Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria (1529 - 1595) is one of the most colourful figures in Tyrolean history. His father, Emperor Ferdinand I, gave him an excellent education. He grew up at the Spanish court of his uncle Emperor Charles V. The years in which Ferdinand received his schooling were the early years of Jesuit influence at the Habsburg courts. The young statesman was brought up entirely in the spirit of pious humanism. This was complemented by the customs of the Renaissance aristocracy. At a young age, he travelled through Italy and Burgundy and had become acquainted with a lifestyle at the wealthy courts there that had not yet established itself among the German aristocracy. Ferdinand was what today would be described as a globetrotter, a member of the educated elite or a cosmopolitan. He was considered intelligent, charming and artistic. Among his less eccentric contemporaries, Ferdinand enjoyed a reputation as an immoral and hedonistic libertine. Even during his lifetime, he was rumoured to have organised debauched and immoral orgies.

Ferdinand's father divided his realm between his sons. Maximilian II, who was rightly suspected of heresy and adherence to Protestant doctrines by his parents, inherited Upper and Lower Austria as well as Bohemia and Hungary. Ferdinand's younger brother Charles ruled in Inner Austria, i.e. Carinthia, Styria and Carniola. The middle child received Tyrol, which at the time extended as far as the Engadine, and the fragmented Habsburg Forelands in the west of the central European possessions.

Ferdinand took over the province of Tyrol as sovereign in turbulent times. He had already spent several years in Innsbruck in his youth. The mines in Schwaz began to become unprofitable due to the cheap silver from America. The flood of silver from the Habsburg possessions in New Spain on the other side of the Atlantic led to inflation. However, these financial problems did not stop Ferdinand from commissioning personal and public infrastructure. Innsbruck benefited enormously culturally from the fact that, after years without a sovereign ruler, it was now once again the centre of a ruler. The Italian cities of Florence, Venice and Milan were influential in terms of culture, art and architecture. Ferdinand's Tyrolean court was to be in no way inferior to them. Gone were the days when Germans were considered uncivilised in the more beautiful cities south of the Alps, barbaric or even as Pigs were labelled. To this end, he had Innsbruck remodelled in the spirit of the Renaissance. In keeping with the trend of the time, he imitated the Italian aristocratic courts. Court architect Giovanni Lucchese assisted him in this endeavour.

He spent a considerable part of his life at Ambras Castle near Innsbruck, where he amassed one of the most valuable collections of works of art and armour in the world. Ferdinand transformed the castle above the village of Amras into a modern court. His parties, masked balls and parades were legendary. During the wedding of a nephew, he had 1800 calves and 130 oxen roasted. Wine is said to have flowed from the wells instead of water for 10 days.

But Ambras Castle was not the end of Innsbruck's transformation. To the west of the city, an archway still reminds us of the Tiergartena hunting ground for Ferdinand, including a summer house also designed by Lucchese. In order for the prince to reach his weekend residence, a road was laid in the marshy Höttinger Au, which formed the basis for today's Kranebitter Allee. The Lusthaus was replaced in 1786 by what is now known as the Pulverturm The new building, which houses part of the sports science faculty of the University of Innsbruck, replaced the well-known building. The princely sport of hunting was followed in the former Lusthauswhich was the Powder Tower. In the city centre, he had the princely Comedihaus on today's Rennweg. In order to improve Innsbruck's drinking water supply, the Mühlauerbrücke bridge was built under Ferdinand to lay a water pipeline from the Mühlaubach stream into the city centre. The Jesuits, who had arrived in Innsbruck shortly before Ferdinand took office to make life difficult for troublesome reformers and church critics and to reorganise the education system, were given a new church in Silbergasse.

He paid particular attention to the religious orientation of his flock. In his Tyrolean provincial ordinance issued in 1573, he not only put a stop to fornication, swearing and prostitution, but also obliged his subjects to lead a God-fearing, i.e. Catholic, lifestyle. The "Prohibition of sorcery and disbelieving warfare" prohibited any deviation from the true faith on pain of imprisonment, corporal punishment and expropriation. Jews had to wear a clearly visible ring of yellow fabric on the left side of their chest at all times. At the same time, Ferdinand brought a Jewish financier to Innsbruck to handle the money transactions for the elaborate farm management. Samuel May and his family lived in the city as princely patronage Jews. Daniel Levi delighted Ferdinand with dancing and harp playing at the theatre and Elieser Lazarus looked after his health as court physician.

Fleecing the population, living in splendour, tolerating Protestantism among his important advisors and at the same time fighting Protestantism among the people was no contradiction for the trained Renaissance prince. Already at the age of 15, he marched under his uncle Charles V in the Schmalkaldic War into battle against the enemies of the Roman Church. As a sovereign, he saw himself as Advocatus Ecclesiae (note: representative of the church) in a confessional absolutist sense, who was responsible for the salvation of his subjects. Coercive measures, the foundation of churches and monasteries such as the Franciscans and the Capuchins in Innsbruck, improved pastoral care and the staging of Jesuit theatre plays such as "The beheading of John" were the weapons of choice against Protestantism. Ferdinand's piety was not artificial, but like most of his contemporaries, he managed to adapt flexibly to the situation.

