Nach der Olympiade ist vor der Olympiade. Diese abgewandelte Weisheit aus dem Sport trifft auf für die stadtbauliche Entwicklung Innsbrucks zu. Zwischen den Spielen von 1964 und 1976 wuchs Innsbruck munter auf alle erdenklichen Arten. Shopping-Center, Kirchen, neue Straßen, die Autobahn, Brücken und Wohnanlagen entstanden im Optimismus des Wirtschaftswunders der Nachkriegszeit. Nach der großen Erweiterung um die Blöcke des Olympischen Dorfes im Osten der Stadt entschloss man sich Ende der 1960er Jahre den Wohnbau in der Höttinger Au auf moderne, vor allem aber verdichtete Art und Weise voranzutreiben. Anders als die Heiligjahrsiedlung beim Flughafen, die unter kirchlicher Patronanz nach den Vorstellungen der Christlichen Soziallehre als eine Aneinanderreihung von Einfamilienhäusern entstand, sollte der Mariahilfpark eine gesamtheitliche, urbane Erweiterung der Innenstadt im Stile der Zeit sein. Auf der freien Fläche direkt am Nordufer des Inns entstand westlich der Universitätsbrücke ein neues Stadtviertel. Die Mariahilferstraße wurde merklich verbreitert, um dem steigenden Autoverkehr Tribut zu zollen und auch neue Gehsteige mussten angelegt werden. Auf der Seite zum Fluss hin entstand die Innpromenade, auf der sich heute alltäglich Fußgänger, Läufer und Radfahrer in Scharen tummeln.

Von 1969 und 1973 dauerten die Bauarbeiten an der Wohnanlage im Auftrag der gemeinnützigen Wohnbaugenossenschaft Wohnungseigentum, die bis heute die Geister ob ihres Äußeren scheidet und vielen als eine der schlimmsten Bausünden auf Innsbrucker Boden gilt. Architekt Franz Kotek war einer der Tiroler Vertreter des Brutalismus. Seit Mitte der 1950er Jahre war dieser Baustil der Ausdruck modernen Lebens. Der Brutalismus ist ein Versuch die moderne und industrialisierte Gesellschaft architektonisch sichtbar zu machen. In Fortführung der Neuen Sachlichkeit sollten simple Formen und Bauelemente durch die Zurschaustellung der Materialien in einer neuen Ästhetik monumental zur Geltung gebracht werden. Der Name rührt von der Rohheit der Baustoffe wie dem überbordend und markant verwendeten Beton, zu Französisch frei nach dem futuristischen Architekten Le Corbusier béton brut. Kotek schuf die fünf- bis neunstöckigen Gebäude mit ihrem breiten Grundriss in prominenter Lage vor dem Hintergrund der Nordkette in einer Zeit, als der Brutalismus auch in Innsbruck Fuß fasste. Eine Geschäftszeile im Untergeschoss verbindet die vier einzelnen Objekte mit über 270 Wohneinheiten von der Mariahilferstraße aus gesehen zu einer Einheit. Von der Innpromenade aus hingegen erkennt man die großen Grünflächen der kubischen Blöcke. Betrachtet man den Mariahilfpark von der anderen Flussseite aus, wirken die Blöcke durch das Grün der Bäume erstaunlich attraktiv und harmonisch. Anders als die Plattenbauten des Olympischen Dorfes scheinen sie durch den breiten Grundriss mächtiger und wertiger. Die markanten, von den einzelnen Wohnparteien individuell gestalteten Balkone aus massiven Fertigbetonteilen und der Begrünung lassen die Wohntürme wie eine Terrassenwohnanlage wirken. Beton in mehreren Varianten, die futuristisch-monumentalen Eingangsbereiche mit quasi ausgestanzten Kreisen, Ziegel und orange Elemente als gut sichtbare und unverschleierte Baumaterialien nehmen den Betrachter mit auf eine Zeitreise in die 1970er Jahre.

Unter der Ägide von Architekten wie Franz Kotek, Horst Parson, Gustav Peichl und Josef Lackner entstanden Ende der 1960er Jahre eine ganze Reihe von Projekten im Brutalismus. Nicht nur in den neuen Stadtteilen, wo die Jugendherberge in der Reichenau oder der Campus der Technik der Universität Innsbruck in Hötting West aus dem Boden schossen, auch in prominenten Lagen und von unerwarteten Bauherren wurde der damals moderne Stil für eine kurze, aber das Stadtbild nachhaltig prägende Baustil umgesetzt. Das Bürogebäude vor dem Casino, das ORF Landesstudio im Saggen, die Terrassenwohnanlage in der Höttinger Höhenstraße und die Kreidpassage an der Ecke Boznerplatz / Meinhardstraße sind stumme Zeitzeugen. Besonders interessant ist die Akzeptanz des Brutalismus durch den konservativen Bischof Paulus Rusch. Die Pfarrkirche Petrus Canisius in der Höttinger Au, die Pfarrkirchen Paulus und Pius in der Reichenau und die Pfarrkirche Wilten West wurden zeitgenössisch modern in alle Brutalität errichtet. Erst nach der Olympiade 1976 kamen die Betonmonster endgültig in Verruf und aus der Mode.

Die Pfarre Mariahilf ist Namensgeberin des Innsbrucker Stadtteils westlich der Innbrücke, der bis 1837 als Obere Anbruggen was well known. In addition to the Mariahilf church, the cemetery, the kindergarten, the Kunstkammer and the Widum are also part of an ensemble of buildings that represent an impressive example of the influence of the church on infrastructure, society and the community. The origins of the Mariahilf parish date back to the 17th century. After Swedish, French and Hessian troops had devastated large parts of neighbouring Bavaria and the town of Bregenz during the final years of the Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648), the Tyrolean estates solemnly vowed on 1 February 1647 to donate a church to Cranach's miraculous image of Mariahilf, which now hangs in St. Jakob's Cathedral, if Tyrol was spared the ravages of war.

With this building project, the Tyrolean estates also wanted to show their political self-confidence in the face of the increasingly absolutist princess Claudia de Medici and the unpopular chancellor Biener. Christoph Gumpp was recruited as the master builder for the prestigious project. The first mass was celebrated on a provisional altar as early as 1648, and the shell of the building was completed a year later. Over the next few centuries, several generations of Tyrolean artists designed the Mariahilfkirche to its current appearance. Gumpp was probably inspired by domed buildings such as the Roman Pantheon while travelling in Italy. The interior is not a large whole, as is typical of the Baroque period, but a series of individual elements, as was common in the Renaissance. Five altar chapels give the round building its outer shape. Inside, the dome is decorated with six oval ceiling frescoes depicting the life of Mary. Six round frescoes show scenes from the Old Testament. Since Cranach's Gnadenbild MariahilfWhen the church's patron saint, to whom the church was actually intended to be dedicated, remained in the parish church of St Jakob, Michael Waldmann made a copy of the painting in 1654. The painting was integrated into the depiction of the history of the church's origins. Representatives of the four estates - clergy, nobility, peasants and citizens - kneel at the high altar in front of the new church and entrust it to Mary's protection. Above the choir arch you can see the coats of arms of Tyrol, the Casa Austria und der toskanischen Familie Medici sehen, aus der die kurz vor Beendigung des Rohbaus verstorbene Tiroler Landesfürstin stammte.

