Im Juni 1896 fand die „International exhibition for physical education, health care and sport" took place. Exhibitions and trade fairs such as the World Exhibition may seem a little bland today, but back then they were a curiosity for the citizens. Nobody could have known at the time just how much Innsbruck was at the cutting edge with this event. In distant Athens, an exhibition with a sporting background also took place at almost the same time. Over the next few decades, the Olympic Games would develop into the biggest sporting event in the world and bring Innsbruck back onto the world stage almost 70 years later. Unlike the Olympic Games in Athens, the Tyrolean exhibition was modelled less on antiquity and more on the "vielfältigen Beziehungen zwischen dem Erziehungswesen, dem Sport und der Gesundheitspflege einerseits und Handel und Gewerbe andererseits inform. They were certain that "jede Nation, jeder Staat… seine Besonderheiten in Bezug auf Schuleinrichtungen und Principien der Gesundheitspflege und die Ausübung des Sportes hat.

Whereas three years previously the exhibition had used the Leopoldsbrunnen as a symbol of the connection between the House of Habsburg and the province of Tyrol, this time a non-Habsburg was chosen. Who better to represent Tyrol as a nation than the heroic Andreas Hofer, who had even sacrificed his life for God, Emperor and Fatherland? The panorama building was erected as part of the exhibition in a wooden structure near today's exhibition centre in order to visually present the heroic battle of the Tyroleans against the superior forces of the French and Bavarians in 1809 to guests from near and far. Visitors were able to see the Riesenrundgemälde des Münchner Malers Michael Zeno Diemer (1867 – 1939), das auf 1000 qm seine Vorstellung der 3. Schlacht am Berg Isel vom 13. August 1809 festhielt, bestaunen. Die Innsbrucker Nachrichten beschrieben das hervorragende Object auf dem Ausstellungsplatze am Tag der Eröffnung folgendermaßen:

„Es ist dies ein Rundbild, wie es herrlicher und prächtiger nirgends gefunden werden dürfte. Der Besucher ist geradezu überrascht, entzückt, wenn er das Panorama betritt. Die Illusion ist so vollkommen, dass er vergisst, dass er in einem geschlossenen Raume sich befindet. Wenn ja, so kann man men es hier sagen, dass der Künstler sich selbst übertroffen hat.“

Lange währte der Holzbau allerdings nicht. Ein glücklicher Zufall wollte es, dass das Gemälde auf großer Reise in London bei der Imperial Austrian Exhibition war, als das Gebäude zehn Jahre später abbrannte. Die Innsbrucker Nachrichten notierten dazu am 6. Februar 1906:

„Heute nachts um 2 ¼ kam in dem in letzter Zeit unbewohnten Gebäude des Panoramas der Schlacht am Berg Isel 1809 auf bisher unbekannte Weise ein Feuer zum Ausbruch, welches bei der leichten Bauart des Gebäudes rasch um sich griff, sodass es schon gegen 3 Uhr in sich zusammenstürzte und nur noch das Gerippe der Seitenwände Zeugnis gibt, wo einst das vielbesuchte tirolische Gemälde von Diemer, Egger und Burger seine Anziehungskraft ausübte.“

Bereits ein Jahr später konnte das heutige Gebäude eröffnet werden. Das achteckige Gebäude nach Plänen von Anton Fritz neben der Talstation der alten Hungerburgbahn ist eines der Gebäude, das symbolisch für die Entwicklung des modernen Innsbrucks im Saggen rund um die Jahrhundertwende steht. Der Saggen beherbergte nicht nur das Riesenrundgemälde, sondern mit der 1837 errichteten alten Kettenbrücke und der Talstation der Hungerburgbahn noch zwei weitere Bauwerke für die Erneuerung der Stadt. Eine touristische Werbeanzeige pries das patriotische Kunstwerk an:

„… das Riesenrundgemälde des akademischen Malers Michael Zeno Diemer an der Station der Hungerburgbahn; 96 Meter breit und 12 ½ Meter hoch. Zählt zu den bedeutendsten Sehenswürdigkeiten Innsbrucks.“

1917 ging das Riesenrundgemälde erneut auf Wanderschaft, diesmal nach Wien. Der Kampf der Tiroler gegen die französische Übermacht war mittlerweile zum nationalen Symbol geworden und sollte die Kriegspropaganda unterstützen. Während in ganz Europa das industrialisierte Massensterben an den Fronten vor sich ging, zeigte das Gemälde Ziemers eine idyllische Version des patriotischen Krieges. Der Schriftsteller Alfred Polgar notierte dazu:

„Dort ist’s still und kühl. Die Gewehre und Kanonen schießen, aber sie knallen nicht. Die Getroffenen fahren mit der Hand ans Herz, aber es tut ihnen – dieses tröstliche Bewußtsein haben wir – nicht weh. Feindliche Soldatenhaufen stürmen wild den Berg hinauf, aber sie kommen nicht vom Fleck.“

Nach dem Krieg wurde das Panoramagebäude als Garage und Viehstall genutzt. Erst 1924 wurde die Rotunde wieder der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht. 1974 wurde das Gebäude unter Denkmalschutz gestellt, seit der Errichtung des Museums am Berg Isel und der Übersiedlung des Riesenrundgemäldes dorthin 2011 steht es leer. Was mit dem sanierungswürdigen, aber geschichtsträchtigen Bau geschehen soll, ist Stand 2024 noch nicht geklärt.

