After three lovely days on the Rennweg
in Vienna with Olga and David, I departed for Innsbruck! That
four-hour train ride was a magical experience I will never forget.
Every 20 minutes the scenery got more dramatic! Here are just a few
of the pictures I took from the train:
When we were about 10 minutes outside
of Innsbruck, we went through a long tunnel. When we emerged, there
they were: the highest, snowiest mountains I've ever seen, right
above my head!
You must forgive my enthusiasm. I grew up in
southeastern Michigan, where the highest peak was named Mt.
Trashmore. Yes, you guessed it. A mountain of garbage.
Mouth still agape, I stowed my luggage
in a locker in the train station and headed to the center of town,
intent upon getting a glimpse of the Goldenes Dachl before meeting my
Air B&B host. It was an easy 10 minute walk from the station.
The “Golden Roof” is the
symbol of Innsbruck. The shiny tiles are not actually gold, but
copper. It was commissioned by Kaiser Max to celebrate his marriage
to Bianca Maria Sforza, and was completed in 1500. The emperor and
his retinue used to watch tournaments and other spectacles from the
loge.
MY spectacle as I admired the Golden
Roof over a nice cool beer (it was a warm day!) included people
watching and of course, gawping at the Alps.
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| I just tilted my camera up from the Golden Roof to take this pic! |
My Air B&B host was named Martin, a
lifelong Innsbrucker. The apartment was nicely appointed,
comfortable, and very conveniently located. Here's the view I woke up
to each morning.
As soon as I told Martin the purpose of
my visit to Innsbruck (writing a book about Kaiser Max) he
immediately launched into one of the stories about him that still
live on in the folk history of the Tyrol: Kaiser Max and the
Martinswand.
Kaiser Max loved to hunt ibex and
chamois in the mountains around Innsbruck. In fact, he pioneered a
new way of hunting these creatures: climbing up the mountainside with
long, pointy sticks, and spearing them when they were cornered.
Well, one day, Max (catlike) climbed up
so high he couldn't get down again. Two days and two nights he was
stuck in a cave up on the Martinswand, and on the third day he was
rescued, thanks to divine intervention.
Max was a very brave man. He fought
actively in numerous battles, and thought nothing of leaping from his
horse in the thick of it to save a fallen comrade. By all accounts,
his only fear was being forgotten after his death. That's why he
spent so much time and energy on his Gedächtnis (memorial).
I kept running into
examples of his 'living memory' during my time in Innsbruck. Hearing
the Martinswand story. Seeing his Golden Roof. Encountering groups of
schoolchildren and tourists in museums and hearing the teachers/ tour
guides tell stories about Max. Seeing the armory he built.
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| Armory now |
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| Armory then! Painting by Jörg Kölderer |
But
without a doubt, the most awe-inspiring piece of Max's memorial is
his cenotaph in the Hofkirche.
Come back next time
to read about that! In the meantime, here are some more random pictures:
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| Seen underneath the overhang at the Golden Roof Sculptors will have their little jokes. |
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| Max and the laydeez. Bronze relief (1950) seen on random street. |
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| Selfie at Schloss Ambras. The proximity of the centaur butt was an accident. |
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| View at Schloss Ambras. |
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