Ferdinand's politics were suitably influenced by the Italian avant-garde of the time. Machiavelli wrote his work "Il Principe", which stated that rulers were allowed to do whatever was necessary for their success, even if they were incapable of being deposed. Ferdinand II attempted to do justice to this early absolutist style of leadership and issued his Tyrolean Provincial Code A modern set of legal rules by the standards of the time. For his subjects, this meant higher taxes on their earnings as well as extensive restrictions on mountain pastures, fishing and hunting rights. The miners, mining entrepreneurs and foreign trading companies with their offices in Innsbruck also drove up food prices. It could be summarised that Ferdinand enjoyed the exclusive pleasure of hunting on his estates, while his subjects lived at subsistence level due to increasing burdens, prices and game damage.

His relationship life was eccentric for a member of the high aristocracy. Ferdinand's first "semi-wild marriage" was to the commoner Philippine Welser. The sovereign is said to have been downright infatuated with his beautiful wife, which is why he disregarded all the conventions of the time. Their children were excluded from the succession due to the strict social order of the 16th century. After Philippine Welser died, Ferdinand married the devout Anna Caterina Gonzaga, a 16-year-old princess of Mantua, at the age of 53. However, it seems that the two did not feel much affection for each other, especially as Anna Caterina was a niece of Ferdinand. The Habsburgs were less squeamish about marriages between relatives than they were about the marriage of a nobleman to a commoner. However, he was also "only" able to father three daughters with her. Ferdinand's final resting place was in the Silver Chapel with his first wife Philippine Welser.

The Tyrolean State Theatre opposite the Hofburg with its neoclassical façade is still the city's most striking monument to bourgeois, urban evening entertainment. Since its inception, however, this theatre of high culture has largely eked out a dreary existence in terms of audience numbers. From baroque plays about the Passion of Christ in the 16th century to daring productions that were often met with little applause from the audience almost 500 years later, the goings-on at the Landestheater were always the hobbyhorse of a small elite. The majority of Innsbruck's inhabitants passed the time with profane amusements.

Showmen and travelling folk have always been welcome guests in cities. Just like today, there was strict censorship of public performances in the past. What today are age restrictions on cinema films, in the past were restrictions on performances that were not pleasing to God and even complete bans on theatre and drama under particularly pious sovereigns. However, with increasing bourgeoisie and more enlightened moral concepts, the rules gradually became more relaxed.

The Pradler BauerntheaterThe first venue was an open-air stage in the Höttinger Au and, in addition to farmers, craftsmen and students were also part of the ensemble, but this should not detract from the honour of its name and origins. While the state theatre often played to half-empty seats, the amateur actors enjoyed great popularity with their comedies. Employees and labourers made the pilgrimage from the city to the venues in the surrounding villages at the weekend or enjoyed the evening entertainment in pubs. The so-called knight plays with kidnapped princesses, heroic saviours and clumsy villains were particularly popular. Unlike the serious plays in bourgeois theatres, the actors in the peasant theatres interacted with the audience. Interjections from the audience were not stopped, but spontaneously incorporated into the play. It could even happen that the audience, who were not always sober, intervened in the action with their hands.

With increasing success, the company gradually began to professionalise. In 1870, the Pradler Bauerntheater in a hay barn converted into a stage at the Lodronischen Hof in der Egerdachstraße. Innsbruck besaß in der Zeit vor dem Siegeszug des Fernsehens eine ganze Reihe an Theatern und Lokalen, die ihr Publikum mit Theaterstücken und Musik unterhielten. 1892 eröffnete die Löwenhaus-Bühne am Rennweg, wo heute das Tiroler Landesstudio des ORF beheimatet ist. Das Holzgebäude brannte in den späten 50er Jahren, pünktlich zum Aufstieg des staatlichen Rundfunks ab. 1898 waren die Pradler auf Gastspiel im Ronacher in Wien. Der junge und ehrgeizige Ferdinand Exl (1875 – 1942) beschritt einige Jahre später mit einem Teil der Truppe neue Wege. Lange galt die Weisheit: „If you want to go to a farmer's theatre, you won't get your money's worth in the theatre, and if you're not just looking for entertainment in the theatre, but literary stimulation, you won't go to a farmer's theatre." Exl recognised the trend of the time. Employees and workers could not afford the horrendous ticket prices of the state theatre and did not want to see Wagner operas or plays like The Sorrows of Young Werther However, a certain quality of content and presentation was expected. With the so-called literary folk plays by renowned local authors such as Ludwig Anzengruber, Franz Kranewitter and Karl Schönherr, Exl combined entertainment and quality. Anzengruber summarised the development:

„Anzengruber's Tyroleans not only sing Schnaderhüpfel, platteln d'Schuh, swear like Croats and scuffle, but they are also people with a subtle psyche who have their own thoughts about various problems and develop their own philosophy.“

The first play staged by Exl The priest of Kirchfeld from the pen of Anzengruber was published in 1902 in the Österreichischen Hof on the stage in Wilten. The troupe consisted mainly of members of the Exl and Auer families. In 1903, the company known as Exl stage well-known theatre company Adambräu in Adamgasse, from 1904 to 1915 played popular hits such as Kranewitter's pieces Michael Gaismair und Andre Hofer im Lion house at the Hofgarten. In addition to the plays, tourists were also treated to typical local entertainment such as zither recitals and "genuine, smart Tyrolean Schuhplattler dance" was offered. The first international tour to Switzerland and Germany began in 1904. The press and audiences were enthusiastic about the German-national flavoured pieces performed by pithy Tyrolean lads and pretty girls. In 1910, Exl bid farewell to its existence as an amateur troupe and, in addition to a few veterans, mainly hired "Townspeople" and professional actors.

