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![Altstadt Innsbruck | © Innsbruck Tourismus / Mario Webhofer Altstadt Innsbruck | © Innsbruck Tourismus / Mario Webhofer](/dimaex-imports/131/image-thumb__131__m-stage/stadtgeschichte_01_661.jpg)
Innsbruck and its history
Innsbruck owes its formidable historical heritage to its geographical location at the heart of the Alps, north of the Brenner Pass and right on the Inn river. For centuries, the mountains were an unsurmountable and treacherous obstacle, but crossing them was nevertheless the only way to conquer neighbouring areas and conduct trade. There is plenty of evidence that the Romans used the Brenner Pass and the Reschen Pass to travel from the south to the north. Their paths continued along the Inn, giving the city its strategically important position. The precious goods carried northwards across the Alps was then loaded on ships east of Innsbruck.
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Regency of the Habsburgs
From the 14th century onward, the Habsburg monarchy made its marks on the residential town of Innsbruck. The buildings constructed during their regency are some of the city’s most splendid sights to this day: the Golden Roof, the Imperial Court Church and the Triumphal Arch. Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519) shaped the city like none other: the ‘last knight’ and ‘first European’ straddled the Middle ages and the modern era, during which the Habsburg monarchy saw its greatest expansion.
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Tirolean fight for freedom
Andreas Hofer, leading his civilian army into battle against the Napoleonic troops, also contributed to Innsbruck’s fame in the world – and its many charming features, big and small, continue to grow its renown to the present day.
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Milestones in the history of Innsbruck
1180 | Innsbruck was first mentioned in a charter as a settlement
1363 | The Habsburg monarchy acquired the strategically significant county of Tirol
1420 | Innsbruck became a royal residence as Frederick IV, Duke of Austria, moved the government seat of the Princely County of Tirol from Merano to the Inn river
1490 | Maximilian I. (1459–1519) succeeds his predecessor Sigismund, Archduke of Austria
1508 | Maximilian I proclaimed himself elected emperor at Trento
1582 | Today’s Dogana opened during the reign of Ferdinand II
1669 | Foundation of Innsbruck University
1809 | Andreas Hofer led his army into the Battles of Bergisel against the Napoleonic troops
1849 | Innsbruck became the official state capital of Tirol
1892 | Innsbruck’s first trade fair hall was built
1923 | The first Tirolean autumn fair (Tiroler Herbstmesse) took place – the event is held annually to this day
1948 | Reopening of Innsbruck Airport
1953 | The first Four Hills Tournament was held
1964 | Innsbruck hosted the IX Winter Olympics
1976 | Innsbruck hosted the XII Winter Olympics
1973 | Opening of Congress Innsbruck
1983 | Austria’s first heart transplantation was performed in Innsbruck
2003/2007 | Celebrity architect Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid designed the Hungerburgbahn cable car & the Bergisel Ski Jump, making a mark on Innsbruck’s urban flair
2011 | Messe Innsbruck is officially opened after extension and conversion work
2012 | Innsbruck hosted the Winter Youth Olympics
2018 | Innsbruck hosted the UCI Road World Championships