Der vielleicht wichtigste Mann der Geschichte Mariahilfs aber war kein Künstler oder Baumeister, sondern Dr. Sigismund Epp (1647 – 1720), Professor für Theologie, Prokanzler und Rektor an der Universität Innsbruck. Er stiftete zwei Benefizien, die es den Tiroler Landständen ermöglichten, die Kirche Mariahilf zu betreiben, in Folge zu erweitern und dadurch ihren Einfluss in der Stadt zu vergrößern. Der Gelehrte Epp hatte an seine Großzügigkeit mehrere Verfügungen geknüpft, darunter die Art und Weise wie der Benefiziat beschaffen sein soll:

„Zum Genuß dieses Benefiziums soll ein frommer und ehrbarer weltlicher Priester, der ein eingeborenes tyrolisches Landskind und der deutschen Sprache mächtig ist, berufen werden…. Der Benifiziat soll die Stifter in sein Gebet und andere gute Werke einschließen.“

Through the Mariahilf chaplaincy, the Tyrolean provincial estates were able to form a counterpoint to the Jesuits, the Tyrolean sovereign and later the government in Vienna in many important secular matters within the church. There were repeated power struggles between the powerful order and the provincial parish of Mariahilf, particularly when it came to education and the university. After Epp's death, the privilege of being a university church was transferred from Mariahilf to the Holy Trinity Church of the Soldiers of Christ.

Since Maria Theresa and Joseph II, the increasingly centralised state had been particularly keen to bring educational matters away from the church and under the wing of the state. In the early 1850s, the Mariahilf priest Caspar Weyrer founded his own school. A few decades earlier, the attempt to found a separate institute in Mariahilf away from the St Nicholas' Trivial School had been rejected. However, Weyrer obtained capital and property through another benefactor, Elisabeth von Mayrhofer zu Koburg & Anger, in order to found the Mariahilf school independently of the state. The agreement was as follows:

„Die beiden Häuser, der Garten, der Hof, kurz den ganzen Einfang vermache ich zu einem Schulhaus oder zu einer Kinderwarth-Anstalt… die Kinder (sind) verbunden, alle Wochen einmal in der Versammlung laut einen Vaterunser und ein Avemaria zu beten.“

Für das eigene Seelenheil beten zu lassen, war in Innsbruck auch im 19. Jahrhundert noch in Mode. Mit dem Erlass eines neuen Schulgesetzes 1872, musste die Schule ihre Pforten schließen. Caspar Weyrer gründete noch im selben Jahr eine Privatschule, um dieses Gesetz zu umgehen. Weder die liberal-großdeutsche Stadtregierung noch das Ministerium in Wien wollten aber die kirchlich gelenkte Schule in Innsbrucks Bildungslandschaft haben, weshalb der k.k. Bezirksschulrat The two foundation buildings were declared unsuitable for school purposes without further ado.

However, this was not the last word. A few years earlier, the Mariahilf cemetery, which had existed since 1786, had also come under scrutiny by the authorities due to unfavourable soil conditions and the associated hygiene problems. In 1876, four years after the de facto closure of the Mariahilf school by the authorities, the Mariahilf parish drew up plans to relocate the cemetery. The Tyrolean parliamentary committee, which was still in charge of Mariahilf's destiny, acquired the land on which the Mariahilf cemetery is still located today. In a picturesque hilly location, the Tyrolean provincial cemetery with its arcades and neo-Renaissance cemetery chapel is considered the most beautiful cemetery in the city.

The relocation of the cemetery to the new site made it possible to build a school after all. Today's Mariahilf primary school opened on the former cemetery site in 1902. A small section of the cemetery chapel and wall can still be seen at the rear of the primary school. A kindergarten was opened in the former school building under the care of the Mariahilf parish.

Despite Mary's blessing and protection, the parish has suffered misfortune over the centuries. The great Innsbruck earthquake of 22 December 1689 did not spare Mariahilf and also took a considerable toll on the newly built church. The later damage was of a human nature. The bells cast by the Graßmayr bell foundry in 1837 were melted down during the First World War, as were the organ pipes, in order to make weapons from the metal. When the National Socialists came to power in 1938, the Mayrhofer Foundation, like so many church institutions, was dissolved and the assets were incorporated into the National Socialist People's Welfare Organisation. During the air raids of the Second World War, the kindergarten and the parish hall were destroyed and the church also suffered minor damage. Just before the end of the war, a 1000kg bomb landed between the kindergarten and the parish hall, but did not explode. Whether the Mother of Mercy was responsible for this could not be finally clarified.

Thanks to skilful politics, the Mariahilf parish is still the big player in the district named after it. Next to the church is the Epp´sche Benefiziatenhaus, das von Johann Martin Gumpp als Wohnhaus des Kaplans geplant wurde und heute als Kunstkammer with many exhibits and archives relating to Mariahilf. On the other side, the church is flanked by the sacristan's house and the kindergarten, which was reopened in 1952. To the north of the church is the Widum, newly built in the 19th century, with its large parish garden. Today, the parish of Mariahilf and Vinzenzkonferenz das Vereinsheim und den Kindergarten.

ur village centre in Hötting is characterised by three places of worship. The old parish church in today's Schulgasse is based on the remains of one of the oldest places of worship in the region around Innsbruck. Wilhelm von Sydow's excavations on the site were able to date graves back to the 7th or 8th century. It must have been very early Bavarian Christians or a remaining Breon settlement that operated a church on this site. The first Romanesque church building was erected over this early Innsbruck churchyard in the 10th century. Like later Gothic or Baroque in the early modern period, Romanesque was an architectural and artistic style that dominated Europe between Late Antiquity and the High Middle Ages. The patron saints of the parish were just as contemporary as the architecture of the building. The patron saints Ingenuin and Albuin took over the patronage. Both were highly topical figures for contemporaries. Albuin was probably Bishop of Brixen at the time the church was built. Also around the year 1000, the remains of his predecessor Ingenuin, who had died centuries earlier, were transferred to Bressanone Cathedral as relics. The church in Hötting was first documented in 1286 when it was mentioned in a letter of indulgence. Indulgences, i.e. a payment to the church to reduce one's time in purgatory after death on earth, were common practice. Many medieval churches would probably never have been realised without indulgences. The current core of the Gothic nave and the tower date back to the 15th century, which still sets the building apart from most other churches in Innsbruck. The tower was rebuilt in 1641 after a fire. In the 18th century, as was inevitable, the interior of the church was baroqueised.

In 1853, Hötting, previously looked after by Wilten Abbey, was elevated to its own parish. The population of Hötting grew to an unprecedented extent during the 19th century. The 400 seats in the old church became too few. The cemetery also became too small for the parish, which did not yet belong to Innsbruck at the time. In 1888, the Hötting parish priest founded the Pope Leo Church Building Society, to make a new building financially possible. Pope Leo XIII (1810 - 1903). Pope Leo was a politically active pope. By strengthening the Christian labour movement, he wanted to bring the Church back onto the stage as a political player. The old ties between the European ruling houses and the papacy were to be tightened again in the manner of the Middle Ages. This was to manifest itself in newly built, neo-Gothic churches all over the world. His aversion to republicanism, the state as the supreme social authority and socialism as well as his penchant for the veneration of the Holy Mother of God made him popular in conservative Innsbruck circles. One of the great instigators and donors was the owner of Schloss Büchsenhausen, brewer and restaurateur Robert Nißl. He provided the land for the project. Although indulgences were no longer a common practice in the Catholic Church, donations to the parish were beneficial both for the salvation of souls after death and for the reputation on earth within the community. Five years after the association was founded, the first part of the cemetery and chapel were built. With further donations and the publication of the popular Apology cards On New Year's Day, the eager parish collected money for the new church building over the following 15 years. In 1909, the construction company Josef Huter & Söhne began building the new Höttinger parish church. Just over 20 years earlier, the master builder had already been entrusted with the construction of St Nicholas' Church. It is hardly surprising that the two churches are very similar. Neo-Romanesque arches and neo-Gothic pointed arches and turrets characterise the façade. Saints Florian and Sebastian and the two patron saints of Hötting, Ingenuin and Albuin, are immortalised in mosaics above the entrance portal. The gable features statues of Jesus and the two founders of the church, St Peter and St Paul. The shell of the church was solemnly consecrated in 1911 and the interior was added piece by piece before the outbreak of the First World War. The artistically designed windows of the Tyrolean stained glass emerged. Due to the turmoil of war, the building was not finally completed and consecrated until 1924. The current high altar was designed in 1989 by Innsbruck artist Helmut Millonig, whose studio is located opposite the old Hötting parish church. The war also brought an additional artistic monument to the forecourt, where today cars are usually parked with little decoration, in the form of the war memorial by Clemens Holzmeister.

