Many people connect Innsbruck, Austria with the Olympic games and being a big ski area in the Austrian Alps and don't take the time to visit the city in order to see that Innsbruck is home to some of the most beautiful buildings and architecture in Central Europe. Not being a skiier, I spent most of my time in Innsbruck exploring several of these hidden gems on two occasions.
One of these gems was the Stadtturm (City Tower), a beautiful tower located on the Herzog-Friedrichstrasse in Innsbruck's Old Town (Altstadt). The Stadtturm was built over an eight-year period from 1442-1450 and was home to the city watchman who would climb up the tower in order to watch over Innsbruck and alert its residents to fires, invasions, and other insurgencies. The tower is 187-feet tall and the once you are up in the tower, you can see Innsbruck and the Nordkette Mountains and other towns that surround the Tirol for over a mile.
Unfortunately, I didn't make it up the Stadturm during my visit in January 1987, but I was able to photograph its beautiful exterior and soak up the history from below. However, I hope to return there in the future to climb up the tower to see Innsbruck and all of its glory. When the Stadtturm is open for tourists, it's open from 10-5 during the months of October to May and longer during the busy Summer tourist season.
From journal More Innsbruck and Salzburg Adventures--January 1987