However, the First World War and the associated travel restrictions put the brakes on further tours. The troupe became part of the Innsbruck City Theatrewhose audience was also receptive to lighter fare during the hard times. Ernst Nepo, an artist who was characterised by his Germanism and early membership of the NSDAP, was responsible for the stage sets.

After the toughest post-war years, things started to look up again. From 1924, the Exl stage In addition to the Stadttheater, Exl also regularly performed at the Raimundtheater and the Wiener Komödienhaus in winter. The political developments of the 1930s greatly favoured the German folk spirit that was inherent in many of the plays that Exl brought to the stage. Like Nepo, he also joined the NSDAP, which was banned in Austria, in 1933. A year later, he planned his first tour of the German Reich. The Austrian government, led by Dollfuß, banned the performances in a last stand against the National Socialists. It was not until 1935 that the Exl Bühne in Berlin was able to stage Karl Schönherr's play Faith and home perform. The Berliner Morgenpost of 4 April 1935 described the piece as "...Art that flows from the depths of the German nation and flows back into the hearts of moved and grateful listeners". After 1938, Exl also received media support in Vienna and became known as "...the antithesis of the completely Judaised, artistically Bolshevised... theatre business" was celebrated. The founder of Exl Bühne died in 1942. His wife and son took over the business and became part of the Tyrolean State Theatre after the war. In the 1950s, the theatre group once again toured successfully in West and East Germany before disbanding in 1956.

Times had changed, Cinema killed the Theatre Star. Moving pictures in cinemas were competing with the stage. The enterprising Ferdinand Exl had also foreseen this development early on. In 1912, his ensemble appeared in the French film Speckbacher which heroically portrayed the Tyrolean uprising. The first cinema film flickered across the screen in the Stadtsaal in Innsbruck in 1896, just one year after the world's first ever cinema, in front of a fascinated audience. The cinema quickly became part of everyday life for many people. In addition to silent films, audiences were shown propaganda messages, especially during the war. Cinemas sprang up like mushrooms in the following decades. In 1909, a cinema opened at Maria-Theresien-Straße 10, which was later known as the Central moved to Maria-Theresien-Straße 37. After the war, it became the Nonstop cinemawhere you paid your ticket for a run of news, cartoons, adverts and feature films that was constantly repeated. In 1928, the Red Cross opened the Kammer Lichtspiele in Wilhelm-Greilstraße to finance the new clubhouse. The Triumph was located at Maria-Theresien-Straße 17 and remained a central cinema until the 1990s. Dreiheiligen was home to the Forum cinema, which is now the Z6 youth centre. In 1933, the Höttinger Gasse opened the Lion cinemawhich was built in 1959 as the Metropol in the listed Malfatti house opposite the Inn bridge, where it still exists today. In the final phase of the Second World War, the Laurin light shows Innsbruck's largest cinema in the middle of the South Tyrolean settlement in Gumppstraße opened its doors. Robert and Walter Kinigadner, two South Tyrolean optants who had already gained experience in the cinema industry in Brixen, took over the running of the 800-seat cinema. Harmless local films alternated with Nazi propaganda. The Exl stage used the Laurin, which functioned as a cinema until the 1970s, for theatre performances. Today, a supermarket is located behind the pillars at the formerly grand entrance. On the wall above the cash desk area, you can still see the murals depicting the legend of the legendary dwarf king Laurin and the German hero Dietrich von Bern in the typical look of National Socialist art. In 1958, on the premises of the former Innsbruck Catholic Workers' Association, the Leocinemawhich is still in operation today and is an integral part of the Innsbruck film scene.

Für eine kurze Zeit koexistierten Kino und Theater, bevor das Kino die Oberhand übernahm. Auf ihrem Höhepunkt 1958 zählten Innsbrucks Lichtspielhäuser unfassbare 3.5 Millionen verkaufter Eintrittskarten. Dann übernahm der Fernseher im eigenen Wohnzimmer nach und nach Information und Abendunterhaltung. Das Kino übernahm neben der Unterhaltung auch in der sexuellen Aufklärung eine Rolle. In den 1970ern flimmerten erstmals nackte Brüste über die Leinwände. Filme wie der Schulmädchenreport oder Josefine Mutzenbacher brachten die sexuelle Revolution auch den Tirolern ein klein wenig näher.