The small Hötting plague cemetery is located just a few metres from the new Hötting parish church. It was created during an outbreak of plague in Hötting, away from the normal churchyard. During the Thirty Years' War, the plague not only struck Tyrol more frequently, but the number of fatalities was also particularly high due to the poor supply situation. Those who could afford it locked themselves up at home with sufficient supplies to protect themselves from infection. Exact numbers of plague victims are not known, but the outbreak of the disease in 1625 is particularly etched in people's memories. In typical Baroque style, people not only prayed fervently, promised donations of chapels, churches and votive images and made pilgrimages, but superstition also celebrated joyful circumstances. Legend has it that every day at midnight, the godfather Death came to Hötting from the west with a scythe, while his female helper, Death, came via Büchsenhausen from the east with a broom and rake. While Death transported the people to the afterlife, Death's wife is said to have swept up the remains with a broom and rake. Despite the promise of the pious population to make an annual pilgrimage to Kranebitten to the Chapel of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, built in the same year, to keep the gruesome couple away from Hötting in future, the plague cemetery fell into oblivion. In 1912, the small, walled chapel was built according to plans by master builder Leopold Heiss and the iron grave crosses were erected. Its current exterior was created in several stages and renovations. Inside there is a baroque-style crucifixion group. The modern pictures in the wall behind the chapel were added after each of the two world wars. Anton Kirchmayr and Josef Prantl created modern interpretations of the great death in 1925 and in the 1950s respectively.

The parish of St. Nikolaus is closely associated with the history of the Innsbruck district, which was long known as a poor neighbourhood just outside the city gates. Until 1789, St. Nicholas was home to the Special Sickhouse, where people with infectious diseases and physical deformities were housed far from the city. The first mention of this institution dates back to 1313, when the citizens' hospital was located in the suburbs and the infectious sick and the socially most vulnerable in society were kept further away from the centre. The Sondersiechen waren eine als Bettlergilde organisierte Bruderschaft, die sich durch Betteln und Almosen organisierten. Das Betteln in Innsbruck wurde durch eine eigene Ordnung geregelt. Den Vorstand bildeten der Siechenvater und seine Frau die SiechenmutterThe latter acted as a kind of representative body to the outside world and organised daily life on the inside.

From the 16th century onwards, there was also a Special screen house a chapel with a cemetery. It was dedicated to St Nicholas, who was one of the most popular saints, especially among the poorer sections of the population. St Nicholas of Myra, who is the subject of many legends, was chosen as the patron saint not only by many craft guilds, but also by thieves and prostitutes. He fitted in with the Koatlacknthe neighbourhood where the penitentiary, execution site, workers and beggars were to be found. The veneration of saints as an expression of popular piety, which was criticised as superstition by Enlightenment philosophers and Protestants, was particularly widespread among the poorest. The Handl's house opposite the church has a mosaic depiction of St Nicholas on the gable in an orthodox style, one of the first works by Albert Neuhauer's mosaic studio. The three golden spheres symbolise the story of the three rescued virgins, whose father was only able to pay his daughters' dowries with the help of Saint Nicholas, thus saving them from the fate of ending up as prostitutes.

In 1851, St Nicholas was elevated to its own parish. The parish had grown rapidly during industrialisation and the old chapel had become too small. Between 1882 and 1886, the construction company Huter & Söhnewho already have the Monastery of Perpetual Adoration had built the church. The design came from the Viennese master builder Friedrich Schmidt (1825 - 1891). Schmidt was a professor of medieval architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and was also responsible for the construction of Vienna City Hall and St Stephen's Cathedral, where a memorial plaque commemorates him. In Innsbruck, he designed the Rudolfsbrunnen fountain as well as the church of St Nicholas. Schmidt characterised the neo-Gothic style of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Between 1870 and the First World War, sacred and secular buildings in a similar style were erected throughout the empire between Innsbruck in the west and Galicia in the east. These highly recognisable buildings still characterise the townscape of many former crown lands today. The similarity between church and government buildings created a link between the two dominant organisations of the time, the monarchy and the church.

The church tower, the pointed arched windows, the figures of St Martin, St Nicholas and Mary and Child above the entrance, the façade, the windows - everything is stylistically reminiscent of the Middle Ages. The church's Tyrolean Glass Painting and Mosaic Institute designed and manufactured windows are true works of art. When the sun shines, they flood the imposing ribbed vault decorated with paintings of saints. The eight mosaics on the façade were also created by the Wilten artisan workshop. They depict the four evangelists of the New Testament as well as the prophets Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah. In 1906, an altar was built in a side aisle for the Herz-Jesu-Verehrung which symbolises the oath of the Holy Land of Tyrol in 1796. The war memorial at the church entrance commemorates the fallen soldiers of the First World War. The sandstone statue, created by Johannes Obleitner, was transported from the Wilten cemetery to St Nicholas. The wooden Pieta, originally planned for the Koatlackler, stands in the interior of the church. A plaque bears the names of all parishioners who died between 1914 and 1918.

The cemetery surrounding the church is also worth a visit. In the Middle Ages and early modern times, this was the final resting place for the poor souls of the infirmary and the mortal remains of those who died at the nearby Köpflplatz executed. The structure of this cemetery was largely retained. It surrounds the church on three sides, framed by an arcade with columns. Today, these are imposing gravesites of deserving Innsbruck families from the 19th century onwards, inviting you to take a short stroll through time. 

Büchsenhausen today welcomes visitors in a bright yellow colour as they make their way up the steep Weiherburggasse to this place worth seeing. The old sundial on the western side of the façade, a stately entrance area, bay windows, large windows and baroque onion domes are well worth the walk.

The castle, which towers majestically over Innsbruck in neo-Gothic style, was once the Pichsen- und Gueßhaus. Peter Löffler, one of the founders of Innsbruck's early modern armaments industry, manufactured cannons and bells in his foundry here before Maximilian I had the armoury built in Saggen. His son Georg had Büchsenhausen extended into a manor house. The Löfflers had become wealthy thanks to their unique craftsmanship. Georg Löffler could therefore afford to hire master builder Gregor Türing. In the early capitalist era, the building was intended to demonstrate the importance of the family of craftsmen, who owed their prosperity to their skills and not, like the nobility, to their birthright.