Innsbruck ist selbsternannte Hauptstadt der Alpen. Man mag über den Titel der Hauptstadt uneins sein, Grenoble, Turin, Trient, Bern – viele andere Städte könnten ihn wohl ebenfalls für sich beanspruchen. Innsbruck nimmt aber dank seiner Einkesselung zwischen den umliegenden Bergen einen besonderen Platz in dieser Wertung ein. Der höchste Punkt der Stadt ist der Gipfel der Praxmarerkarspitze at 2642 metres above sea level.

auf 2642 Meter über Meereshöhe. Die Lage Innsbrucks zwischen dem Olympiaberg Patscherkofel im Süden und der Nordkette ist spektakulär. Vor allem ein Besuch auf der Nordkette ist für Einheimische und Touristen gleichermaßen ein besonderes Erlebnis. Innerhalb kürzester Zeit gelangt man vom Zentrum aus schon seit den 1920er Jahren in die hochalpine Welt des Karwendel ohne das Stadtgebiet zu verlassen. Gemeinsam mit Panoramagebäude und der alten Kettenbrücke bildete die Bahn auf die Hungerburg Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts das moderne Zentrum der Stadt. Wie die beiden anderen Sehenswürdigkeiten ereilte auch sie das Schicksal allen Irdischen. Die majestätische Kettenbrücke wurde 1939 gegen eine modernere Stahlbetonbrücke ersetzt, das Panoramagebäude steht seit 2011 leer. 2005 wurde auch die Hungerburgbahn außer Betrieb genommen. 101 Jahr zuvor aber war sie als Verbindung zwischen Innsbruck und dem neu angelegten, als Nobel- und Tourismusort konzipierten Ortsteil über der Stadt, das Gesprächsthema Nummer 1 in den Innsbrucker Nachrichten:

„The Hungerburgbahn opened this morning at 7 a.m. - not exactly favoured by the best weather. Trains run every quarter of an hour until 10 o'clock in the evening. It seems that the local population is particularly interested in the new railway, which is the first cable car in North Tyrol. Yesterday, an internal evening at the Hotel Mariabrunn brought together representatives of the company, the construction management, the "Union", the municipal power station and the press for a cheerful get-together. Engineer Innerebner commemorated the creator of the railway, Mr Riehl, who is currently taking a cure in Karlovy Vary ... Works inspector Twerdy has taken over the management of the plant. Six and a half years ago, he only took over the local railway Innsbruck - Hall; since then, he has taken over four railways of all systems: the low mountain railway, the Stubai valley railway, the electric tramway and now the cable railway to the Hungerburg.“

The mountain world has always been part of the city, even before the days of tourism. The quarry was the supplier of the Höttinger Breccie, which was the basis for Innsbruck's buildings until the 20th century. Innsbruck had its own vineyards on the slopes of the Nordkette until the early 16th century, albeit with low yields.

Hungerburg, today the most expensive part of Innsbruck, was supposed to become a kind of climatic health resort. A little below in Mühlau there was already a spa that welcomed guests in need of relaxation with sufficient financial means. An artificial lake in the former quarry was intended to sweeten the guests' stay. Old photos of the Hotel Seehof zeigen eine idyllische Postkartenwelt. Die Aussichtswarte steht heute noch erhaben über Innsbruck. Das für den Kurtourismus eröffnete Hotel Mariabrunn an den Hängen der Nordkette erweckte den Charme eines noblen Schlösschens oberhalb der Stadt. Ein paar Schritte westlich der Station Hungerburg erinnert das Gasthaus zur Linde with its remarkable façade including a depiction of the Mrs Hitt still remember this time.

For a long time, the railway was the only connection between Hungerburg and Innsbruck. It was not until 1926 that the Höttinger Höhenstraße was built, starting at the Höttinger church. In 2005, the Hungerburg railway, which still has many nostalgic fans and lovers of historic means of transport and trains, was closed. Despite several appeals from the local population, the railway was closed down. The steel truss bridge over the Inn and the tamped concrete viaduct in the upper section of the railway were preserved. Pictures of the old Hungerburgbahn and Innsbruck's cable car past can be seen at the valley station of the new Hungerburgbahn on the Hungerburg.

The suspension railway to the Nordkette was opened in 1928, the same year as its southern equivalent on the Patscherkofel. Both stations are not only spectacular in terms of the view. The railway buildings are also worth seeing.

