In the city of Innsbruck, capital of of Tyrol, western Austria

 Innsbruck is a city of contrasts, where urban culture meets alpine adventure in the heart of the Austrian Alps.

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(in western Austria, on the Inn River at the mouth of the Sill River in the Eastern Alps) Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass 30 km (~19 mi.) to the south. In the broad valley between high mountains, the so-called North Chain in the Karwendel Alps (Hafelekarspitze) to the north, and Patscherkofel and Serles to the south, Innsbruck is an internationally renowned winter sports center; it hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics as well as the 1984 and 1988 Winter Paralympics. It also hosted the first Winter Youth Olympics in 2012. The name means "bridge over the Inn."

+ First mentioned in 1180 as a small market town belonging to the Bavarian counts of Andech, Innsbruck developed rapidly because of its strategic position at the junction of the great trade routes from Italy to Germany via the Brenner Pass and from Switzerland and western Europe. The bridge (Brücke) over the Inn originally carried this traffic and gave the city its name and its insignia. Innsbruck was chartered in 1239, passed to the Habsburgs in 1363, and in 1420 became the capital of Tyrol and the ducal residence under Frederick, the duke “of the empty pockets.” Napoleon gave the city to the kingdom of Bavaria in 1806, and during the War of Liberation (in 1809) four battles were fought around Berg Isel, a hill immediately to the south, by Tyrolian patriots led by Andreas Hofer against the Bavarians and the French.

+ Tyrol’s capital is quite a sight to behold. The jagged rock spires of the Nordkette range are so close that within minutes it is possible to travel from the city's heart to more than 2,000 meters above sea level -- and alpine pastures where cowbells chime. Summer and winter activities abound, and it is understandable why some visitors take just a peek at Innsbruck itself, before heading for the hills.

+ Yet, Innsbruck is in many ways a microcosm of Austria: its late-medieval Altstadt is presided over by a grand Habsburg palace and baroque cathedral, while its Olympic ski jump with big mountain views makes a spectacular leap between the urban and the outdoors. The colorful city's biggest draw is its location -- in a valley that is surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

+ Noted for its unusual blend of contemporary and imperial architecture
Innsbruck attracts skiers in the winter, while hiking and other outdoor activities are popular in the summer.