Anyone looking towards the Nordkette from Innsbruck could see the imposing estate towering over the Inn, which only faded into the background when Hoettings was built on. In the book "Die Paläste und Bürgerbauten Innsbrucks“ steht zur Entstehung des Schlosses zu lesen:

„Der berühmte Geschützgießer Gregor Löffler erbaute auf einem von König Ferdinand gekauften Baumgarten am Fallbach 1539 einen Ansitz, den er nach seinem unweit davon stehenden Gußhaus Büchsenhausen nannte. Auf einem 1545 gekauften Anger unmittelbar östlich daneben errichtete er einen weiteren Bau, der ihm hauptsächlich als Wohnhaus diente.“

In the 17th century, the complex was extended by Court Chancellor Wilhelm Biener, who used Büchsenhausen as his residence. Claudia de Medici had sold the palace to her chancellor for his services and because she needed money to build her new summer residence in today's Hofgarten. In order to utilise his estate as profitably as possible, Biener had a brewery built and served beer. However, he soon had to give up his liquid business, as the sale of tax-free beer meant that the court lost much-needed revenue from the duty on wine. The legend of the Biener-Weibele back. After his execution, which many felt was unjustified, the soul of the controversial politician found no peace and haunts Büchsenhausen Castle as a ghost to this day. 

Between the late 17th century and 1837, the building took on its present form under the care of the minor noble dynasty of the Knights of Lama and took a turn towards bourgeois survival. The baroque clock tower and the chapel were probably the brainchild of Johann Martin Gumpp. Martin Knoller contributed the paintings. The last lady of the castle from the von Lamas family married the commoner Johann Nepomuk Mahl-Schedl (1806 - 1873). When she died early in childbirth, the widowed lord of the castle led an eccentric existence. In 1837, he had his residence remodelled in neo-Gothic style. Mahl-Schedl, who had grown up in an inn in Upper Austria, not only set up a restaurant with a coffee bar, but also opened Tyrol's first Swimming and bathing centre, which was in operation until the 1960s. In keeping with the style of the new bourgeois era, the literary circle of the Nibelungs. He and his fellow campaigners wrote popular legends with German nationalist fervour and collected German-language legends. His second marriage was to Emilie von Eliatschek-Siebenburg, the daughter of a general. With patriotic enthusiasm, he travelled to Italy with a privately financed rifle company. When he was knighted three years after his deployment, he was christened Büchsenhausen without further ado in Alpine castle and henceforth bore the name Johann Nepomuk Mahl-Schedl of Alpenburg. In 1865, at an advanced age, he sold his property and emigrated to Peru with other adventurers from St Nicholas to found the settlement of Pozuzo, which still exists today. Shortly before his death, he returned to end his life in Innsbruck and was laid to rest in a grave of honour in Innsbruck's Westfriedhof cemetery.

In the meantime, Büchsenhausen had become a brewery under the new owner Robert Nissl. Nissl supplied his nine pubs in Innsbruck with his products from the former aristocratic residence. He did not make it to the nobility until his death in 1910, but as a wealthy benefactor, he at least made it to the status of honorary citizen.

Buildings such as Büchsenhausen Castle or Weiherburg Castle and the history of the Löfflers give an idea of the shifting balance of power from around 1500 onwards. This was the time when science slowly began to detach itself from the ecclesiastical environment. Rulers like Maximilian had recognised that it was not only soldiers who were needed to win wars. The basis for power was capital, in the case of the Habsburgs it was primarily the Fuggers and innovations such as the weapon technology of the Löfflers. Although foundrymen like Löffler were still craftsmen and not weapons technicians, their expertise was in great demand. In their day, the cannons they cast were as much of an advantage as tanks, flamethrowers or poison gas would be on the battlefields of the First World War. The range of their cannons ensured that England was victorious against the Spanish Armada, laying the foundations for the British Empire legen konnte. Im Buch Der Meister des 7. Siegels tells the story of the Löffler family, who made it from Innsbruck into the big, wide world as armourers. The high point of Innsbruck's gun production ended in 1590 when Hans Christoph Löffler moved to Vienna. A plaque along the long stone wall with two portals in Weiherburggasse opposite Büchsenhausen commemorates the foundry, which was based here between 1503 and 1854.

One of the most beautiful views over the city can be enjoyed from Innsbruck's Villa Blanka tourism school. Unfortunately, there is hardly anything left of the neo-Gothic villa from 1882, which the artist Edgar Mayer had built for himself. After several changes of ownership, the Innsbruck municipal council bought the property in 1936 with the financial support of the Sparkasse. The park and the beautiful building were to be open to all citizens. The villa was leased out as a coffee house to replenish the city's empty coffers in the interwar period.

During National Socialism, the building was first used by the Nazi women's organisation as a training centre for "music and celebration design" and later as a training centre for the catering industry. After the war, the province of Tyrol leased the property to set up a vocational school for the tourism professionals of the future. After the turmoil of the war, tourism was to regain its former strength. The basis for this was well-trained chefs, waiters and hoteliers. After the time-honoured Villa Blanka no longer met the requirements, a modern school building was erected on the site of the magnificent building in 1967 according to Hubert Prachensky's plans. Only a small arch and two stone benches remain in the well-tended garden in front of the modern new building as a reminder of the old Villa Blanka.

What remains from the Belle Epoque and the interwar period is the park, which is still open to the public today. The association Tyrolean Ornithological Institute built a modern bird enclosure as part of the takeover of the park with money from the Sparkasse fund. The smooth and round shape of the cages with the cubic centre sections is a typical example of the modern architecture of the 1930s in Innsbruck. Architect Siegfried Thurner, who had also designed the Theresienkirche on the Hungerburg, planned three open-air areas, each five metres long and three metres high, connected to each other by heated interior spaces. The individual areas were to present the lowland zone, low mountain range and high mountain range. Visitors to the park should be able to view native birds in the most species-appropriate environment possible thanks to the elaborate interior design. The aviary can be regarded as the nucleus of the Alpine Zoo, which was founded in 1962.

The selection of birds presented to visitors over the decades is interesting. Initially it was mainly alpine, native animals, but during the 90s and 00s the taste changed towards exotic parrots before the aviary stood empty for a few years in 2005. Since 2022, the enclosure has been populated by collared parakeets, among others. These birds, originally native to Pakistan, south-east China and Sri Lanka, have been resident in Innsbruck's Hofgarten since 1978, after a couple fled from a villa in Saggen. The refugees multiplied to as many as 30 birds in the 1990s thanks to abundant feeding by delighted walkers in the Hofgarten and a warm winter quarters under the roof of the Kongresshaus. The renovation of the Kongresshaus and the removal of the hibernation site cost many of the exotic birds their lives. The specimens in the Villa Blanka aviary can be read as an example of the biodiversity of modern Tyrol.

Just above the school is the second remnant of the old Villa Blanka. A pavilion with a stone floor and bronze dome stands somewhat secluded at the edge of the grounds. It seems to have fallen out of time, a kind of lost place. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, pavilions were an integral part of leisure facilities such as parks and promenades until the First World War. Here, walkers could rest and young couples were protected from prying eyes. In the private sphere, pavilions were long the domain of the aristocracy before the middle classes adopted this architectural element to demonstrate their wealth.

To the north of the town, elevated above the River Inn, is Weiherburg Castle, which has had a number of prominent residents in its long history. Around 1460, Christian Tänzel had it built as his private residence. Tänzel was one of the many up-and-coming citizens who were able to capitalise on this period of upheaval in Tyrol. He had made his fortune in the booming silver mining industry in Schwaz.