The previously unknown Franz Baumann, a representative of the architectural style of the Tiroler Moderne, gewann die Ausschreibung nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg. Knapp vor dem Eintreffen der Auswirkungen der Weltwirtschaftskrise in Tirol konnte das Projekt noch ausgeführt werden. Er wandte sich von den vorherrschenden Stilen des 19. Jahrhunderts, dem Klassizismus, dem Heimatstil und dem Historismus ab. Die Gebäude sollten sich in die Landschaft hineinschmiegen und darin aufgehen, anstatt zu stören. Baumann designte sowohl die Gebäude selbst wie auch die Einrichtung, ganz im Stil des Bauhaus, der ab 1919 von Weimar aus moderne europäische Architektur ergriffen hatte. Das Handwerk sollte nicht über der Kunst stehen, sondern beide Bereiche sollten sich ergänzen. Sowohl die Bergbahn als auch die Gastronomie wurden funktional berücksichtigt. Beim Umbau 2007 wurden so weit als möglich sowohl das Interieur mit den wuchtigen Holzmöbeln wie auch das Äußere der Mittel- und Bergstation erhalten.

In den 1930er Jahren wurde auf der Nordkette Wissenschaftsgeschichte geschrieben. Victor Franz Hess veranlasste 1931 die Einrichtung eines Labors in einer aufgelassenen Baubaracke auf dem Hafele Kar in 2300 m Seehöhe, um dort ein Labor für Ultrastrahlenforschung zum Studium der kosmischen Strahlung zu betreiben. 1936 erhielt er dafür den Nobelpreis für Physik.

Today, you can board the Nordkettenbahn at the Kongresshaus in the centre of the city and reach the Hafele Kar at an altitude of 2256 m in no time at all. The stations of the new railway up to the Hungerburg were designed by star architect Zaha Hadid in a breathtakingly futuristic design. Even if you don't want to take the walk up to Weiherburg Castle on foot, you can travel in comfort from the Congress Centre to the Alpine Zoo.

The Alpenzoo with Weiherburg has its own stop on the Hungerburg cable car. From the Hungerburg, the route leads via the Seegrube up to the summit with its summit cross. The view of the city, the Wipptal valley and mountains such as Nockspitze und Serles or down into the Karwendel towards the north are breathtaking.

On the western side of the Nordkette (note: on the left as seen from the town) rises a striking mountain peak. With a little imagination, this rock formation resembles a woman on a horse. With the legend surrounding this Mrs HittInnsbruck's children have been growing up for generations with a moral warning against arrogance and wastefulness.

„In ancient times, when the race of giants still lived on earth, a proud, mighty giant queen, Mrs Hitt, whose arrogance and hard-heartedness was feared by all her subjects, lived high in the mountains above the Inn, where Innsbruck was built in the valley below. Glorious forests, lush pastures and rolling fields filled the realm she ruled. Precious ores and precious stones lay open in the mountains, and her wealth was boundless. A crystalline castle, which shone far down into the valley, offered her a truly royal abode with its countless splendid rooms. The castle was surrounded by marvellous gardens in which the most beautiful roses ever seen bloomed. Mrs Hitt had a son of her own, whom she loved and spoilt beyond all measure. The young giant boy liked to romp around near the palace and caused her worried mother a lot of grief with his curiosity and mischievousness, although it was mostly harmless things she was worried about. Once it happened that the giant boy wanted to ride a hobby horse. For this purpose, he broke off a young fir tree that was growing at the edge of a mossy swamp. But as he struggled with the fir tree, the ground gave way and the giant boy and his fir tree fell into the black boggy mud. Although he managed to work his way out of the involuntary bog bath with the help of his innate strength, his hands, feet and clothes were covered all over with the foul-smelling mud and his face was also splattered with dirt. Howling, the boy ran to his mother in the castle, leaving a black trail of his misfortune behind him at every step. Mrs Hitt soothed the child with loving words and promised him new, beautiful toys to comfort him for the fear he had endured. Then she ordered her servants to undress the boy and give him a clean bath. So that not a trace of the mud would remain on him, they were to wash and rub his whole body with milk and softened white bread and then sprinkle him with fragrant essences. But the servants had hardly begun to abuse the divine gift of milk and bread for their dirty work when suddenly the sky darkened and a heavy thunderstorm moved in with furious speed. A tremendous earthquake shook the mountains, and with a thunderous crash the crystal palace of Mrs Hitt collapsed into a shapeless heap of rubble. And then, as if hurled down from heaven, huge mudslides and avalanches of stone came hurtling down the mountain slopes, sweeping away the forests, devouring the green pastures and flowering gardens and turning the marvellous meadows into a terrifying stony desert from which not a blade of grass could sprout. Mrs Hitt's kingdom was destroyed, but she herself was frozen into a gruesome rocky figure holding her petrified son in her arms. And so she must remain for the eternal memory of her iniquity until the end of time."

Quoted from: The most beautiful legends from Austria / sagen.at

Tyrol has always seen itself as a Heiliges Land in einem streng katholischen Sinn. Das änderte sich auch nach 1848 nur langsam. Trotz des Protestantenpatents Following Emperor Franz Joseph I's decree of 1861, which allowed Protestants to practise their faith, Protestant services in Innsbruck could only be held in private. Nevertheless, the number of Protestants increased rapidly during this time.

