When around a decade ago Hans Schmid’s „Innsbruck“ was published, the city's local history was greeted with joy by all friends of our old city, because in its mixture of scientific element and peculiar narrative style, it offered a picture that presented the knowledge of old Innsbruck in an appealing form.

A similar work has now been published by Heinrich Hammer who has been active for decades as a tireless researcher and portrayer of Innsbruck and its surroundings. The book contains a selection of Hammer's essays from the last few decades, which have appeared in various journals and yearbooks.

The focus is again on the architectural history of Innsbruck, on the development of its streets and squares, its houses and its artistic monuments. Hammer knows how to fill the dry subject of architectural history with life by placing the people behind the buildings, the masters and their clients, the conditions of the time and the city's development in context.

The essays are organised by topic:

• The history of the town fortifications
• The development of the city extension
• The construction history of individual important buildings
• The art-historical significance of Innsbruck's churches and secular buildings

Particularly noteworthy are the studies of Innsbruck's town houses, their façades and interiors, which in their uniqueness and beauty are a reflection of the culture of past centuries.

Hammer has also covered the architectural history of the Hofkirche and the Golden Roof, as well as the development of Maria-Theresien-Straße and the changes in the cityscape since the 18th century.

Over the course of three decades Heinrich Hammer He conducted this research and this book is a valuable summary of his work. It is of great value not only for experts, but also for the layman interested in local history.

The book contains numerous illustrations which illustrate the author's explanations and give the reader a vivid picture of Old Innsbruck.