The silver mine in Schwaz was the largest of its kind in the world. It had changed the country and its social order like nothing before. With its 20,000 inhabitants, Schwaz was one of the three largest towns in the Habsburg Empire in the 16th century. A new middle class emerged with the miners. The majority of the workers were unskilled, but trained miners were sought-after labourers who came to Tyrol from all over the German-speaking world. These foreigners not only brought their labour, but also new customs, eating habits, traditions and religious views to the country. Tänzel, however, was less middle class than manager and top earner. At times, the Tratzberg Castlethe mighty castle near Schwaz, to his property portfolio. In 1483, Tänzel and his descendants were elevated to the nobility. The Weiherburg was intended to represent this. The residence was close to the court of Prince Siegmund and yet pleasantly removed from the narrow town centre.

Siegmund erwarb das Anwesen von ihm, um verdiente Mitglieder des Hofes wie seinen Leibarzt damit zu verwöhnen. Siegmunds Nachfolger auf der Weiherburg Maximilian I., der dem Anwesen auch seinen Namen gab, nutzte die Weiherburg der Legende nach gerne als Jagdschloss, wenn er in Innsbruck weilte. 1560 kam die Weiherburg in den Besitz Anna Welsers. Sie stammte aus der reichen Augsburger Kaufmannsdynastie, die nicht nur die Weiherburg, sondern über ihr Investment in Maximilian den gesamten Tiroler Bergbau übernommen hatten. Ihre Tochter Philippine war mit Ferdinand II. verheiratet. Die Weiherburg war näher an der Stadt als Schloss Ambras, was für den Regenten recht praktisch war, wenn er die damals beschwerliche Reise in den Süden nicht antreten wollte.

The current purpose of the Weiherburg also goes back to Ferdinand II. He laid the foundations for today's Alpine Zoo with a small zoo opened in 1591. Unlike today's zoo, the Renaissance prince and hunting enthusiast did not limit himself to the Alpine mountain world. Monkeys, lions, leopards, peacocks and ostriches were brought to Innsbruck for the amusement of the prince and his court. The Alpine Zoo has been open to everyone since 1962. The terraced zoo is home to bears, lynxes, wolves, otters, beavers and many other animals from the Alpine region.

After several changes of ownership, the building came into the hands of Rifle Major Philipp von Wörndle, who commanded the Schlacht von Spinges gegen die Übermacht der französischen Armee im Tiroler Abwehrkampf 1796 gewonnen hatte. Die Jungfrau von Spinges, Katharina Lanz, who fought alongside the troops, is the Tyrolean equivalent of Joan of Arc. Wörndle's daughter Maria married Joseph Andreas von Attlmayr. He had the castle remodelled in the 19th century and ran the estate as a hotel. Wealthy English and American tourists made it possible to maintain the large complex even after the upheavals of 1848. The Attlmayrs rounded off their property with the purchase of a large part of the forest on the plateau between Gramartboden and Mühlau, from which the Hungerburg district was to develop. After the death of his son Richard (1831 - 1910), the last Attlmayr was, in keeping with the style of the time, a member of the Innsbruck Beautification Association and the Crown Prince Rudolf Veterans' Association, the city of Innsbruck acquired the Weiherburg.

In doing so, she also took on the historical obligation from Attlmayr Senior's time, which led to the preservation of the listed grave of another „Richard“ at Weiherburg Castle. During a stay at Weiherburg Castle in February 1840, Englishman Richard Tooth succumbed to illness at the tender age of 22. As he was not Catholic, he could not be buried in one of Innsbruck's cemeteries. His tomb, a marble stele with a stately white cross, was preserved by the then lord of the castle, Josef von Attlmayr, for a fee and thus survived the test of time. Today the grave is a Richardsruhe and is a listed building.

Ferdinand-Weyrer-Straße, a small road between Hallerstraße and Arzlerstraße, is home to the Arbeiterwohnhaus und dem Weyrerareal two building complexes that set the stage for both of Innsbruck's industrial revolutions. The Weyrer area is best entered from the Mühlau village square with the village fountain. The Mühlau village coat of arms with the striking millstone symbolises the early industrialisation of the village. Passing the baroque manor house with its chapel, you reach the square in front of the workers' house. A sign above the passageway shows three workers and bears the inscription: "Honour the work and respect the worker". Directly underneath, a metal plaque certifies the United Cloth Factories Baur-Foradori Part of the Tyrolean Adler quality brand to be and Genuine Tyrolean Loden to be built. The unadorned façade of the residential building is a well-preserved relic from the time of the turn-of-the-century tenements in which the workers lived. If you are lucky enough to find the entrance unlocked, you can admire the remarkable cast-iron staircase in the inner courtyard.

The energy-generating Mühlbach stream flows lively between the buildings, which made this place so suitable for early industrialisation. The Zeughaus and Büchsenhausen have been Innsbruck's early industrial areas since the 15th century thanks to the metalworking factories. Under the Tyrolean Prince Sigmund, a metal industry was established in Mühlau. Armour was produced in the plating workshop, allowing noblemen to present their military merits and skills in a fashionable way. However, as requirements grew, these two areas became too small. As early as 1511, master builder Nicolas Türing erected a foundry on the site of the workers' residence. The lively babbling Mühlaubach stream and the location on the main road were perfect for the foundry, which produced the figures for Maximilian's tomb in the Hofkirche, among other things. In the adjoining Bilderhaus wurde eine Säulenhalle errichtet, in der die fertigen Figuren untergebracht wurden. Als die Arbeit an den Schwarzen Manndern abgeschlossen war, wurde die Betriebsanlage, die strategisch gut am Ostende der Stadt lag, zum Münzwalzwerk umfunktioniert. Die Gusshalle des ehemaligen Bilderhauses samt Kreuzgewölbe und Säulen wurde saniert und ist bis heute erhalten.

The second industrialisation began in the 19th century. Like everywhere else in the world, the driving force was the textile industry. Johann Weyrer founded a woollen cloth factory in 1790. He soon had competition within the town. Daniel Friedmann and Franz Baur also produced for the growing local demand. In 1838, the Weyrers, who had come under pressure, moved to Mühlau, where there was space and energy for a modern factory. In 1875, Ferdinand Weyrer (1842 - 1892) took over the sheep's wool factory that his grandfather had built up. Much of Weyrer's career is reminiscent of the Epp family, whose villa and factory were located in Pradl. Both men epitomise the image of the bourgeois, hard-working entrepreneur with a public spirit. The entrepreneur, who was popular with the workers, was the founder of the fire brigade and mayor of the then independent village of Mühlau. In order to have his private residence close to the factory, he had the southern section fitted with a flat roof.

In 1889, the city's third large textile company also relocated Franz Baur & Sons from the business premises in Sillgasse to what is now Ferdinand-Weyrer-Straße 9. The northern part of the building was converted into a residential building by the Baur family. Workers who had moved to the city from the surrounding countryside lived in this building. The social change brought about by the changing world of work can also be seen in buildings like this one. Those who moved from the countryside to the city not only changed their address, but their entire lifestyle.

1890 und 1900 entstanden die Gebäude mit den Nummern 7 und 11. Ein Kesselhaus, eine Fabrikhalle und sogar ein eigenes kleines Elektrizitätswerk waren dort untergebracht. Im Obergeschoss befanden sich Wohnungen. Auch die Villa Baur, das Privathaus der Familie, befand sich in diesem Komplex. In den 1920er Jahren wurde der Betrieb nochmals erweitert. Das Haus Ferdinand-Weyrer-Straße 5 wurde vom bekannten Tiroler Architekten und Designer Clemens Holzmeister entworfen. Nachdem 1943 der Bau nochmals erweitert wurde, verlagerte sich nach erneutem Platzmangel 1955 ein Teil des Betriebs in die Reichenau. In den 1970er Jahren wurde die Baur´sche Produktion am Weyrerareal endgültig aufgelassen. Seither wird das Areal, teils liebevoll renoviert, von unterschiedlichen Kleinunternehmen besiedelt.