Als der Austrian Broadcasting When the new radio went on air in 1955, hardly anyone had a terminal to receive the meagre programme. That was soon to change. In Innsbruck, the Metropol at the Inn bridge and the new bridge built at the turn of the millennium Cineplexx There are still two big players in Wilten. Cinematograph und Leocinema are aimed at an alternative audience away from the blockbusters. The open-air cinema takes place in the Zeughaus in August. The Pradl theatre troupe has survived to this day, albeit under a new name. In 1958, they found a new home in the Bierstindl cultural pub. The amateur theatre troupe Innsbruck Knights' Games enjoys great popularity and full ranks to this day. The play The rogue Kuno von Drachenfels revives the tradition of past centuries every year, including a repeat of the beheading scene and humorous interaction with the audience. A street in the Höttinger Au neighbourhood commemorates Ferdinand Exl. The Alpenheim country house in Saggen, better known today as Villa Exl, where the family lived, is a Tyrolean Heimatstil building with paintings by Raphael Thaler that is well worth seeing.

Thanks to the university and the intellectuals it attracted and produced, Innsbruck also sniffed the morning air of the Enlightenment in the 18th century in the era of Maria Theresa, even if the Jesuit faculty leadership put the brakes on it. 1741 saw the founding of the Societas Academica Litteraria a circle of scholars in the Taxispalais. The masonic lodge was founded in 1777 To the three mountains, vier Jahre später die Tirolische Gesellschaft für Künste und Wissenschaft. Der Geist der Vernunft in der Zeit Maria Theresias und Kaiser Josefs hielt auch in Innsbrucks Elite Einzug. Angestachelt von der Französischen Revolution bekannten sich einige Studenten gar zu den Jakobinern. Unter Kaiser Franz wurden all diese Vereinigungen nach der Kriegserklärung an Frankreich 1794 verboten und streng überwacht. Aufklärerische Ideen waren bereits vor der Französischen Revolution in großen Teilen der Bevölkerung verpönt. Spätestens nach der Enthauptung von Marie Antoinette, der Schwester des Kaisers, und dem Kriegsausbruch zwischen der Republik Frankreich und den Monarchien Europas, galten sie als gefährlich. Wer wollte schon als Jakobiner gelten, wenn es darum ging, die Heimat zu verteidigen?

After the Napoleonic Wars, Innsbruck began to recover, both economically and mentally. The small town on the edge of the empire had just over 12,000 inhabitants, „ohne die Soldaten, Studenten und Fremden zu rechnen“. University, grammar school, Reading casinomusic club, theatre and museum testified to a certain urban culture. There was a Deutsches Kaffeehaus, eine Restauration im Hofgarten und mehrere Gasthöfe wie den Österreichischen Hofwhich Grape, das Mouthingeach of which Goldenen Adler, Stern und Hirsch. The biggest innovation for the population came in 1830, when oil lamps lit the city at night. It was probably just a dim twilight created by the more than 150 lamps mounted on pillars and chandeliers, but for contemporaries it was a true revolution.

The Bavarian occupation had disappeared after 1815, but the ideas of the thinkers of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution had become entrenched in some of the minds of the urban milieu. Of course, it was not atheistic, socialist or even subversive ideas that were spreading. It was primarily about the economic, political and social participation of the middle classes. Associations, which had previously been banned, enjoyed a renaissance. Anyone who could afford it and was self-respecting joined an association. "Innsbruck has a music society, an agricultural society and a mining and geological society." stand etwa im Reiseführer Beda Webers zu lesen. Es galt das tugendhafte Miteinander zum Wohl der weniger Begüterten und die Erziehung der Massen mit dem Treiben in den Vereinen zu forcieren. Wissenschaft, Literatur, Theater und Musik, aber auch Initiativen wie der Innsbruck Beautification Association, aber auch praktische Institutionen wie die Freiwillige Feuerwehr etablierten sich als Säulen einer bis dato nicht gekannten Zivilgesellschaft. Einer der ersten Vereine, die sich bildeten, war der Musikverein Innsbruck, aus dem das Tiroler Landeskonservatorium hervorging. Männer und Frauen waren ganz im Zeitgeist nicht Mitglieder in den gleichen Vereinen. Frauen engagierten sich vor allem in der Wohlfahrt wie dem Women's association for the promotion of infant care centres and female industrial schools. Teilnahme am politischen Diskurs von weiblicher Seite war nicht erwünscht.

Neben der christlichen Nächstenliebe waren wohl auch Geltungsdrang und Prestige große Anreize für die Mitglieder, sich in den Vereinen zu engagieren. Man traf sich, um zu sehen und gesehen zu werden. Gute Taten, das Zeigen von Bildung und tugendhafte Lebensführung waren damals wie heute die beste PR für die eigene Person.