In 1879, the town's Protestant community bought the school building in Kiebachgasse, as it at least offered a chapel. The Catholic-orientated press was shocked. On 8 November, the following appeared in the newspaper Neue Tiroler Stimme ein Artikel zur Eröffnung:

„Unter den Eigenthümlichkeiten des Landes Tirol nimmt die Einheit des Glaubens den ersten Rang ein. Sie ist jenes Gut, welches uns am meisten von andern Ländern unterscheidet. Sie hat dem Lande in alter und neuer Zeit die schwersten Kämpfe gekostet, sie ist das theuerste Vermächtnis unserer Väter. Umso tiefer ist unser Schmerz bei dem Gedanken, daß man diese Glaubenseinheit feierlich begraben hat. Es ist jetzt eine Thatsache, daß in Innsbruck eine protestantische Gemeinde besteht, daß dieselbe eine katholische Kapelle erworben hat und in derselben öffentlich den protestantischen Gottesdienst feiert.“

However, public outrage could not stop the liberalisation of religious matters. The Protestant community grew, mainly due to people moving in from outside the town, and became too large for the small, temporary church in the old town centre. Thanks to donations from private individuals, plans were made to build a church of their own. The city of Innsbruck provided a building plot in Saggen for this purpose.

The church opened its doors to the Protestant congregation in 1906. The architecturally interesting building has both neo-Gothic and neo-Romantic elements. The pointed church tower is a beautiful contrast to the barrel vault and round arches. In contrast to the baroque churches in Innsbruck, the interior of the Christuskirche appears very modest. The windows are small works of art, some with critical content. They were made by the Tyrolean Glasmalerei- und Mosaikanstalt Innsbruck. Instead of putti and saints, the stained glass depicts the church reformers Zwingli, Luther and Melanchthon.

The depiction of the Swedish King Gustav Adolf, the Habsburgs' adversary in the Thirty Years' War, can certainly be read as a contemporary criticism of the Catholic rulers. The depiction of the Vertreibung der Zillertaler Inklinantenwho were forced to emigrate from Zillertal to Prussia in 1837, was a historical depiction that did not show the Austrian ruling dynasty in a favourable light. The fresco on the rectory connected to the church was designed by Ernst Nepo, who also painted the fresco of St Theresa in the entrance area of the Theresienkirche on the Hungerburg.

Like many other buildings, such as the Triumphpforte, the Christuskirche was built from Höttinger Breccie from the old quarry under the Hungerburg.

Der kolossale Bau mit Wohnheim und Kapelle nimmt im Villenviertel Saggen einen würdigen Platz ein. Wer von der Villa Blanka etwas oberhalb Innsbrucks auf den Saggen schaut, sieht zuerst das Canisianum ähnlich einem Palast mit seinen mehr als 20 Fensterachsen in der Breite den ganzen Straßenzug dominieren. Der Eingang mit dem ionischen Säulenportikus und dem darüber aufragenden Turm mit Laterne bildet eine schöne Einheit. Das Mosaik wurde von der Tiroler Glasmalereianstalt umgesetzt und zeigt den Heiligen Petrus Canisius, den wohl populärsten Jesuiten, der in Tirol tätig war.

The Collegium Canisianum is the second piece of the Jesuit influence on Innsbruck's educational landscape, alongside the Jesuit church with its theological faculty, which is still visible in the cityscape today. As early as 1587, the Nikolai House in today's Universitätsstraße as a boarding school for destitute pupils of the Latin school run by the Jesuits. The pupils were maintained at the expense of the archducal court. In return, the pupils had to pray rosaries and litanies for Archduke Ferdinand's salvation. After the founding of the University of Innsbruck in 1669, it served young theologians as a convent for the theological faculty.

Under the enlightened Emperor Joseph II, who was not well-disposed towards the Jesuits, the order was banned from the education system at the end of the 18th century. The University of Innsbruck was downgraded to a lyceum.

It regained its status under Emperor Franz. A short time later, under Franz Josef I, the Jesuits also returned to their traditional chair. Soon the Nikolai House in what is now Sillgasse was too small for the large number of students. The construction of a new convent in Saggen began with great pomp, even though the city's liberal circles were anything but enthusiastic about another ecclesiastical building in the cityscape. As with the Monastery of Perpetual Adoration however, the conservative forces were able to prevail.

In 1911, the Collegium Canisianum opened its doors to 276 seminarians from all over the world. A member of the Habsburgs was not present at the opening, in the Innsbrucker Nachrichten konnte man am 28. Oktober aber den „kaiserlichen Dank“ zum Projekt lesen:

„Der k.k. Statthalter für Tirol und Vorarlberg hat im allerhöchsten Auftrage für die anläßlich der Weihe des neuerbauten Hauses Collegium Canisianum des theologischen Konviktes in Innsbruck telegraphisch zum Ausdrucke gebrachte Loyalitätsbekundungen den Beteiligten den allerhöchsten Dank bekanntgegeben.

Wie viele andere kirchliche Einrichtung mussten auch das Canisianum und die Theologische Fakultät dem Furor der Nationalsozialisten 1938 nach dem Anschluss Österreichs weichen. Die Jesuiten exilierten nach Sitten in der Schweiz, kehrten nach dem Krieg 1945 aber bald wieder zurück. Seit 2013 ist das Collegium Canisianum ein Wohnheim für Studierende. Regelmäßig finden im Untergeschoß Heilige Messen statt, die auch für die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich sind.