Innsbrucks Gasthäuser tragen häufig alpine Tiernamen. Das Vier-Viecher-Eck in der Altstadt beherbergt einige davon. Weitere schwarze Adler, graue und schwarze Bären oder Lämmer belegen die die Tierliebe der heimischen Wirte. Wie aber kam es, dass in Innsbruck ein Gasthaus den Namen Elephant verpasst bekam? Im Jahr 1551 beschloss die nach Portugal verheiratete Erzherzogin Johanna von Österreich ihrem Schwager, dem späteren Kaiser Maximilian II., ein kostbares Geschenk zu machen. Portugal war zu dieser Zeit die führende Handels- und Seemacht Europas. 1494, kurz nach der europäischen Entdeckung der Neuen Welt beschlossen Spanien und Portugal gar eine Aufteilung der Welt. Mit dem Papst als Schiedsrichter wurde ein Großteil der außereuropäischen damals bekannten Welt im Vertrag von Tordesillas aufgeteilt. Zum Besitz des portugiesischen Königreichs gehörten damit Teile der afrikanischen Küste. Das Geschenk, das den exotischen Reichtum Portugals bezeugen sollte, war ein Elefant namens Soliman. Sein neues Herrchen Maximilian und dessen Entourage machten sich mit Soliman im Gepäck nach dem Besuch der habsburgischen Verwandten in Portugal von Valladolid aus auf den langen Weg in die Heimat nach Wien. Über Barcelona, Genua, Trient und Bozen erreichte der Tross Innsbruck. Von hier aus ging es über den Inn weiter Richtung Osten. Aus Innsbruck gibt es schriftliche Augenzeugenberichte von ungläubigen Zeitgenossen, die das exotische Tier bestaunten. Maximilians Anhang übernachtete in Innsbruck am Dreikönigstag 1552 in einem Gasthaus in Anpruggen, der heutigen Innstraße 87. Seit 1661 nannte sich diese Wirtschaft nach dem aufsehenerregenden Tier. Nicht nur in Innsbruck, auch in Auer bei Bozen und Brixen in Südtirol nannten sich Gaststätten nach dem durchreisenden Elefanten. Auf dem Linzer Hauptplatz trägt ein Gebäude am Hauptplatz der Stadt ein Relief mit einem Elefanten. Das Gasthaus zum Elephanten war ein beliebter Treffpunkt der Innsbrucker Arbeiterschaft. Während der Zeit der metternich´schen Geheimpolizei zwischen 1816 und 1848 wurde es verstärkt überwacht, befürchtete man unter den Handwerkern doch das Kursieren republikanischer, sozialistischer, anarchistischer oder gar kommunistischer Ideen aus Italien, Frankreich oder der Schweiz. 1910 schloss das Gasthaus Elefant in Innsbruck seine Pforten. Heute ist das baufällige Gebäude in St. Nikolaus nur mehr ein unauffälliger Zeuge einer bemerkenswerten Geschichte.

Weniger spektakulär was die namensgebende Geschichte des Hauses betrifft, dafür schöner anzusehen ist der Gasthof zur Eiche im Nachbargebäude, besonders der Eingangsbereich. Der Torbogen wird typisch für die Renaissancezeit des 16. Jahrhunderts von der Antike nachempfundenen Säulen flankiert. Im oberen Bereich finden sich fantasievolle Delphine wieder. Nikolaus Türing der Jüngere war der Baumeister des mittlerweile denkmalgeschützten Hauses, das mindestens seit 1640 als Gastwirtschaft betrieben wurde. Bis heute ist die Eiche der Treffpunkt der Koatlackn. Hier trafen sich immer schon Studenten, Arbeiter, Akademiker, Alt und Jung.

The penitentiary was once located where the flats and shops are today. The core of the building dates back to the 18th century. The three-storey building stretches along the Innrain. A small tower crowns the barrack-like building with arcades, which today houses shops and restaurants. The inner courtyard with its remarkable fountain and barred windows is reminiscent of the old town today. Look and feel still remember the past uses of the Turnusvereinshaus.

In the 18th century, not only did the number of citizens grow, but the rate of beggars and alms recipients also skyrocketed. Coupled with the emergence of a new, more enlightened understanding of the law, the need for "to detain labour-shy and dissolute people and to take in the individuals arriving with thrust“. The Kräuterturm on the east side of the city wall was not a prison, but a detention centre. Long-term imprisonment was not common practice. The stay in prison was only a transition until the court hearing, where the actual sentence was imposed. For a long time, the plan to open a prison failed due to lack of funding. It was only through the plan to finance the construction through forced labour that the prison could be completed. In 1725, after almost fifteen years of construction work, the prison opened its doors. The new penal institution was not a prison, but a workhouse. The inmates were expected to pay for their stay with their own labour. Around 300 people worked under the most difficult conditions in the linen factory and later in the loden factory. The most common offences were theft, assault, murder and infanticide, which was nothing other than abortion after birth. It was not only convicts, but also beggars who had to pay for their existence here. Were these liederlichen Leute during the Middle Ages and the early modern period under the patronage of ecclesiastical institutions such as the special sieve house The attitude towards people unable to work had changed during the all-rationalising Enlightenment. In line with the ideas of the Enlightenment, this was intended to serve the good of society as well as provide the offender with individual improvement and integration.

1859 kaufte die Stadt Innsbruck das Gebäude und gab es an den Turnusverein der Stadt Innsbruck weiter. Es war zu dieser Zeit Sitte und Pflicht, dass Bürger der Stadt Soldaten auf Durchmarsch bei sich zu Hause aufnahmen. Mit den Kriegshandlungen in Italien mehrte sich auch die Zahl der durchmarschierenden Soldaten, die über den Brenner zu den Schlachtfeldern transportiert wurden. Wer es sich leisten konnte, wurde Mitglied des Einquartierungs-Turnusvereins and was thus able to hand over the soldiers, who were supposed to be accommodated in their own homes, to the Turnusvereinshaus. This civic duty was cancelled in 1869. With the opening of the railway line over the Brenner Pass, the stopover in Innsbruck disappeared. The drastically reduced time needed to get soldiers from A to B not only revolutionised warfare, but also made facilities such as the Turnusvereinshaus superfluous. As a result, the Turnus clubhouse converted into the Provincial Gendarmerie Command. During the First World War, the building served as a temporary camp for Italian prisoners of war. The Turnusvereinshaus had once again become a prison. Most of the imprisoned soldiers only stayed in Innsbruck for a short time. They were relocated to larger camps in eastern Austria, including Mauthausen.

Am Innufer vor dem Turnusvereinshaus bietet der sogenannte „Dürerblick“ einen schönen Panoramablick auf die Altstadt. Hier saß Albrecht Dürer 1495 wohl, als er die Skizzen für sein berühmtes Aquarell der Stadt Innsbruck anlegte. Das Werk selbst entstand später in seiner Werkstatt in Nürnberg. Das Original des Bildes „Innsprugg from the north" now hangs in the Albertina in Vienna. Innsbruck's penal institution is now located on the western outskirts of the city and bears the name "Zieglstadl", as there was a brickworks on this site before the move in 1964. Despite all the innovations that Austria's penal system has undergone over the centuries and the various forms of government, it may come as a surprise to realise how recently the approach of reintegrating offenders into society has been in place. As recently as the 1970s, it was common practice to put people in prison with light deprivation or solitary confinement and regularly punish them with food deprivation.