Das Vereinsleben diente auch als Unterhaltung an langen Abenden ohne elektrisches Licht, Fernsehen und Internet. In den Gaststätten und Kaffeehäusern trafen sich Studenten, Beamte, Mitglieder des niederen Adels und Akademiker, um ihr Gedankengut auszutauschen. Dabei handelte es sich nicht nur um hochgeistig Abstraktes, sondern auch um profane Realpolitik wie die Aussetzung der Binnenzölle, die das Leben der Menschen unnötig teuer machten. Kulturell entdeckte die bürgerliche Bildungselite in Romantik und Biedermeier die kulturelle Flucht in eine heile Vergangenheit für sich. Nach den Jahrzehnten politischer Verwirrung, Krieg und Not wollte man, ähnlich wie nach 1945, Ablenkung von der jüngsten Vergangenheit. Die Antike und ihre Denker feierten in Innsbruck wie in ganz Europa eine zweite Renaissance. Stilbildend waren Denker der Romantik des 18. und frühen 19. Jahrhunderts wie Winckelmann, Lessing oder Hegel. Den Griechen wurde „Noble simplicity and quiet greatness" attested. Goethe wanted the "Search the land of the Greeks with your soul" and travelled to Italy in search of his longing for the good, pre-Christian times in which the people of the Golden Age cultivated an informal relationship with their gods. Roman Stoic virtues were transported into the modern age as role models and formed the basis for bourgeois frugality and patriotism, which became very fashionable. Philologists combed through the texts of ancient writers and philosophers and conveyed a pleasing "Best of" into the 19th century. Columns, sphinxes, busts and statues with classical proportions adorned palaces, administrative buildings and museums such as the Ferdinandeum. Students and intellectuals such as the Briton Lord Byron were so inspired by the Panhellenism and the idea of nationalism that they risked their lives in the Greek struggle for independence against the Ottoman Empire. After the end of the Holy Roman Empire, Pan-Germanism became the political fashion of the liberal bourgeoisie in Innsbruck.

Chancellor Clemens von Metternich's (1773 - 1859) police state kept these social movements under control for a long time. Newspapers, pamphlets, books and clubs were under general suspicion. Writings had to conform to the strict censorship or be distributed underground. Authors such as Hermann von Gilm (1812 - 1864) and Johann Senn (1792 - 1857), both of whom are commemorated by streets in Innsbruck today, anonymously disseminated politically motivated literature in Tyrol. The Innsbruck Music Society also taught declamation, the performance of texts, music and speeches as part of its training programme, the content of which was strictly monitored by the authorities. All kinds of societies such as die Innsbrucker Liedertafel and student fraternities, even the members of the Ferdinandeum were spied on. The social movements forming in the working-class neighbourhoods were particularly targeted by Metternich's secret police. Despite their demonstrative loyalty to the emperor, the marksmen were also on the list of institutions to be observed. They were considered too rebellious, not only towards foreign powers, but also towards the Viennese central government. The mix of Greater German nationalist ideas and Tyrolean patriotism presented with the pathos of Romanticism seems strangely harmless today, but was neither comfortable nor acceptable to the Metternich state apparatus.

Politischer Aktivismus war aber ein Randphänomen, das nur eine kleine Elite beschäftigte. Nachdem die Bergwerke und Salinen im 17. Jahrhundert ihre Rentabilität verloren hatten und auch der Transit ob der neuen Handelsrouten über den Atlantik an wirtschaftlicher Bedeutung einbüßte, war Tirol zu einem armen Landstrich geworden. Die Napoleonischen Kriege hatten über 20 Jahre lang gewütet. Das Jahr 1809 ging als Tiroler Heldenzeitalter in die Geschichtsschreibung des 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhunderts ein, die Folgen des Heldenhaften wurden kaum beleuchtet. Das Kaisertum Österreich zählte zwar zu den Siegermächten nach dem Wiener Kongress, die wirtschaftliche Lage war aber erbärmlich. Wie nach den Weltkriegen des 20. Jahrhunderts waren auch in den Koalitionskriegen viele Männer nicht mehr nach Hause zurückgekehrt. Die Universität, die junge Aristokraten in den Wirtschaftskreislauf der Stadt zog, wurde erst 1826 wieder eröffnet. Anders als Industriestandorte in Böhmen, Mähren, Preußen oder England war die schwer erreichbare Stadt in den Alpen erst am Anfang der Entwicklung hin zu einem modernen Arbeitsmarkt. Auch der Tourismus steckte noch in den Kinderschuhen und war keine Cash Cow. Es ist kein Wunder, dass kaum Gebäude im Biedermeier-Stil in Innsbruck erhalten sind. Und dann war da noch ein Vulkan am anderen Ende der Welt, der die Geschicke der Stadt Innsbruck über Gebühr beeinflusste. 1815 war in Indonesien der Tambora ausgebrochen und hatte eine riesige Staub-, Schwefel- und Aschewolke um die Welt geschickt. 1816 ging als Year without summer in die Geschichte ein. In ganz Europa kam es zu Wetterkapriolen, Überschwemmungen und Missernten. Die Alpen, ein ohnehin schwieriger Teil der Erde, um Landwirtschaft zu betreiben, waren davon nicht ausgenommen.

The economic upheavals and price increases led to hardship and misery, especially among the poorer sections of the population. In the 19th century, caring for the poor was a task for the communities, usually with the support of wealthy citizens as patrons with the idea of Christian charity. The state, the community, the church and the newly emerging civil society in the form of associations began to look after the welfare of the poorest sections of the population. Charity concerts, collections and appeals for donations were organised. The measures often contained an enlightened component, even if the means to an end seem strange and alien today. In Innsbruck, for example, a begging ordinance came into force that banned dispossessed people from marrying. Almost 1000 citizens were categorised as alms recipients and beggars.

