Despite all figures and facts to the contrary, identification with the farming class in Tyrol remains widespread to this day as a nostalgically romanticised self‑image. Free, independent, and indispensable—this is the image of farmers between Landeck and Kufstein. Although fewer than 2 per cent of the population today earn their living from agriculture, farmers manage—through active associations, skilful self‑representation, and political lobbying structures—to achieve a level of representation in society that is disproportionate to their numbers. This was not always the case; in fact, the situation had once been the exact opposite. For centuries, by far the largest proportion of the population worked in agriculture, yet farmers possessed little political influence. The landlords not only owned the land itself but also exercised authority over the agricultural population. Independent action as active participants in the economic system was unthinkable for farmers. Rent was regularly collected in the form of payments in kind. The social order was rigid. The local lesser nobility administered the peasantry within their territories and, in turn, paid their dues to the territorial prince or bishop.

Three types of relationships existed between farmers and landlords. Throughout the Middle Ages, serfdom (Leibgeding) was common. Farmers worked on the lord’s estates as serfs. This dependency could extend so far that decisions regarding marriage, property, mobility, and other aspects of personal life were not freely permitted. In the vast majority of Tyrol, however, this form had already disappeared by the Early Modern period.

The second form, known as temporary tenure (Freistift), involved leasing a farm for a fixed period, usually one year. As a rule, the lease was renewed, since both landlords and farmers—much like employers and employees today—benefited from long‑term continuity. However, tenants had no legal right to remain on the property, and there were no written contracts regulating the arrangement. These orally agreed leases were governed by customary law and tradition. The landlord could reassign farmers within his estates at will or evict them entirely. If a farm was transferred within a family from father to son with the landlord’s consent, a fee—known as an Ehrung—of up to 10 per cent of the farm’s value had to be paid.

The third and most modern form was hereditary tenure (Erbleihe). Although the land technically remained the property of the landlord, eviction was no longer easily possible. Hereditary tenants paid lower rents than temporary tenants. In autumn—either on St Gall’s Day (16 October) or St Martin’s Day (11 November)—farmers holding land in hereditary tenure had to deliver their rent, which gradually shifted from payments in kind to monetary payments. Through land purchases or skilful marriage strategies, farmers were able to enlarge their holdings. Farms were inherited within families. Retired farmers who transferred their property during their lifetime—the so‑called transfer “with the warm hand”—retained the right to live on the farm and were supported through an agreed retirement provision (Ausgedinge).

In the fifteenth century, political rules began to change. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, a form of modern statehood gradually emerged. Territorial princes had long regarded the lesser nobility—with their intermediary role and independent jurisdiction—as an obstacle. Monarchs and the high aristocracy sought to exercise direct authority over their subjects. While the estate‑based social order and hereditary privilege remained formally intact, the role of the lesser nobility changed fundamentally. They shifted from being lords with direct power over their subjects to estate administrators and organisers of territorial defence on behalf of the prince. In order to limit the influence of the lesser nobility, Duke Frederick IV formally recognised hereditary tenure in his Territorial Ordinance of 1404. With the exception of the territories of the prince‑bishops of Trent and Brixen, this form of tenancy gradually replaced temporary tenure throughout Tyrol. Legal disputes between farmers and landlords had to be brought before the territorial prince. Through this political measure, Frederick secured the immediate loyalty of his subjects, gaining direct access to military manpower and tax revenues. Farmers benefited by no longer being entirely subject to the arbitrariness of their landlords. Hereditary tenure transformed farmers into a kind of entrepreneur, enabling them to participate in early capitalism as market actors. Although they remained exposed to natural forces and broader political conditions—such as wars or customs regulations—they now had the opportunity to rise above the subsistence‑level existence of earlier centuries. After delivering the tithe and providing for their households, farmers sold surplus goods at market. Hard‑working and capable farmers could accumulate a certain degree of prosperity. Economic developments from the fifteenth century onwards—particularly Innsbruck’s rise as a residential capital and mining activities in Hall and Schwaz—benefited farmers in the surrounding villages. Officials employed at court and workers in the emerging mining industry formed a middle class with increased purchasing power. Demand for meat rose, which in turn led to a shift towards livestock farming, seen as more profitable than arable agriculture. Broader economic conditions also played a role. Inflation following the discovery of the New World and its silver mines, along with the financial upheavals of the sixteenth century, reduced the real value of monetary rents. Small farmers leasing land under temporary tenure and paying rent in kind suffered from currency devaluation, while large agricultural enterprises benefited from it.

Local inheritance laws also played a major role in determining regional economic success or decline. In North Tyrol’s upper regions and in South Tyrol, partible inheritance (Realteilung) prevailed: farms were divided among all heirs, leading to fragmentation and reduced profitability. In contrast, in the Innsbruck region and the Lower Inn Valley, impartible inheritance (Anerbenteilung) was common. With few exceptions, the eldest child inherited the entire farm in order to preserve its structure. Siblings were usually forced to leave and earn their living as servants, craftsmen, farmhands, or maids. As Söllhäusler—people owning only a small house and perhaps a garden but no significant land—they belonged to the Pöfel, a marginal social group that included innkeepers, itinerant people, prostitutes, servants, and beggars. In cases of illness or destitution, they had limited claims against the heir and could temporarily return to the farm. Depending on the value of the holding, siblings might be entitled to an annuity, though in most cases this was minimal or nonexistent. Even then, farmers were adept at presenting the book value of their property as low as possible.

These developments led to new social structures within farms themselves and to increasing disparities within the farming class. Farmers exercised authority over their servants in all matters, akin to the pater familias of the extended family in ancient Rome. Life on the farms bore little resemblance to the idyllic family life often promoted today as traditional Tyrolean lifestyle. Instead, large, clan‑like family units lived under the strict regime of the farmer, who determined labour routines, food, accommodation, limited leisure, and personal relationships. Clear hierarchies emerged within villages. Hereditary tenants enjoyed higher status than temporary tenants; large farmers were held in higher regard than small ones and often took leading roles in village life. Particularly successful and loyal farmers were granted family coats of arms by the territorial prince and elevated to the rank of farming nobility. In a society where honour and status were valued at least as highly as money itself, the title of a free farmer was far more than a mere symbol. These structures persisted in rural areas well into the nineteenth century, and in more remote regions even into the twentieth century. At the outbreak of the First World War, more than 50 per cent of Tyrol’s population was still employed in agriculture. The fine farmhouses in Hötting, Wilten, Pradl, and Amras—whose façades proudly display family coats of arms and references to hereditary farm status—stand as testimony to the rise of the farming class in the Early Modern period.

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 the Egerdachstraße. In the time before the triumph of television, Innsbruck had a whole series of theatres and pubs that entertained their audiences with plays and music. In 1892, the Löwenhaus theatre opened on Rennweg, where the Tyrolean regional studio of the ORF is located today. The wooden building burnt down in the late 1950s, just in time for the rise of state broadcasting. In 1898, the Pradler were guest performers at the Ronacher in Vienna. A few years later, the young and ambitious Ferdinand Exl (1875 - 1942) broke new ground with part of the troupe. For a long time, the saying went: „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.

For a short time, cinema and theatre coexisted before cinema took the upper hand. At its peak in 1958, Innsbruck's cinemas sold an incredible 3.5 million tickets. Then the television in the living room gradually took over information and evening entertainment. In addition to entertainment, the cinema also took on a role in sexual education. In the 1970s, naked breasts flickered across the screens for the first time. Films such as Schulmädchenreport and Josefine Mutzenbacher also brought the sexual revolution a little closer to the Tyroleans.

When the 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.