Innsbruck is the provincial capital of Tyrol. Its 110,000 residents make it the fifth largest city in Austria. It was one of the eight host cities in the 2008 European Football Championships. It has twice hosted the Winter Olympics making it not only an interesting and beautiful situated city but the "largest ski resort in the alps". It is located both close to Munich and northern Italy making it a must see alpine destination. Innsbruck became the capital of Tyrol in 1429 and in the...
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Innsbruck is the provincial capital of Tyrol. Its 110,000 residents make it the fifth largest city in Austria. It was one of the eight host cities in the 2008 European Football Championships. It has twice hosted the Winter Olympics making it not only an interesting and beautiful situated city but the "largest ski resort in the alps". It is located both close to Munich and northern Italy making it a must see alpine destination. Innsbruck became the capital of Tyrol in 1429 and in the 15th century the city became a centre of European politics and culture as emperor Maximilian I moved the imperial court to Innsbruck in the 1490s. Many old buildings from the middle ages and modern times survived in the heart of Innsbrucks old town.

Innsbruck has also hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976 as well as the World University Games in 2005. In summer 2008 it hosted several games of the EURO 2008 European Football Championship.

The city is well known for its sporting opportunities, especially alpine sports, as it is located in the Alps and surrounded by mountains. Several ski resorts are situated inside the city territory or within short distance. Innsbruck was one of the centers of snowboard boom in the 1990's and the derived disctinct subculture endured until today. The population of skateboarders, snowboarders and people alike is therefore above average and nothing unusual to the people. This culture is also celebrated by a lot of events in and around Innsbruck especially in the winterseason, attracting (predominantly young) people from all around the world. Source: wikitravel.org
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