Location
The Capital of the Alps
Innsbruck, meaning "Inn Bridge" (i.e. bridge over the River Inn), is the capital city of the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is nestled in a broad valley between the high mountains of the Karwendel mountains (Hafelekar Spitze, 2,334 m) to the north and Patscherkofel (2,246 m) and Serles (2,718 m) to the south. It has twice hosted the Winter Olympic games (1964, 1976), as well as the Winter Paralympics (1984, 1988) and the first youth Winter Olympics (2012). It is also famously where the Ötzi ice man was transported to after his discovery in 1991, though now he rests in the South Tyrolean Archeology Museum.
The city, which currently has a population of c. 300,000 people, dates to the early Stone Age. In the 15th century it became the home of Emperor Maximilian I making it the centre of European politics and culture. Today the medieval old town is a hive of bustling activity with people enjoying the cafes, restaurants, boutique-shops and street artists.
In 1669, the University of Innsbruck was founded and in 2019 celebrated its 350 year anniversary in style. At present it has 16 faculties, 81 institutes, 27,000 students, and 129 programmes.