The railway was perhaps the most important technical innovation of the 19th century. It connected the major cities of Europe with remote corners such as the hard-to-reach Tyrol. In 1898, Innsbruck was given a local administrative centre. As there was no space near the railway station, the Saggen was chosen as the location. The ÖBB administration building reflects the importance of the railway at this time. It is no coincidence that the building resembles a palace. The historicist architecture is typical of the Belle Epoque. Symmetrical shapes, towers and columns characterise the building. Höttinger Breccie, which was extracted from the old Höttinger quarry, was used as building material for the lower plinth. The conference room is particularly magnificent, with its double eagle, ceiling stucco, large chandeliers and the long table, which has fallen out of time and is still in use today.

The railway was one of the connecting elements within the multi-ethnic state of the Habsburg Monarchy. Railway stations resembled each other in all parts of the monarchy, from Innsbruck in the far west to Lviv in today's Ukraine, much as airports do all over the world today. The railway was not only a means of transport, but also a way of connecting people and gave citizens, no matter where they were in the vast empire, a certain recognition value, similar to that which airports have worldwide today. The time when the monarchy dominated the public space via places of worship was over, especially in the cities. It was now official buildings that brought the splendour of the empire to all parts of the empire.

Today, railway station districts in Austria are usually not the best areas of the respective cities, and the stations themselves are modern buildings. The chic railway stations, which were built between the 19th century and 1914, and their surroundings were often victims of Allied air raids during the Second World War. In addition to the ÖBB administration building, the small Innsbruck Westbahnhof Wilten still retains the original aesthetic of the turn of the century.

Die Zeit um 1900 brachte eine neue, globalisierte Welt hervor. Telegrafie und Telefon ermöglichten die schnellere Verbreitung von Neuigkeiten, was zu einer „Gleichzeitigkeit“ zwischen Geschehenem und Berichterstattung in den Medien führte. Genau andersrum funktionierte die Unterhaltungsbranche. Kino und Grammophon ermöglichten es erstmals einem größeren Publikum Geschehenes zu speichern und „ungleichzeitig“ zu konsumieren. Wirtschaft und Handel waren auf einem nie vorher gesehenen Niveau angelangt und weltweit verstrickt. Freud und Nietzsche brachten in Medizin und Philosophie neue Perspektiven ein, die zwar nicht von der breiten Masse, dank der neuen Möglichkeiten aber immer größer werdenden Publikum rezipiert wurden. Robert Musil, Stefan Zweig, Klimt, Kokoschka, Schiele, Mahler, Wagner, Schönberg und Freud prägen ein nostalgisches Bild Wiens und Österreichs dieser Zeit im Ausland bis heute. Innsbruck war nicht Wien und das

Innsbruck was not Vienna and that Fin de Siecle was not as celebrated in Tyrol as it was in Paris, but the bourgeoisie of the Alpine region was influenced by the European one. While nations were increasingly moving away from each other politically, architecture in many European cities was converging. The new bourgeois elites in Buenos Aires, Madrid, London, New York and Vienna had discovered historicism for themselves. Innsbruck was no exception. You can experience a little of the flair of this period around Claudiaplatz.

This city centre roundabout, which was named after Claudia de Medici, is one of many examples of the architecture of the Belle Epoque und bildet bis heute so etwas wie das Zentrum des Stadtteils Saggen. Er grenzt den „Villensaggen" in the north-west of the "Blocksaggen“ mit den Mietshäusern im Osten des Stadtteils ab. Nicht nur architektonisch, auch sozial bildete der Claudiaplatz schon immer eine Art Grenze. Während sich in den Wohnblöcken des Blocksaggen While small employees settled in the neighbourhood, the upper middle classes resided in the villas.

The colonisation of Saggen using the example of Claudiaplatz is an example of Innsbruck's property industry and speculation, which began early on. Claudiaplatz 1 and 2 and Elisabethstraße number 11 were built from 1898 by the German "Property developer" Reinhold Boos financed the project. He had the stately residences with up to seven flats built for a wealthy clientele. Unlike in Wilten or Pradl, the houses were intended for a wealthy clientele. The magnificent houses have a trapezoidal floor plan and are charmingly decorated with oriels and exuberant ornamentation. Even the staircases, which were built in the Wilhelminian era, were small works of art and were intended to set the mood for the flats and the ambience.

Five streets lead into the Claudiaplatz roundabout. To the west of the square, Elisabethstraße leads into the residential neighbourhood, while Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Straße, with its charming green central strip, is lined with larger residential buildings that are also worth seeing. The house at Conradstraße 6, just a few metres from Claudiaplatz, is particularly noteworthy. The quarry owner Josef Leutsch had the architect Josef Mayr design this Art Nouveau-style house for him. Claudiastrasse leads into the square opposite. The colourful houses in this row are a popular photo motif from the square's roundabout. The milieu in this part of Innsbruck, consisting of academics and freelancers who were attracted to it, has to a certain extent remained dynastic to this day.

