13 Best Sights in Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Tirol, and Vorarlberg

St. Anne's Column, erected in 1706, commemorates the withdrawal of Bavarian forces in the war of the Spanish Succession on St. Anne's Day (July 26) in 1703. Along with the Triumphal Arch, it is one of the two most important sights on Maria-Theresien-Strasse. From here there is a classic view of Innsbruck's Altstadt (Old City), with the glorious Nordkette mountain range in the background.

This ski-jumping stadium towers over Innsbruck with a gloriously modern, concrete-and-glass observation deck and restaurant designed by world-celebrated architect Zaha Hadid. It opened in 2003, replacing the old stadium that no longer complied with modern requirements for ski jumping and crowd safety. There's a café at the base area, and if you're lucky you can have a beer while watching ski jumpers practice, even during the summer when they heavily water the slope (so they can still ski despite the lack of snow).

Innsbruck's cathedral was built between 1717 and 1724 on the site of a 12th-century Romanesque church. Regarded as possibly the most important Baroque building in Tyrol, its main attraction is the painting of the Madonna by Lucas Cranach the Elder, dating from about 1530 and displayed above the high altar. The tomb of Archduke Maximilian III, Master of the Teutonic Knights, dating from 1620, can be seen in the north aisle.

This state museum with a striking Florentine Renaissance Revival--style facade houses Austria's largest collection of Gothic art and 19th- and 20th-century paintings, including works by Rembrandt, Brueghel, and Klimt. There are also musical instruments and medieval armor, along with special exhibitions. Here you'll find the original coats of arms from the Goldenes Dachl balcony. Chamber music concerts are offered throughout the year.

A visit to this 400-year-old bell foundry includes a tour of the foundry and a fascinating little museum, which will give you an idea of how bells are cast and tuned. There's also a sound chamber where you can try your hand at bell ringing. Guided tours in English can be arranged.

One of Innsbruck's most historic attractions is the Hofburg, or Imperial Palace, which Maximilian I and Archduke Sigmund the Rich commissioned to be built in late-Gothic style in the 15th century. Center stage is the Giant's Hall—designated a marvel of the 18th century as soon as it was topped off with its magnificent trompe-l'oeil ceiling painted by Franz Anton Maulpertsch in 1775. The Rococo decoration and the portraits of Hapsburg ancestors in the ornate, white-and-gold great reception hall were added in the 18th century by the Empress Maria Theresa. Look for the portrait of "Primal" (Primrose)—to use the childhood nickname of the empress's daughter, Marie Antoinette. Skip the 3D show at the end.

Close by the Hofburg, the Court Church was built as a mausoleum for Maximilian I (although he is actually buried in Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna). The emperor's ornate black-marble tomb is surrounded by 24 marble reliefs depicting his accomplishments, as well as 28 larger-than-life-size bronze statues of his ancestors (real and imagined), including the legendary King Arthur of England. Freedom fighter Andreas Hofer is also buried here. Don't miss the 16th-century Silver Chapel, up the stairs opposite the entrance, with its elaborate altar and silver Madonna. The chapel was built in 1578 to be the tomb of Archduke Ferdinand II and his wife, Philippine Welser, the daughter of a rich and powerful merchant family.

Visit the chapel for picture taking in the morning; the blinding afternoon sun comes in directly behind the altar.

The late-Gothic secular building that now houses the Zeughaus Museum was once the arsenal of Maximilian I. Today, displays include cartography, mineralogy, music, hunting weapons, coins, aspects of Tyrol's culture, and the province's wars of independence.

Innsbruck's looming City Tower was built in about 1460. It has a steep climb of 133 steps to the top, where the bulbous cupola was added in the 16th century, and from it there are magnificent views of the city and surrounding mountains. The 31-meter-high platform is a particularly good vantage point from which to view Helbling House on the corner across the square, right by Goldenes Dachl. This Gothic town house originally dates from the 15th century, though the colorful pink-and-white facade with its late-Baroque stuccos was added around 1730.

In the same complex as the Hofkirche (with the same entrance), this museum is regarded as the most important collection of folk art in the Alpine region. Its wood-paneled parlors house furniture, including entire room settings from old farmhouses and inns, decorated in styles from Gothic to Rococo. In particular, look out for the traditional Tyrolean tiled stoves. Other exhibits include costumes, farm implements, cow bells, carnival masks, and musical instruments.

One of the icons of Innsbruck, the Roman-style Triumphal Arch was built in 1765 to commemorate both the marriage of emperor-to-be Leopold II (then Duke of Tuscany) to Spanish princess Maria Luisa, and the sudden death of Emperor Franz I, husband of Empress Maria Theresa. The south side clearly represents celebration, while the north side shows mourning motifs.