You could say that the Inn Bridge was the birthplace of Innsbruck. Innsbruck's first surviving coat of arms from 1267 shows it on the stone boxes used to secure the bridge at the time. It gave the city its name and for centuries was the only bridge that connected today's old town with the older districts of St. Nikolaus and Mariahilf. Above all, however, it was the source of the town's upswing and prosperity. The Counts of Andechs recognised the importance of the junction between north and south in the movement of goods and had a bridge built over the Inn in the 12th century. Until then, the only bridge over the Inn in this area was the remnant from antiquity at the Roman military camp Teriolis, today's Martinsbühel near Zirl. For the merchants, the new bridge was a safer, more reliable and faster way to cross the river. This came at a price. Alongside taxes, customs duties were Innsbruck's most important source of income. Customs was a control tool of the sovereigns. Whereas nowadays central banks change key interest rates, rulers had customs duties and levies at their disposal after natural disasters, epidemics, fires or wars in order to stimulate trade, consumption and the economy. Customs duties were levied at the city gate at the Inn bridge. There were two types of customs duty. The small duty was based on the draught animals in the wagon, the large duty on the type and quantity of goods. The customs revenue was shared between Innsbruck and Hall. Hall had the task of maintaining the Inn bridge. Trade not only filled the town's coffers, the citizens also enjoyed the right of establishment. Goods that were otherwise difficult to obtain in the Alpine region had to be offered for sale in the town by the merchants passing through. Wine, beer, meat, salt, spices, textiles - Innsbruck stood out from the surrounding area thanks to the goods traffic over the Inn Bridge. The Inn Bridge lost its exclusive importance as a trade route into the city when the Mühlau Bridge was opened in the 17th century. With the opening of the railway, goods traffic declined further. Instead, inner-city traffic increased in the 19th century. Workers and employees not only suddenly became more numerous, but also more mobile. With the exception of the rafts, the Inn Bridge was for a long time the only connection between the two banks of the dividing river. If the bridge was closed due to flooding, the neighbourhoods were more or less separated. In 1871, the wooden bridge was replaced by an 83 metre long iron truss bridge supported by just two concrete pillars. The Emile Bethouart footbridge in St Nicholas was also built in the same year. 

A special gem of Innsbruck's cultural history can be found in the centre of the Inn Bridge. The crucifix by the Thaur artist Rudi Wach, which shows Christ naked and without wounds in an all too human way, was to be erected in 1986. Under pressure from a signature campaign by particularly pious Tyroleans, this "scandalous work" had to wait in the Folk Art Museum until 2007, when Innsbruck's first mayor Hilde Zach had it erected after all, officially to thank the heavenly God for sparing the city from the floods of 2005. The Inn Bridge was given its current form in 1982. The last renovation, including the widening and renewal of the bridge railing, took place in 2023.

If you look towards the Nordkette from Innsbruck, you will recognise a striking building in the form of a yellow, somewhat bulky-looking cube on the plateau just 300 metres above the city. Today, hikers, mountain bikers and tourists gather here to enjoy a sublime view of the surrounding mountain peaks and wait for the mountain railway to take them up to the summit. Lake pit und das Hafele Kar at the beginning of the 20th century was a kind of artificial wonderland for wealthy tourists and an exclusive planned settlement. Dubai may be associated with The Palm ein größeres touristisches Irrsinnsprojekt geschaffen haben, früher dran war Innsbruck.Der Weg vom Niemandsland zwischen den eigenständigen Gemeinden Hötting und Mühlau zum touristischen Hotspot war lang. Über Jahrhunderte hinweg war die Gegend zwischen Grammar floor in the west, the quarry below and Mühlau in the east are largely undeveloped woodland, which was named after the colour of the steeply sloping rock formation. Greystone trug. An den Hängen der Nordkette hatte Innsbruck bis ins frühe 16. Jahrhundert eigene Weinberge, allerdings mit geringem Ertrag.

1840 kaufte der Eigentümer der Weiherburg Joseph von Attlmayr nach einer Rodung einiges an Grund und Boden auf dem die Stadt überragenden Plateau. Der geschäftstüchtige Attlmayr betrieb bereits einen Teil seines Wohnsitzes als Unterkunftsbetrieb. Der Legende nach soll er oberhalb des Steinbruches, während der auf die andere Talseite nach Heiligwasser blickte, mit seinem Spazierstock in die Erde gestochen haben. Als Wasser aus dem Boden trat, beschloss er den Ort der Heiligen Maria und dem Wasserfund zu weihen und taufte sein dort gebautes Gehöft in der frommen Manier des Kleinadels Mariabrunn. Attlmayr leased the building as an inn, laying the foundations for Hungerburg as a popular holiday and excursion destination. Another legend has it that the food on offer was of such poor quality that the snack station was popularly known as Hungerburg, although the name was already in use before the inn opened.

In the second half of the 19th century, tourism became an important economic sector in Innsbruck. Although Hungerburg had potential thanks to the air at over 800 metres above sea level, which was considered to be beneficial, and the panoramic view, it was difficult to reach. On 9 June 1848, Emperor Ferdinand, Archduke Franz Karl and the young Franz Josef hiked up on foot from Weiherburg Castle through the forest. For travellers with luggage, however, this march was almost impossible. It took a dashing imperial hunter to awaken this potential, who was found in Sebastian Kandler (1863 - 1928). The Hungerburg tourism pioneer had an interesting career. He joined the military at the age of 18. After his active service, he began working in the canteen of the monastery barracks. In 1902, Kandler built the building of today's Villa St. Georg in Saggen and opened the restaurant Klaudia. After just one year, he sold his pub and bought the house from Attlmayr's descendants Mariabrunn. Kandler not only saw the potential of the Hungerburg, he eagerly pushed it forward. He had the Hotel Mariabrunn extended like a small castle in a wild mix of styles. Other hotels were also built under his aegis, such as the Villa Karwendelwhich Villa Felsen and the Villa Kandlerheim, Kandler also replaced the path along which Emperor Ferdinand and his entourage had climbed from the Weiherburg to the Hungerburg with a path that was easy for everyone to walk on and fortified. Wilhelm-Greil walkg. As the construction of villas and cottages in Saggen had been prohibited since 1898, Hungerburg, as a new trendy district, also attracted wealthy citizens who wanted to fulfil their dream of an exclusive detached home. The Cafe Bahnhof in the mountain station of the Hungerburgbahn, the Karwendelhof and the Waldschenke restaurant welcomed tourists and day trippers who wanted to spend a few hours in the newly developed neighbourhood with its just over 10 residential buildings and feel as if they were living above the rest of Innsbruck. The crowning glory of his work was the Hungerburg railway, which opened in 1906. Starting from the Kettenbrücke bridge in Saggen, the breathtaking construction connected the city with the posh neighbourhood on the slopes of the Nordkette mountain range.

