Sights 'n Sounds

23/02/2022

Vienna‘s beloved horse-drawn carriages are named after a 6th-century Irish monk who lived as a hermit in France (I know, bear with me!).

While the concept of carriages-for-hire wasn’t unheard of in late 17th-century Europe, these were unreliable, anarchical and often dangerous.

Until, that is, one Nicolas Souvage established a licensed business with a permanent stand in the Rue Saint-Fiacre, an idea that was successful that it spread throughout the world and ultimately paved the way for taxis (we‘ll talk about THAT name another day but feel free to look it up!).

This is how Saint Fiacre became the patron saint of drivers-for-hire a full 1000 years after his death (it must have been quite surprising to him, since until then he‘d been the patron saint of botanists - but such is life after death!)

22/02/2022

but I love it even more when it allows you to be a guest, not a guide!

06/05/2021

When you have a reeeally sharp knife, everything looks like it should be reeeally finely chopped..

Did you know that you can get your sharpened by a true woodcarving artist in ?
bonifaz is a from who learned his trade in , where there has been a vibrant, world class tradition of woodcarving for centuries, a means for poor peasants to earn some money on the side by creating amazing works of art during the long winter months.

Bonifaz has been hit hard by the fact that season was essentially cancelled this year and since working with the sharpest blades possible is his bread and butter, don’t miss out on getting your sharper than it’s ever been!

You’ll find his interesting shop in Seilergasse, opposite , which is also very much worth visiting!

14/03/2021

To be clear: I absolutely do not support damaging any piece of public property, especially not works of art!!
Also, Andreas Hofer was undoubtedly a great and courageous, albeit flawed, man of his time.
Just adding some historical perspective to this ongoing debate...

The picture I use in the video is a detail of a painting by Josef Strickner, owned by the Stadtarchiv Innsbruck






#1809

08/03/2021

Did you know that for 14 years, the Tyrol was ruled by an Italian princess?

On the occasion of , let‘s take a closer look at one of the best rulers the Tyrol ever had! Claudia de Medici was married to Leopold V, Archduke of Austria when she was 21 (incredibly, she was already a widow at that point!). When her husband died, she assumed the regency of the Princely County of Tyrol (she was 28!) in the name of her son Ferdinand Charles, and ruled very successfully until her son came of age in 1646.

As a daughter of the awesomely powerful Medici dynasty of Florence, she was no stranger to iron-fisted politics and cunning diplomacy. Even though she was certainly a product of her time (for instance, as a staunch catholic, she absolutely crushed any protestant tendencies in her dominion), the people of Tyrol have many reasons to be grateful to her. Probably her most important accomplishment was the that Tyrol remained almost unscathed by the Thirty Years War, at a time where all of Europe was being devastated by war and plague!

She accomplished this by constructing a massive defense system at the border to Bavaria, the Porta Claudia, literally „Claudia‘s Gate“. Next time you cross the border into Germany at Scharnitz, look around and you will see the remains of it to this day!

In Innsbruck‘s historic centre, the old seat of government is called the „Claudiana“ by the people of Innsbruck to this day, and her family’s coat of arms is still the centrepiece of the beautiful wooden ceiling.

28/02/2021

If you’re looking for an easy-to-reach spot to soak up some sun and take in some incredible views, I‘ve got just the thing!

Just a 10-minute drive from Innsbruck and an easy 20-minute walk uphill you‘ll find the ruins of Castle Fragenstein. Built in the 13th century, its function was to watch over one of the most important transit routes in Europe and to warn of approaching threats by using large bonfires seen for miles (remember that scene in ? „The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!“? Like that!).

In the 15th century, when the pass became more important than the , it was used for less serious purposes: Emperor Maximilian I, the randy old dog, used to tell his wife, poor Bianca Maria Sforza, that he was going hunting for the weekend and spend a few days here in the intimate company of certain noble (but not shy) ladies!

Unfortunately you can only view it from the outside but since you’re here and it’s really not for, make a detour on your way back down to the warriors‘ memorial and the little chapel perched above the gorge before heading back to your car (park at Kalvarienberg #31 in if you need an address to put into google maps or whatever.

Pro tip: bring some sandwiches and a picknick blanket and find a spot on the sandy banks of the river right below and the castle that you saw on the way here! I hope you like this little, low-effort excursion!

23/02/2021

Did you know that Wilten has only been a part of Innsbruck since 1904? Until then, the border between Innsbruck and Wilten was at Maximilianstraße, where the triumphal arch is (which is why it is correctly called the Triumphpforte, „gate“, and not Triumphbogen).

Have you ever noticed that there is even a border marker on the wall of the ? It shows the coat of arms of the abbey above and the well-known bird’s eye view of the Inn Bridge for Innsbruck below.

There is still an undeniable „village vibe“ around ! The name Wilten goes back to the roman fort Veldidena, located where the abbey now stands. Check out the wall in Leopoldstraße for an idea of what that looked like!

21/02/2021

Happy World Tour Guide Day everyone!!
Spare a thought for the thousands of certified tour guides around the world who are desperate to come out of hibernation, just like this poor lamp in
And if you’ve never done a tour of your own home town, trust me, nothing gives a tour guide more joy than blowing the minds of locals with all the things they never knew about their own home! Believe me, we are !!

19/02/2021

A quick reminder that museums are open again - including the city tower !

16/02/2021

Did you know that the famous Tyrolean rebel leader was opposed to vaccines?