"Wie der Bürgermeister in einer der letzten Gemeinderatssitzungen berichtete, trägt sich Herr von Sieberer mit dem Plan, hier ein großes, schönes Armenhaus zu errichten … Der Bau soll auf einer jetzt freistehenden Parzelle hinter dem Claudiaplatz, neben dem Südbahnviadukt errichtet werden und zwei gesonderte Trakte (einen für Frauen und einen für Männer) erhalten. Zwischen den Trakten ist die Erbauung einer Kapelle projektiert."

Das konnte man am 1. Juni 1907 als Innsbrucker der Presse rund um die Pläne des Gönners entnehmen, der die Wohnstätte für Innsbrucks Senioren plante. 1908 stiftete Johann von Sieberer das Innsbrucker Greisenasyl zur Ehre des 60jährigen Thronjubiläums von Kaiser Franz Josef I. Am 29. August 1909, zum 100. Jubiläum der Berg-Isel Schlacht the building was personally inaugurated by Franz Josef I in the presence of the Bishop of Brixen.

Alongside the ÖBB administration building and the orphanage, the old people's asylum is the third impressive secular building in Saggen. The building's own chapel is crowned by a bell tower. You can see the statues of St Peter and St Paul as well as Christ as a symbol of kindness towards all people. The magnificent 86 metre-long façade has been preserved to this day. It is not only remotely reminiscent of a palace, but was deliberately designed to provide a suitable architectural framework for the dignity of the age. This was also reflected in the modern furnishings of the old people's asylum at the time of its opening. The kitchen was equipped to cater for up to 300 people.

Eine staatlich geregelte Pensionsversicherung wie wir sie heute kennen, gab es vor der Gründung der Republik Österreich nach 1918 nicht. Ältere Untertanen, die nicht mehr arbeiten konnten, wurden zu Hause von Verwandten oder Angestellten versorgt. Bei Bauern wurde dies mit dem sogenannten Ausgedinge was regulated as part of the transfer of the farm. Anyone who did not belong to one of these privileged classes quickly fell through the cracks. Labourers, journeymen, day labourers, farmhands and menial staff had to beg or were dependent on the care of the poor and elderly by patrons or the church. From the 16th century onwards, care in Tyrol was the responsibility of the community to which a subject belonged. In times of need, however, the communities were often overwhelmed. Even the church was unable to take on this problem permanently and reliably.

Due to the influx of people to Innsbruck as a result of industrialisation and urbanisation and the sale of two poorhouses in St. Nikolaus, the situation in Innsbruck was particularly tense around 1900. Johann von Sieberer, who was already of an advanced age at the time, decided to support the city of Innsbruck by planning the project and financing a large part of it to establish an asylum for the elderly. The city under Mayor Wilhelm Greil had to commit to providing a building site, taking over the development of the sewage system and electrification and the costs for legal matters, architects and construction management. The city's poor relief office was to run the retirement home. The care was left to the Sisters of Charity of St Vincent and Paul.

Baron Johann von Sieberer's idea was to give older couples the opportunity to spend their twilight years together. By the standards of the time, the rooms were well equipped with iron beds, bedside cabinets, wardrobes and spittoons. The unadorned room was intended to make it easier to maintain the accommodation and keep it free of vermin and pests. Residents who were difficult to socialise, such as alcoholics, were accepted but housed separately. Facilities such as the old people's asylum and orphanage were very important for the development of the town.

The retirement home still exists to this day, even though it has of course been modernised several times. The builder, Baron Johann von Sieberer, is commemorated by the moderate lettering on the east side of the building "Gespendet von einem Patrioten".

The beginning of the 16th century was a turning point in the city's history. The Goldene Dachl may be the most famous building constructed at this time, but the armoury had a much greater influence on the lives of contemporaries. Between 1500 and 1506, Emperor Maximilian I had this armoury built by Jörg Kölderer in today's Saggen district. The large artillery cannons in particular, which increased in number at the end of the 15th century, could not be stored in the old armoury in Andechsburg Castle, which was too small. The Äußere Zeughaus was the largest armoury in the Holy Roman Empire and contained equipment and cannons for up to 30,000 soldiers. Court painter Jörg Kölderer captured it pictorially in his reference books fixed.

Under Maximilian, mobile and light artillery was developed, which was to revolutionise warfare in Europe. Thanks to its location between the theatres of war in northern Italy and Switzerland, Innsbruck was strategically ideally placed to not only house a camp but also the empire's arms production. Thanks to the facility, including early industrial production, the small town became the centre of the early modern armaments industry in the German-speaking world.

The inner courtyard was enclosed by a two-storey, castle-like complex. There were several smaller work buildings around the main building. A moat surrounded the armoury until the 18th century. The armoury itself was the centre of a large industrial complex. The name Kohlstatt comes from the charcoal burners who were responsible for producing the coal that fuelled the ovens in the armoury. Unlike the peasant classes or the town's craftsmen organised in guilds, this was an early form of working class and their families. In addition to the simple labourers, technicians and foundrymen were also employed, highly qualified and sought-after key workers. The Sill Canal supplied water to the industrial plants in Kohlstaat, and the production site was connected to the town via the cobbled Silbergasse. A few kilometres further east, an extension to the armoury was set up from 1511 in today's Weyrerareal in Mühlau.