The second major investor in Hoch-Innsbruck was Franz Schwärzler. He had secured one of the exclusive apartment blocks on the Hungerburg. As an energetic businessman, he decided not to stop at opening hotels or his "Tyrolean speciality house on the Hungerburg plateau near Innsbruck", in which "Tyrolean arts and crafts and Tyrolean cottage industry" could be purchased as a souvenir from travelling. In 1911, he harboured the idea of creating an artificial lake in the former Spörr's quarry to be built. Together with his brother, he began the ambitious project in February 1912, building a medieval tower with a viewing terrace and rocky promenade above the 3,500 square metre lake. On 4 August, the hodgepodge was officially opened in front of Mayor Wilhelm Greil and the Imperial and Royal Governor of Tyrol Markus Freiherr. Governor of Tyrol Markus Freiherr von Spiegelfeld. In summer, swimmers and disguised captains in rowing boats frolicked on the lake, while in winter it was possible to go ice-skating. Not only was an artificial cave created on the shores to maximise alpine romance, but also the Hotel Hungerburgseehof. At the tables on the beach of the noble establishment, shortly Seehof genannt, flossen edle Weine und Champagner in die Gläser der Aristokratie aus der alten und dem Geldadel aus der neuen Welt des internationalen Jetsets. Obwohl die abgelegene Hungerburg nur eine Handvoll Wohnhäuser und einige Hotels beherbergte, wurde zum Schutz der betuchten Anrainer und Touristen ein Gendarmerieposten einquartiert. Mit dem Ausbruch des Ersten Weltkrieges fand der exklusive Zirkus nach wenigen Jahren sein vorläufiges Ende. Sebastian Kandler und Karl Schwärzler verloren wie viele Menschen, die in die Luxusindustrie oder Kriegsanleihen investiert hatten, ihre Vermögen. Schwärzlers Witwe musste den Seehof In the following decades, it was first used by the Social Democratic Party, then by the Patriotic Front and finally as a primary school during the National Socialist era. Kandler sold his Hotel Mariabrunn to an industrialist from Vorarlberg. Like his youth, he spent the last years of his life during the day. He dug desperately for silver in the Halleranger.

The Hungerburg was given new impetus by the construction of the Höhenstraße. When the economy recovered in the mid-1920s and new When major projects could be initiated, the long-cherished plan for a transport link away from the Hungerburg railway was implemented. The Innsbruck master builder Fritz Konzert had already submitted a proposal in 1906 that would have led from the Höttinger Au to the plateau and back down to Mühlau to the Weyrer area. After dem Bahnbauer Josef Riehl dachte auch Franz Schwärzler 1911 in der Blütezeit seiner Phantasie an eine Straße in sein Wunderland. Die Höhenstraße, die sich heute von der Höttinger Kirche durch dichte Besiedlung am Kletterpark am ehemaligen Steinbruch in mehreren Kehren auf 3.5 km Länge bis zur Hungerburg windet, konnte nach etwas über einem Jahr Bauzeit unter der Leitung Viktor Bergers 1930 eröffnet werden. Nicht nur über die Straße verband sich Innsbruck mit dem erhabenen Viertel auf der Nordkette. Mit der Eingliederung Höttings und Mühlaus 1938 wurde auch die Hungerburg ein Teil Innsbrucks. Am Brunnen zwischen Bergbahn, Gasthaus zur Linde und Seehof The district coat of arms, consisting of the old Hötting church tower, the mill wheel of Mühlau and the supports of the old Hungerburg railway in the Inn in Saggen, is a reminder of the origins of Hungerburg.

But what is behind the striking yellow building that catches every eye from the valley? It is the former Hotel Mariabrunn Kandler's. In 1930, parts of the late historicist former hotel burnt down. The new owner had the new building completely remodelled by the young, up-and-coming star architect Siegfried Mazagg. The cubic, asymmetrical elements are reminiscent of other buildings of the time in the New Objectivity style, such as the municipal indoor swimming pool. In 1988, the two brothers Hubert and Michael Prachensky converted the interior of the building into a residential building without destroying Mazagg's exterior. The lettering on the west side is still clearly visible Mariabrunn.

Today, the futuristic Hungerburgbahn mountain station, designed by Iranian architect Zaha Hadid, dominates the neighbourhood. The square in front of it, which overlooks the Inn Valley and the surrounding mountains, was named after the Innsbruck mountaineer Hermann Buhl (1924 - 1957). There is hardly anything left of the tourist fairytale land of days gone by in Innsbruck's most expensive residential neighbourhood. The observation tower still towers majestically over the former quarry, which has lost its water supply again. Hotel Seehof are the premises of the Chamber of Labour. Despite the intensive development of the post-war period, some houses from the noughties of the 20th century have been preserved. The villa next to the Theresienkirche church, with its red-white-red shutters, patriotically resembles the Ottoburg in the old town centre. The façade of the Gasthaus zur Lindeformerly known as Villa Tiroler Haus part of Schwärzler's empire, is reminiscent of the legend of the Mrs Hitt The Hungerburg is still reminiscent of the time when a kind of Tyrolean Disneyland was created in the local style. Perhaps it is significant that this story of hubris and the resulting transience is still a part of the local culture today. High Innsbruck has survived. Today, the building in the typical Tyrolean Heimatstil style of the late monarchy houses a kindergarten.

Hoch über Innsbruck befindet sich die Wallfahrtskirche zur Heiligen Theresia vom Kinde Jesu. Der private Verein Mariabrunn built a chapel around a relic and an image of St Theresa in the 1920s. Theresa of Lisieux had died of tuberculosis only a few years earlier after a short but all the more pious life and had been canonised by Pius X at lightning speed. The large number of pilgrims asking St Theresa for help made it necessary to build a church.

In 1931, the association organised a competition. The Upper Austrian architect Wilhelm Stigler (1903 - 1976), who already had his own office on Claudiaplatz in his early 20s, surprisingly won with his design against masters such as Clemens Holzmeister and Franz Baumann. However, as his project plan exceeded the meagre financial resources available for construction in the post-war period, Siegfried Thurner's more economical design was realised. The cubic building was designed in the New Objectivity style, in keeping with the spirit of the times. The numberless clock, which adorns the striking tower, was a favourite stylistic element. The interior of the church is particularly worth seeing. In 1935, the artist Ernst Nepo (1895 - 1971) created the fresco of St Theresa above the entrance. The depiction already anticipated the artistic style desired under the National Socialist regime, which was to dominate Austria after 1938 until the end of the war. After the war, Nepo's involvement in the completion of the church was no longer desired, as the early National Socialist had already had a picture of the Führer made in 1937, which had been presented to him personally by the Tyrolean Nazi women's organisation for his birthday.

In his place, the Tyrolean artist Max Weiler (1910 - 2001) continued the work from 1946 onwards in order to see the nave of the church decorated in time for the 150th anniversary of the renewal of the Sacred Heart Society of 1796 in the province of Tyrol. The artist, who was still less well-known at the time, managed to complete four paintings. "Die Verehrung des Herzens Jesu“, „Die Herz-Jesu-Sonne“, „Johannesminne und Ölberg“ and „Der Lanzenstich" could be completed before it came to a scandal. The image of the Sacred Heart Sun was given the name "Pfaffenkarussell". With the result, especially the portrait of the "Lance stitch", the general public was less than satisfied, as it showed the bystanders around the crucified man in traditional Tyrolean peasant dress during his last breath. It is probably no coincidence that one of the men under the cross is reminiscent of Adolf Hitler, while a Tyrolean marksman pierces the Saviour's flank with his spear. A naked Venus had to be demurely painted over with clothes in order to reduce the initial popular anger, which ultimately even led to a lawsuit by a farmer from Kössen who saw it as a disturbance of religion and order. Threats were made against the work and the artists. The Tyrolean Farmers' Union and parts of the Tyrolean clergy were even able to force the Vatican to intervene. After consultation between the Holy See and the Tyrolean Bishop Paulus Rusch, the strict judgement was issued: the completion of the cycle planned by Weiler was forbidden and the sketches were never executed. The public outrage of many conservative Christians, who were able to assert themselves in conservative Tyrol in the second half of the 20th century, was too great. For ten years, the works of art, now the pride and joy of the church, remained hidden from the eyes of the general public, covered with a cloth.