Right in the heart of the Austrian Alps lies the capital of Tirol, Innsbruck. Easily accessible from within Austria as well as from southern Germany and twice host to the Olympic Winter Games Innsbruck is the best of both worlds - the urban sophistication of a historic town and an Alpine playground. The 800-year-old town is renown as a cultural centre, and as a city of numerous art treasures and many historic structures. Past and Future meet in the heart of the Alps: Innsbruck’s world-famous sights, which testify to the province’s great past, stand alongside post-modern international architecture to create a fascinating blend.

Innsbruck’s rich history is interwoven with that of the Habsburgs, whose wealth and sense of beauty left their mark: the "Black Men" bronze statues at the Court Church, the Imperial Court Palace, Ambras Castle, Ottoburg and the Wilten Basilica all tell of Innsbruck’s eventful past and its great figures including Philippine Welser, the secret wife of Archduke Ferdinand I, Andreas Hofer, the Tirolean freedom fighter, and last but not least Emperor Maximilian I, who built many of the monuments that survive today, e.g. the "Golden Roof" and his tomb at the Imperial Church.