As the need grew and the city coffers became emptier, Innsbruck came up with an innovation that was to last for over 100 years: The New Year's apology card. Even back then, it was customary to visit relatives on the first day of the year to give each other a Happy New Year to make a wish. It was also customary for needy families and beggars to knock on the doors of wealthy citizens to ask for alms at New Year. The introduction of the New Year's relief card killed several birds with one stone. The buyers of the card were able to institutionalise and support their poorer members in a regulated way, similar to the way street newspapers are bought today. Twenty is possible. At the same time, the New Year's apology card served as a way of avoiding the unpopular obligatory visits to relatives. Those who hung the card on their front door also signalled to those in need that no further requests for alms were necessary, as they had already paid their contribution. Last but not least, the noble donors were also favourably mentioned in the media so that everyone could see how much they cared for their less fortunate fellow human beings in the name of charity.

The New Year's apology cards were a complete success. At their premiere at the turn of the year from 1819 to 1820, 600 were sold. Many communities adopted the Innsbruck recipe. In the magazine "The Imperial and Royal Privileged Bothe of and for Tyrol and Vorarlberg", the proceeds for Bruneck, Bozen, Trient, Rovereto, Schwaz, Imst, Bregenz and Innsbruck were published on 12 February. Other institutions such as fire brigades and associations also adopted the well-functioning custom to raise funds for their cause. The construction of the new Höttinger parish church was financed to a large extent from the proceeds of specially issued apology cards in addition to donations. The varied designs ranged from Christian motifs to portraits of well-known personalities, official buildings, new buildings, sights and curiosities. Many of the designs can still be seen in the Innsbruck City Archives.

The works of the Gumpp family still strongly characterise the appearance of Innsbruck today. The baroque parts of the city in particular can be traced back to them. The founder of the dynasty in Tyrol, Christoph Gumpp (1600-1672), was actually a carpenter. However, his talent had chosen him for higher honours. The profession of architect or artist did not yet exist at that time; even Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were considered craftsmen. After working on the Holy Trinity Church, the Swabian-born Gumpp followed in the footsteps of the Italian master builders who had set the tone under Ferdinand II. At the behest of Leopold V, Gumpp travelled to Italy to study theatre buildings and to learn from his contemporary style-setting colleagues his expertise for the planned royal palace. Comedihaus polish up.

His official work as court architect began in 1633. New times called for a new design, away from the Gothic-influenced architecture of the Middle Ages and the horrors of the Thirty Years' War. Over the following decades, Innsbruck underwent a complete renovation under the regency of Claudia de Medici. Gumpp passed on his title to the next two generations within the family. The Gumpps were not only active as master builders. They were also carpenters, painters, engravers and architects, which allowed them to create a wide range of works similar to the Tiroler Moderne around Franz Baumann and Clemens Holzmeister at the beginning of the 20th century to realise projects holistically. They were also involved as planners in the construction of the fortifications for national defence during the Thirty Years' War.

Christoph Gumpp's masterpiece, however, was the construction of the Comedihaus in the former ballroom. The oversized dimensions of the then trend-setting theatre, which was one of the first of its kind in Europe, not only allowed plays to be performed, but also water games with real ships and elaborate horse ballet performances. The Comedihaus was a total work of art in and of itself, which in its significance at the time can be compared to the festival theatre in Bayreuth in the 19th century or the Elbphilharmonie today.

His descendants Johann Martin Gumpp the Elder, Georg Anton Gumpp and Johann Martin Gumpp the Younger were responsible for many of the buildings that still characterise the townscape today. The Wilten collegiate church, the Mariahilfkirche, the Johanneskirche and the Spitalskirche were all designed by the Gumpps. In addition to designing churches and their work as court architects, they also made a name for themselves as planners of secular buildings. Many of Innsbruck's town houses and city palaces, such as the Taxispalais or the Altes Landhaus in Maria-Theresien-Straße, were designed by them. With the loss of the city's status as a royal seat, the magnificent large-scale commissions declined and with them the fame of the Gumpp family. Their former home is now home to the Munding confectionery in the historic city centre. In the Pradl district, Gumppstraße commemorates the Innsbruck dynasty of master builders.

Anyone travelling in Austria will be familiar with the domes and onion domes of churches in villages and towns. This form of church tower originated during the Counter-Reformation and is a typical feature of the Baroque architectural style. They are also predominant in Innsbruck's cityscape. Innsbruck's most famous places of worship, such as the cathedral, St John's Church and the Jesuit Church, are in the Baroque style. Places of worship were meant to be magnificent and splendid, a symbol of the victory of true faith. Religiousness was reflected in art and culture: grand drama, pathos, suffering, splendour and glory combined to create the Baroque style, which had a lasting impact on the entire Catholic-oriented sphere of influence of the Habsburgs and their allies between Spain and Hungary.

