inn. I watched the sun disappear behind the mountains and saw the boisterous Christkindlmarkt in the square below. The Innsbruck Christmas Market teemed with visitors sipping spicy mulled wine weaving their way by hundreds of wooden stalls selling food, drink, and folk art, keeping the centuries-old traditions of the city alive.
