There are events that remain in the collective memory of a community for generations. You don't have to have been there, or even be in the world, to know that Franz Klammer raced to the gold medal in the Olympic downhill on the Patscherkofel on 5 February 1976 in his yellow one-piece suit. Franz Josef I may have climbed the Patscherkofel in 1848, but he became a legend on this mountain. Kaiser Franz Bracket. "Jawoll! 1;45,73 für unseren Franzi Klammer," could be heard from countless TV sets in Austria at the time. In order to be able to follow the national hero Klammer on his devil's ride, the schoolchildren were allowed to stay at home on the day of the men's downhill, just like in 1964. The streets were also empty during this hellish ride. Klammer achieved what many emperors, kings and politicians had failed to do. He united the nation of Austria. "Mi hats obageibtlt von oben bis unten, I hatt nie gedacht, dass i Bestzeit foaKlammer said in Carinthian dialect during the winner's interview. No Tyrolean, nobody is perfect, but the Olympic Games were already saved for the host nation Austria on the second day.

In 1976, the Winter Olympics were held in Innsbruck for the second time. It would actually have been Denver's turn, but due to a referendum on financial and environmental concerns, Colorado withdrew as host. Innsbruck prevailed as host in the second attempt against Lake Placid, Chamoix and Tampere.

It had hosted the Olympics for the first time 12 years earlier. From 29 January to 9 February 1964, Innsbruck was the hub after beating Calgary and Lahti in the bid. A severe lack of snow caused problems for the realisation of several events. It was only with the help of the Austrian army, which brought snow and ice from the high mountains to the competition venues, that the 34 competitions could be organised.

The opening ceremony in the packed Berg Isel Stadium can be clearly seen in archive photos. Unlike the elaborate ceremonies of today's Olympic Games, the procedure in the 1960s was still unspectacular. The Wiltener Stadtmusik, conducted by Sepp Tanzer, delighted the international guests with Tyrolean brass music. As the flags marched in, visitors were able to see the North Korean flag for the first time during the Olympic Games. The Tyrolean marksmen kept a watchful eye on the Olympic flame. Only the Olympic rings were placed over the city's coat of arms as a logo; there was no mascot yet.

The sports competitions were also less professionally organised than today's Olympic Games. The bobsleigh race took place on an artificial ice track for the first time, although not yet in today's Igl ice channel. Some of the ice hockey games were still held in the exhibition hall in a very moderate setting. Skiing competitions, such as the women's slalom and giant slalom, in which the French sisters Christine and Marielle Goitschel won gold and silver in different combinations, took place in the Axamer Lizum. According to official figures, 80,000 spectators watched the spectacle on Mount Isel as the Finn Veikko Kankonnen secured gold in the ski jumping event. In the ice hockey final, the Soviet Union triumphed ahead of Sweden. With 11 gold medals, the USSR also secured first place in the medals table, while Austria sensationally came second with four golds.

The opening of the 1976 Games also took place on Berg Isel. In memory of 1964, two flames were lit on Mount Isel during the opening ceremony. Most of the 37 competitions this time took place at the same venues in Innsbruck, Axams, Igls and Seefeld as in 1964. The ice stadium and ski jumping arena were still suitable for the Olympics. A new artificial ice rink was built in Igls. The Axamer Lizum was given a new standing track to allow the athletes to start on the Hoadl to bring.

In 1976, snow was once again in short supply in the run-up to the event and there were fears once again, but the weather changed at the last moment and Innsbruck was given the white gold. The Schneemanndla round snowman with a carrot nose and Tyrolean hat, the mascot of the 1976 Games was probably a good omen.

The biggest change between the two Olympic Games within twelve years was the status of the athletes. While only amateurs, i.e. athletes who were pursuing a profession, were officially allowed to compete at the first Games, professional athletes were able to compete in 1976.

The transmission and photo quality was also much better than in the first Innsbruck edition. Television had now overtaken radio. The German ski racer Rosi Mittermaier was perfectly staged on her runs to double gold and silver in the women's ski races. The ice hockey tournament was again won by the Soviet Union ahead of Sweden, for the fourth time in a row. The medals table also saw the USSR at the top again, this time ahead of the GDR. Austria only managed to win two gold medals. With Klammer's gold in the downhill, however, this was only a minor matter. The Patscherkofel and Austria's Franzi sind seither untrennbar miteinander verbunden. Und auch wenn die Innsbrucker nicht ganz so sportlich sind, wie sie gerne wären, den Titel der Olympiastadt kann nach zwei Ausgaben plus einer Universiade und den Youth Olympic Games niemand wegdiskutieren.

The city, supported by federal funds, was also very generous with the non-sporting infrastructure for both games. Following the rapid reconstruction of the city after the war, the city was modernised in the run-up to the Games. Innsbruck's first Olympic edition took place during the period of the economic miracle. In 1963, the Olympic Bridge, which connected the west of the city with the competition venues, was built. Until then, Innsbruck's east-west traffic had travelled through the city centre in a complicated manner. The individual streets between Amraser-See-Straße in the east and Bachlechnerstraße in the west, which make up the Südring arterial road today, were only subsequently developed and were previously quiet parts of the suburbs. Meadows and fields characterised the scenery. The comparison of aerial photographs from 1960 and 2020 is fascinating. In Amras, where today the daily Rush Hour abspielt, bis in die 1970er Jahre Bauernhöfe und einzelne Wohnhäuser. In der heutigen Egger-Lienz-Straße beim Westbahnhof verlief das Bahnviadukt der Westbahn. Alte Fotos zeigen die Gleise, daneben Bäume und spielende Kinder. Rund um die heutige Graßmayr junction a new neighbourhood was created almost in passing. The Department stores' forumwhich today houses a cinema, was a sensation and a sign of Innsbruck's modernisation.

An Olympic village was built twice and living space was created that is still in use today. Part of the former village of Arzl, which had belonged to Innsbruck since 1940, was chosen for this purpose. Today's district O-Village in the east of the city functioned as an Olympic village for the athletes during the Games, which was connected to the city centre and the competition venues by the Reichenau Bridge over the Inn. Construction of the first blocks of flats began in the sparsely populated Arzler Au in 1961. The Arzler shooting range, which can still be seen on a map from 1960, was relocated one step further up the valley. Further blocks were added in the 1970s. Today, despite the less tranquil 1960s and 1970s-style tower blocks, O-Dorf is a neighbourhood worth living in thanks to its location on the Inn, the green spaces and the good public transport connections.

Many other buildings in Innsbruck, which were used as infrastructure for the press and media during the Olympics, also date back to the Olympic Games. The PÄDAK Pedagogical Academy in Wilten, the IVB Hall and the Provincial Sports Centre can be considered Olympic heritage. Another legacy of the Olympic Games is something that people are desperately trying to change today: The Olympic-induced growth coincided with the early heyday of the automobile in the 1960s and 1970s.

For Innsbruck, the Olympic Games were not only a starting point for modernity in terms of winter sports and infrastructure. The events also mentally put an end to the stale atmosphere of the grey post-war period and spread a feeling of departure from the status of a provincial nest. It may no longer have been a royal seat as in Maximilian's time, but at least it was back on the international map. Thanks be to Emperor Franz!