Journey to welcoming Innsbruck to discover the history and origins of Goldenes Dachl: also known as the "Golden Roof".
In this post we discover the history and origins of a city - Innsbruck - through its main attraction: Goldenes dachl, also called the Golden roof.
The history of Innsbruck
Strolling today in the center of Innsbruck does not capture an atmosphere of excess and opulence, but rather of quiet, warmth and hospitality.
The squares, the mountains in the background, i Conservatory that protrude from the oldest houses and tell of warm and welcoming rooms. The cinnamon scent of Christmas decorations 365 days a year.
But the best-known Tyrolean emperor, Massimiliano I, had a completely different idea of his city and wanted to express it through unbridled luxury, pomp and decorative excess.
A risky choice for the young prodigy Count, the Wunderkind, who had grown up according to a rigid and severe education in thrift.
He had studied German, Italian, French. He had prepared himself to govern a key country for the European politics of the time, training himself in the art of war.
Yet it would appear that he was unable to manage his own finances, to the point of marrying Bianca Maria, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza, only aiming at the dowry and resources she was heiress to, thus condemning her to a life of unhappiness.
The origins of Goldenes Dachl
At the gates of the new century, in 1500, he ordered the construction of a balcony on the main side of the Neuer Hof, overlooking the square, which was his stage on the crowd.
He had it frescoed with subjects and references to the nobility of his family, that of his wife, the Milanese Bianca Maria Sforza, and with 2657 gilded tiles, which gave the city symbol the nickname of Goldenes Dachl, Golden roof.
Today, in Herzog-Friedrich-Straße at number 15, you have access to the permanent exhibition that tells the visitor the tormented story of Maximilian I, his crazy propaganda spending and the Middle Ages in the Tyrol region.
This territory was then the scene of important power struggles: all this is told through period prints and lithographs, archival documents and images, clothes, armor, objects of the time and numerous curiosities.
Children at the Golden Roof
No story is boring or difficult when explained to children in the right way and arousing their interest. The story of Massimiliano, so complex and articulated, is simplified in the rooms of the museum through interactive components and manual games that allow even the youngest visitors to have an interesting experience in the history of the place.
For the little ones there is a room in the exhibition itinerary where drawings, games and didactic material are available.
Access to the Goldenes Dachl: timetables and costs
The museum is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 17pm, the entrance fee is 5€.
Audio guides are available, included in the rate, in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and of course German, to explore this fascinating story in every detail.
How to get to the Goldenes Dachl
Il Tettuccio is in the heart of the city of Innsbruck, impossible not to see it or not to pass it at least once during your stay.
However, it must be remembered that it is inside the Old town, the old Town which is forbidden to the means.
For those arriving by their own means, the ideal is to take theInnrain, or the riverside, opting for a parking (for a fee) in the area of Maktplatz.
For those who come in train, the most practical solution is the bus, from the Ibk Hauptbahnhof station to the Congress Center: worthy of a visit in turn and a stone's throw from the Goldenes Dachl.