The armoury was an economic engine and important employer in the town. The early industrialisation that took place in Kohlstatt resulted in a massive influx of people and population growth. However, the labour force not only brought quantitative growth to the town, it also created an entirely new population class. If we look at the development of Kohlstatt, the home of the labourers, and the financing of imperial policy by the Augsburg Fuggers, we get a picture of early capitalism. Although Emperor Maximilian achieved great success in expanding the empire through shrewd marriage policies for the Habsburg dynasty, he was also a zealous warlord. His loans were fuelled by the war cycle, which had already become an economic factor. He also influenced people's living conditions away from the front in the manufacturing centres.

The armoury was used as a barracks until 1918. Today it houses a museum with changing exhibitions and a permanent exhibition on the cultural history of Tyrol. Various events take place on an ongoing basis in the 1,600 square metre inner courtyard.

The mining boom in the Tyrolean lowlands, together with the associated migrant labourers, long-distance trade and Innsbruck's growing political importance brought more than just prosperity. In 1512, over 500 people died of the plague in Innsbruck, and in 1543 the Black death to Innsbruck again. Nature also seemed to turn against the sinful goings-on in the city. In 1572, Innsbruck was severely affected by an earthquake. In addition, there were regular flood disasters and supply problems due to failed harvests. In their piety, many people tended to blame bad events on their own sins before God.

The church's efforts to counteract God's wrath were expressed not only in a lifestyle that was as God-pleasing as possible, but also in magnificent buildings and the establishment of new religious orders such as the Franciscans or the Jesuits. In addition, the city authorities, sovereigns and pious citizens were also concerned about providing pastoral care for the workers and their families.

One of these pious citizens was the doctor Paul Weinhart (1570 - 1648). During the plague epidemic that came to Innsbruck from the silver town of Schwaz in 1611, he was in charge as Contagationsarzt the plague college, which was in charge of the plague house in Kohlstatt, among other things. His wife had fallen victim to the plague. The arsenal had allowed the Kohlstatt to grow rapidly since Maximilian's time thanks to the labour force that was needed in this arsenal. The labourers and their families who had settled here lived in wooden barracks in cramped, unhygienic conditions, which exacerbated the spread of the disease. Doctors tried to control the epidemic with measures such as fumigation, increased hygiene and the popular bloodletting.

Weinhart decided not only to trust his knowledge, but also to entrust the welfare of the town to the plague saints Pirmin, Sebastian and Rochus. He made a vow to have a church built if only the plague would stop. At the urging of the later court physician Weinhart, who was held in high esteem by Maximilian III, and the city government, the sovereign decided to endow a church near the plague hospital on the outskirts of the city. The mixture of faith and science was not unusual at this time.

Weinhart saw himself not only as a doctor, but also as a kind of pastor for those suffering from the plague. He was known as a charitable figure among the city's poor and enjoyed great popularity. At the same time, he was very well connected with the prince and the Jesuits. Weinhart was also highly regarded by his colleagues. The town doctor Halls wrote about his walks with Dr Weinhart:

„Dieser Spaziergang ist mir, wie auch dem edlen, hochgelehrten meinem herzgeliebten Herrn Brudern Paulo Weinhard dermaßen wohl bekannt und befohlen, daß wir bisher wenig halbe Monate ausgelassen…“

Die Dreiheiligenkirche wurde am 13.10.1613 nach zweijähriger Bauzeit geweiht. Das heutige Pfarrhaus in seiner Grundstruktur, das zuvor als Fürstliches Schafferhaus which served as an administrative building over the Kohlstatt, is older than the church itself. Doctor Weinhart had himself immortalised on the ceiling fresco next to the Jesuit Melchior Köstlan.

If you are lucky enough to be able to enter the interior, which is often locked, you can view a contemporary depiction of the events during the plague epidemic. The gloomy picture depicts the superstition of the people in just as much detail as the criticism of the authorities. The Tyrolean provincial government had left the city after the outbreak of the plague, prompting the artist to draw them in a palace far away from the people. The Black Death is depicted as a skeleton on a black horse with a bow and a winged hourglass. The sick had been hit by the skeleton's arrows. A sick man receives the last rites from a priest, while the devil hides behind his deathbed. In the background you can see an encampment full of soldiers who are also dying on the ground, hit by arrows.

1863 wurde die Dreiheiligenkirche um ein Vorhallenjoch erweitert. 1900 wurde das markante, von Philipp Schumacher entworfene und von der Tiroler Glasmalerei angefertigte Mosaik an der Fassade angebracht. Die Fassade der Pestkirche zeigt diese drei Heiligen, die seither zu den vielen Schutzpatronen Innsbrucks zählen. Der Heilige Alexius, der Schutzheilige gegen Erdbeben, war nach der Auflösung des Siebenkapellenareals im 18. Jahrhundert unter Josef II. ebenfalls in die Kohlstatt übersiedelt. Ähnlich wie zu ihrer Entstehungszeit im 17. Jahrhundert ging die neue Fassade ebenfalls nicht auf die Initiative eines Ordens, die Dreiheiligenkirche untersteht nicht wie die meisten Pfarreien den Prämonstratensern, sondern wurde von Mäzen gesponsort. Anders als damals war es aber nicht der Landesfürst, sondern es war die „Munificenz der Sparkasse der Stadt Innsbruck unter deren Vorstand Anton von Schumacher, Handelskammerpräsident u. deren Director Dr. Heinrich Falk, Altbürgermeister" which made the redesign possible.