The cityscape of Innsbruck changed enormously. The Gumpps and Johann Georg Fischer as master builders as well as Franz Altmutter's paintings have had a lasting impact on Innsbruck to this day. The Old Country House in the historic city centre, the New Country House in Maria-Theresien-Straße, the countless palazzi, paintings, figures - the Baroque was the style-defining element of the House of Habsburg in the 17th and 18th centuries and became an integral part of everyday life. The bourgeoisie did not want to be inferior to the nobles and princes and had their private houses built in the Baroque style. Pictures of saints, depictions of the Mother of God and the heart of Jesus adorned farmhouses.

Baroque was not just an architectural style, it was an attitude to life that began after the end of the Thirty Years' War. The Turkish threat from the east, which culminated in the two sieges of Vienna, determined the foreign policy of the empire, while the Reformation dominated domestic politics. Baroque culture was a central element of Catholicism and its political representation in public, the counter-model to Calvin's and Luther's brittle and austere approach to life. Holidays with a Christian background were introduced to brighten up people's everyday lives. Architecture, music and painting were rich, opulent and lavish. In theatres such as the Comedihaus dramas with a religious background were performed in Innsbruck. Stations of the cross with chapels and depictions of the crucified Jesus dotted the landscape. Popular piety in the form of pilgrimages and the veneration of the Virgin Mary and saints found its way into everyday church life.

The Baroque piety was also used to educate the subjects. Even though the sale of indulgences was no longer a common practice in the Catholic Church after the 16th century, there was still a lively concept of heaven and hell. Through a virtuous life, i.e. a life in accordance with Catholic values and good behaviour as a subject towards the divine order, one could come a big step closer to paradise. The so-called Christian edification literature was popular among the population after the school reformation of the 18th century and showed how life should be lived. The suffering of the crucified Christ for humanity was seen as a symbol of the hardship of the subjects on earth within the feudal system. People used votive images to ask for help in difficult times or to thank the Mother of God for dangers and illnesses they had overcome. Great examples of this can be found on the eastern façade of the basilica in Wilten.

The historian Ernst Hanisch described the Baroque and the influence it had on the Austrian way of life as follows:

„Österreich entstand in seiner modernen Form als Kreuzzugsimperialismus gegen die Türken und im Inneren gegen die Reformatoren. Das brachte Bürokratie und Militär, im Äußeren aber Multiethnien. Staat und Kirche probierten den intimen Lebensbereich der Bürger zu kontrollieren. Jeder musste sich durch den Beichtstuhl reformieren, die Sexualität wurde eingeschränkt, die normengerechte Sexualität wurden erzwungen. Menschen wurden systematisch zum Heucheln angeleitet.“

The rituals and submissive behaviour towards the authorities left their mark on everyday culture, which still distinguishes Catholic countries such as Austria and Italy from Protestant regions such as Germany, England or Scandinavia. The Austrians' passion for academic titles has its origins in the Baroque hierarchies. The expression Baroque prince describes a particularly patriarchal and patronising politician who knows how to charm his audience with grand gestures. While political objectivity is valued in Germany, the style of Austrian politicians is theatrical, in keeping with the Austrian bon mot of "Schaumamal".

In the 1920s and 30s, the NSDAP also grew and prospered in Tyrol. The first local branch of the NSDAP in Innsbruck was founded in 1923. With "Der Nationalsozialist - Combat Gazette for Tyrol and Vorarlberg“ erschien ein eigenes Wochenblatt. 1933 erlebte die NSDAP mit dem Rückenwind aus Deutschland auch in Innsbruck einen kometenhaften Aufstieg. Die allgemeine Unzufriedenheit und Politikverdrossenheit der Bürger und theatralisch inszenierte Fackelzüge durch die Stadt samt hakenkreuzförmiger Bergfeuer auf der Nordkette im Wahlkampf verhalfen der Partei zu einem großen Zugewinn. Über 1800 Innsbrucker waren Mitglied der SA, die ihr Quartier in der Bürgerstraße 10 hatte. Konnten die Nationalsozialisten bei ihrem ersten Antreten bei einer Gemeinderatswahl 1921 nur 2,8% der Stimmen erringen, waren es bei den Wahlen 1933 bereits 41%. Neun Mandatare, darunter der spätere Bürgermeister Egon Denz und der Gauleiter Tirols Franz Hofer, zogen in den Gemeinderat ein. Nicht nur die Wahl Hitlers zum Reichskanzler in Deutschland, auch Kampagnen und Manifestationen in Innsbruck verhalfen der ab 1934 in Österreich verbotenen Partei zu diesem Ergebnis. Wie überall waren es auch in Innsbruck vor allem junge Menschen, die sich für den Nationalsozialismus begeisterten. Das Neue, das Aufräumen mit alten Hierarchien und Strukturen wie der katholischen Kirche, der Umbruch und der noch nie dagewesene Stil zogen sie an. Besonders unter den großdeutsch gesinnten Burschen der Studentenverbindungen und vielfach auch unter Professoren war der Nationalsozialismus beliebt.

