Innsbruck, Austria » City Info » History

Historical traces found, indicate a significant amount of settlers since the early Stone Age and also the names of the pre-Roman places show continuous population of the area. The name Wilten dates back to its fourth century name, Veldidena, an army station established by the Romans for protecting the economically important commercial road from Verona-Brenner-Augsburg.

The stepsons of Augustus, Tiberius and Drusus built a road across the Brenner Pass in the 15th century BC. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, Veldidena became an important supply base for the Romans.

Bavarian conquest and settlement took place in the 6th century, where the Episcopal see was moved from the Säben monastry to Brixen.

In 1027, Konrad II conquered the Bishops of Trient and Brixen along with the counties of Noricum, Vinschgau and Bolzano. Later in 1070, Counts of Andechs, “Omeras” started ruling North Tirol. In 1187, the Inn Bridge was constructed along with the establishment of a market in the Inn valley. The name Innsbruck came up during this time.

In 1248, Count Albert III took over Tyrol, thereby unifying the counties around Brenner Pass. In 1429, Innsbruck became the capital of Tyrol under the ruling of Maximilion I. Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria ruled over Tyrol in 1564. Innsbruck was under the administration of the Austrian till the 18th century. Innsbruck University was established in 1669.

Austria was taken over by Nazi Germany in Anschluss in 1938. From 1943 to 1945, the city was bombed around 21 times by the Allies in World War II and suffered heavy damages.

Later in 1964, the city hosted the Winter Olympics and regained its popularity. In 1976, Innsbruck again served as the host for the Winter Olympics. Today, it has become a famous winter sport destination for athletes and recreational skiers.