A-Z Blogging Challenge - Innsbruck

Innsbruck, capital of the Tyrol region of Austria, is situated in the Inn valley. At the end of the 15th century the Emperor Maximilian I moved his court to Innsbruck, and many buildings from the Middle Ages have survived in the ‘old town'.

The ‘Golden Roof’ is probably Innsbruck’s most famous sight, with over 2,500 gilded shingles. It was added to the building for Emperor Maximilian in 1500, and he and his wife used the balcony to watch festivals, tournaments, and other events in the square below. The house itself was built by Archduke Friedrich I in the early 15th century.

Maria Theresien Strasse is the entrance to the old town. In the centre is St Anne’s Column, built in 1703 to commemorate the liberation of Tyrol from Bavarian troops.

It was a very hot day when I visited Innsbruck, as one of the leaders of a school party, and we teachers were quite content to sit at one of the cafes on this street with coffee and cakes, while the 30 teenagers invaded all the shops!

We also visited the Bergisel Ski Jump, from which we had a fantastic view of the city, but as we visited in the height of summer, it looked very strange with no snow on it!