In 1807, Bavaria became the first country to impose obligatory vaccination against smallpox, including in occupied Tyrol. The vaccine, invented by British doctor Edward Jenner in 1796, had been used with great success against the viral disease that killed 60 million people in Europe alone.

Andreas Hofer called on Tyroleans to refuse the inoculation, since his comrade-in-arms, the priest Josef Haspinger, had convinced him that the Bavarians were trying to trick Tyroleans into being injected with “modern, Bavarian thinking”.

Any similarities to current events are not coincidental.. 😐











#1809

11/02/2021

Here’s a forgotten tradition you’ve never heard of :

The people of Innsbruck used to grab all their weapons, march to , “lay siege” to the poor monks and refuse to go home until they were drunk!

The Innsbrucker “ Freudenzug” was a kind-of-annual drunken party celebrated mainly during the 15/16th century. It was a mutation of an existing tradition , the , which was a friendly village tradition of paying a “friendly visit” to the new priest of the community - which typically happened only when the former priest had died! However, since Innsbruck’s resident priest had to be confirmed every year by the abbot of , this became an annual scene of drunkenness and debauchery!

It even had to be outlawed! In 1511, Abbot Lienhart asked for help because on the previous “Freudenzug”, well over 1000 liters of wine had been consumed by thirsty

10/02/2021

Did you know that is home to quite a few prominent ? And that you can help to highlight your underappreciated favourite by adding to your photo? collects pictures of art on housewalls!

I was pleasantly surprised to come across a recently finished project by called “Happy Wall”, and indeed, the bright colors and assortment of some of my childhood heroes ( till i die!) really did brighten my day!

Innsbruck companies often (but not often enough!) hire local graffitiartists to give the walls of their compounds some more

Do you have an under appreciated favourite?

05/02/2021

02/02/2021

Pop Quiz for Innsbruck locals: Where in Innsbruck is this wayside shrine? Hint: you’ve probably driven or walked past it without ever noticing it! That’s understandable, because you were probably focused on not crashing your car into a wall or on not getting run over! Don’t know what I mean? Check out the second pic!

But even if you have noticed this little of the , did you know it is Innsbruck’s oldest public ? It dates back to 1430 - that’s an incredible 590 years old, 62 years before stumbled upon what would later be named !

Some experts even believe it served a practical purpose as a signpost, since St. Nicolas of Myra (aka ) who is shown on the side (in the oldest depiction of “Santa Claus” north of the !) seems to be indicating the way towards the leprosarium of next to the church, reached by following the former main road for travelers, called St. Nikolausgasse to this day.
If you’re (understandably) a bit shocked at how that bus is squeezing through that alley, go to YouTube and search “bus simulator Höllenfahrt durch Innsbruck” - it’s a video of a bus ride along that exact bus route “J”, famous among the bus simulator community (yes, that’s a thing) for being insanely difficult to navigate.

21/01/2021

Aaaand the blow dryer continues!!

Universally hated by skiers, migraine sufferers and practically the entire population, the warm southern wind mercilessly continues to just RRRIP the off the around , in this case the known as to some and as to others.

This is due to the fact that it looks very different depending on where you’re standing, making it seem like a pointy peak from Innsbruck and much more rounded from or and - there’s a about in here somewhere...

20/01/2021

WATCH OUT ABOVE!!
“If you don’t like the weather in Innsbruck, just wait a few minutes!” is an often heard local saying. After days of freezing cold and heaps of snow, the warm wind known as the “blow dryer” ( ̈hn) has the snow melting off rooftops like butter off a hot pancake!

This comes with certain challenges: sidewalks along tall buildings have become a real , and home owners are required to warn pedestrians of the risk of a , literally “roof avalanches”, which can cause serious injuries and damage, by using long poles, so-called (how’s that for a typically German word!).

These can be difficult to navigate, especially for mothers pushing prams! However, for the and , they are a real threat, since guide dogs are unaware of them and they are difficult to detect with a cane. If you get the chance, please warn people struggling with these conditions, hopefully we can come up with a better solution soon!

20/01/2021

WATCH OUT ABOVE!!
“If you don’t like the weather in Innsbruck, just wait a few minutes!” is an often heard local saying. After days of freezing cold and heaps of snow, the warm wind known as the “blow dryer” ( ) has the snow melting off rooftops like butter off a hot pancake! This comes with certain challenges: sidewalks along tall buildings have become a real , and home owners are required to warn pedestrians of the risk of a , literally “roof avalanches”, which can cause serious injuries and damage, by using long poles, so-called (how’s that for a typically German word!). These can be difficult to navigate, especially for mothers pushing prams! However, for the and , they are a real threat, since seeing eye dogs are unaware of them and they are difficult to detect with a cane. If you get the chance, please warn people struggling with these conditions, hopefully we can come up with a better solution soon!

19/01/2021

“Morgenrot mit Regen droht” is an old farmer’s rule ( ) of weather lore, roughly the equivalent of “Red morning, sailor’s warning” and Jesus himself is quoted in the Bible as saying “It will be foul weather today; for the sky is red and lowering.” (Matthew XVI: 2-3,), not to mention a far more sinister quote from Legolas in Lord of the Rings!
Fortunately, this seems to be one of the less reliable rules that has to do with the fact that weather systems tend to move from west to east and the belief that good weather never lasts long in the Alps... the rest of the day will tell and I hope it’s a good one for all of you!