The Monastery of Perpetual Adoration The building on the Hirschanger on the north side of the Hofgarten caused lively discussions in 19th century Innsbruck. Darwin had just presented his theory of evolution to the world, which stood in opposition to the biblical story of origins. Another monastery was not what enlightened citizens wanted for their city. Moreover, it was no ordinary religious house, but the branch of a particularly strict order. The Frauen zur Ewigen Anbetung take a vow of silence to this day.

The fact that the Order originally came from Italy also aroused suspicion. The Austrian Empire had been at war with the newly constituted Italian state for some time. In the bilingual crown land of Tyrol, the animosities against the "Wallschen" is particularly pronounced.

Several locations were considered and repeatedly rejected. In 1866, the military education centre in Hall was the planned location for the convent. Shortly afterwards, the founder, Miss Sophie von Angelini, a daughter from a good family, applied for the building in Meinhardstraße, but failed due to resistance from the citizens' committee. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry hatte sich hier angesiedelt. Die Presse berichtete dementsprechend kritisch:

„Fräulein Sofie v. Angelini hat schon unterm 5. September 1868 an den Stadtmagistrat ein Gesuch um Bewilligung zum Baue eines Frauenklosters in der Meinhardstraße eingebracht, welches aber unterm 19. desselben Monats mit dem Bemerken zurückgewiesen wurde, daß in dem fraglichen Projekte die zur Anlage jener Gassenseite bereits festgestellte Frontlinie überschritten würde und auf eine solche Abweichung um so weniger eingegangen werden könnte, als es laut Ausspruch des großen Bürgerausschusses überhaupt nicht der Wunsch der Stadt ist, dass ein Kloster in gedachter Straße erbaut werde.“

Nach zähem Hin und Her konnte das Kloster schließlich gegen Widerstand, mit viel Beharren erbaut werden. Als Standort einigte man sich auf den Hirschanger in Saggen. The company responsible for the construction was Huter & Söhne, which would later also be responsible for the construction of the parish church of St Nicholas.

The project is a counter-design to the modest Evangelical Church of Christ, which at around the same time was more in keeping with the taste of the bourgeois ethos of the turn of the century. The façade facing the courtyard garden, which is decorated with a mosaic by Felix Schatz, is impressive. Like the two murals on the Dreiheiligenkirche and the Collegium Canisianum, which were created at a similar time, Schatz designed the picture in bold colours with a golden background. The interior is in no way inferior to the portal. St James and St Andrew are magnificently presented next to the main altar, which is dominated by Jesus on the cross with Mary and Mary of Magdala. Above them are the four evangelists in gold, surmounted by the richly decorated dome.

Although Innsbruck's Liberals had to give in in this case, they made a note of it:

„Wenn auch religiösen Gefühlen alle Achtung gezollt wird, so muss doch angeführt werden, dass diese Nonnen bloß zur abgeschlossenen gegenseitigen Erbauung sich vereinen, dabei aber Kapitalien in todte Hand sammeln, welche dem volkswirtschaftlichen Betrieben, der Industrie, dem Verkehre und vor Allem aber ihren Angehörigen entzogen werden. Dieser national-ökonomische Verlust umfasst Kraft, Zeit und Geld.“

Das erste Monastery of Perpetual Adoration wurde 1807 in Rom von Caterina Sordini gegründet, nachdem sie während ihres Noviziats bei den Franziskanerinnen eine göttliche Vision hatte, in der ihr die Gründung eines Ordens aufgetragen wurde. Das Innsbrucker Ordenshaus gehört zu dieser italienischen Föderation, die 16 Klöster und knapp 240 Mitglieder umfasst. Das Monastery of Perpetual Adoration in Innsbruck ist das einzige, das der Orden im gesamten deutschsprachigen Raum betreibt. Die Schwestern der ewigen Anbetung pflegen ein äußerst genügsames und frommes Dasein in vollkommener Abgeschiedenheit und Gemeinschaft nach der Augustinerregel:

“Das erste Ziel eures gemeinsamen Lebens ist, in Eintracht im gleichen Haus miteinander zu leben und ein Herz und eine Seele auf Gott hin zu sein.”

Die Ordensfrauen verehren Maria als Schmerzensmutter. Die Schwestern kümmern sich um Hostienherstellung und den Klostergarten. Das Zentrum ihres Glaubens ist allerdings die Ewige Anbetung des Allerheiligsten, die jedes Ordensmitglied Tag und Nacht praktizieren soll. Wer möchte, kann einige Zeit das Klosterdasein erleben, um in der Abgeschiedenheit mitten in der Stadt zur Ruhe zu kommen. Gebetsanliegen können zeitgemäß per Formular auf der Website des Klosters übermittelt werden.