From Scenery To Scene - How Innsbruck Shapes its Inhabitants

Its picturesque character hits any unsuspecting soul over the head. Nordkette, Innsbruck's northern mountain range, reigns over the city like The Great Wall rules over the men of the Night's Watch. A gorgeous view, tourists would say. So many opportunities, hikers, bikers, boarders, and anyone adapting an adventurer's pose would say. No one would dare to call it out as claustrophobic. No, it is the jewel of the Alps, our unique selling proposition.

And truly, everything happening in Innsbruck seems to be shaped by what happens out of town. People rush to harvest those gifts of nature. A scene of sporty hipsters, tiny icicles carefully woven into their beards, and cool chicks in casual sportswear leave town any free morning just to come back at night and share altitudes and kilometers made with those who dared to not follow the Instagram stream of their aesthetically curated journey.

“At first glance, Innsbruckians seem like a people made of their surroundings rather than active participants in developing a local community.”

Bars, clubs, and localities in Innsbruck thus seem to merely become pit stops, fireplaces for the outdoor scene to share stories around. At first glance, Innsbruckians seem like a people made of their surroundings rather than active participants in developing a local community.

But who are those people who'd bring about such a harsh judgment? Well, let's take a second glance. Innsbruck's population is at about 130,000 – 34,000 of which are students. Its university tends to boast with an impressive fun fact: This is the most international academic institution in Europe.

What they don't tell you is that those statistics derive from the vast number of German and northern Italian students seeking higher education in Austria. Cultural student diversity in Innsbruck means variations of German accents and dialects. The common answer to why people choose Innsbruck is: The mountains, of course!

Students seem to shape this town, going from lecture halls to peaks and back, until they pack up their suitcases, diploma in hand, and move on. Innsbruck's first glance impression is brought about by transitioners. But some of these transitioners are also bound to stay and give a helping hand to shaping communities in and around the local institutions or associations which try to shift the paradigm in approaching daily life. Innsbruck is indeed gifted with seducing you into its natural wilderness, thus shaping the people inhabiting it.

Living here means that you get to transform into this tree-loving individual, develop a strong longing for contemplating nature and go to regular vinyl fairs and Sunday flea-markets. But when city life gets an 'action, we're rolling!' queue, you might want to be part of that just the same.

 

Associations combating food waste by collecting fruits and vegetables from local farmers established around Innsbruck, culture and music centers offering participatory event formats in which anyone can join and feel safe to creatively express themselves or speak out, cozy cinemas promoting alternative content for nowadays global challenges, museums, theaters, and radio stations - we all seem to find our way to each other when it comes to common values.

Innsbruck is way too small to afford to tie down seeds of solidarity. And while we clumsily engage in this demanding waltz of providing compost for the community to grow, we shout out to all transitioners and locals out there: Do not shy away from shaping the city you live in! Innsbruck is our faithful reflection, then all we need is a pinch of boldness...and generally, more Spritzwein.

This little piece was written by our new captain & correspondent Angela Feraru, in collaboration with Gerhard Schützinger. The Polaroids are taken in Innsbruck, part of his personal collection.