When the annexation of Austria to Germany took place in March 1938, civil war-like scenes ensued. Already in the run-up to the invasion, there had been repeated marches and rallies by the National Socialists after the ban on the party had been lifted. Even before Federal Chancellor Schuschnigg gave his last speech to the people before handing over power to the National Socialists with the words "God bless Austria" had closed on 11 March 1938, the National Socialists were already gathering in the city centre to celebrate the invasion of the German troops. The police of the corporative state were partly sympathetic to the riots of the organised manifestations and partly powerless in the face of the goings-on. Although the Landhaus and Maria-Theresien-Straße were cordoned off and secured with machine-gun posts, there was no question of any crackdown by the executive. "One people - one empire - one leader" echoed through the city. The threat of the German military and the deployment of SA troops dispelled the last doubts. More and more of the enthusiastic population joined in. At the Tiroler Landhaus, then still in Maria-Theresienstraße, and at the provisional headquarters of the National Socialists in the Gasthaus Old Innspruggthe swastika flag was hoisted.

On 12 March, the people of Innsbruck gave the German military a frenetic welcome. To ensure hospitality towards the National Socialists, Mayor Egon Denz had each worker paid a week's wages. On 5 April, Adolf Hitler personally visited Innsbruck to be celebrated by the crowd. Archive photos show a euphoric crowd awaiting the Führer, the promise of salvation. Mountain fires in the shape of swastikas were lit on the Nordkette. The referendum on 10 April resulted in a vote of over 99% in favour of Austria's annexation to Germany. After the economic hardship of the interwar period, the economic crisis and the governments under Dollfuß and Schuschnigg, people were tired and wanted change. What kind of change was initially less important than the change itself. "Showing them up there", that was Hitler's promise. The Wehrmacht and industry offered young people a perspective, even those who had little to do with the ideology of National Socialism in and of itself. The fact that there were repeated outbreaks of violence was not unusual for the interwar period in Austria anyway. Unlike today, democracy was not something that anyone could have got used to in the short period between the monarchy in 1918 and the elimination of parliament under Dollfuß in 1933, which was characterised by political extremes. There is no need to abolish something that does not actually exist in the minds of the population.

Tirol und Vorarlberg wurden in einem Reichsgau zusammengefasst mit Innsbruck als Hauptstadt. Auch wenn der Nationalsozialismus von einem guten Teil der Bevölkerung skeptisch gesehen wurde, gab es kaum organisierten oder gar bewaffneten Widerstand, dazu waren der katholische Widerstand OE5 und die Linke in Tirol nicht stark genug. Unorganisiertes subversives Verhalten der Bevölkerung, vor allem in den erzkatholischen Landgemeinden rund um Innsbruck gab es vereinzelt. Zu allumfassend dominierte der Machtapparat den Alltag der Menschen. Viele Arbeitsstellen und sonstige Annehmlichkeiten des Lebens waren an eine zumindest äußerlich parteitreue Gesinnung gebunden. Eine Inhaftierung blieb dem größten Teil der Bevölkerung zwar erspart, die Angst davor war aber allgegenwärtig.

Das Regime unter Hofer und Gestapochef Werner Hilliges leistete auch ganze Arbeit bei der Unterdrückung. InTirol war die Kirche das größte Hindernis. Während des Nationalsozialismus wurde die katholische Kirche systematisch bekämpft. Katholische Schulen wurden umfunktioniert, Jugendorganisationen und Vereine verboten, Klöster geschlossen, der Religionsunterricht abgeschafft und eine Kirchensteuer eingeführt. Besonders hartnäckige Pfarrer wie Otto Neururer wurden in Konzentrationslager gebracht. Auch Lokalpolitiker wie die späteren Innsbrucker Bürgermeister Anton Melzer und Franz Greiter mussten flüchten oder worden verhaftet. Gewalt und die Verbrechen an der jüdischen Bevölkerung, dem Klerus, politisch Verdächtigen, Zivilpersonen und Kriegsgefangenen auch nur überblicksmäßig zusammenzufassen würde den Rahmen sprengen. Das Hauptquartier der Gestapo befand sich in der Herrengasse 1. Hier wurden Verdächtige schwer misshandelt und teils mit Fäusten zu Tode geprügelt. 1941 wurde in der Rossau in der Nähe des Bauhofs Innsbruck das Arbeitslager Reichenau errichtet. Verdächtige Personen aller Art wurden hier zu Zwangsarbeiten in schäbigen Baracken verwahrt. Über 130 Personen fanden in diesem Lager bestehend aus 20 Baracken den Tod durch Krankheit, die schlechten Bedingungen, Arbeitsunfälle oder Hinrichtungen. Auch im 10 km von Innsbruck entfernten Dorf Kematen kamen im Messerschmitt Werk Gefangene zum Zwangseinsatz. Darunter waren politische Häftlinge, russische Kriegsgefangene und Juden. Zu den Zwangsarbeiten gehörten unter anderem die Errichtung der South Tyrolean settlements in the final phase or the tunnels to protect against air raids in the south of Innsbruck. In the Innsbruck clinic, disabled people and those deemed unacceptable by the system, such as homosexuals, were forcibly sterilised.

The memorials to the National Socialist era are few and far between. The Tiroler Landhaus with the Liberation Monument and the building of the Old University are the two most striking memorials. The forecourt of the university and a small column at the southern entrance to the hospital were also designed to commemorate what was probably the darkest chapter in Austria's history.