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Bergisel –a centreof attraction
In the19
th
century, apopular innwassituatedat theBergiselhill,where
later in 1926, the first ski jumpwas built. The heroic battles of 1809
during the Tyrolean War of Liberation turned the hill into a popular
attraction. The shooting cabins and themuseum of the Tyrolean Im-
perial Infantry, theOfficers‘ casinoand theBiedermeier park attracted
manyguests fromnearand far. In theRedbooks, anEnglish tourguide
of the 19
th
century and precursor of the Baedeckers, the Bergisel is
describedas the “most popular destinationof Innsbruck”.
Nowadays, theBergisel is still a touristic sight. The combinationof
modern ski jump and heroic history is an important enrichment for
Innsbruck, whichwas strongly influenced by the Habsburgs. The new
panoramic loop trail invites visitors todealwith thehistoryof thepla-
ceand toenjoyamazing views.
TyroleanPanorama
The new Tyrolean Panorama museum (inaugurated in March 2011)
offers a real highlight, which is the Cyclorama that has been resett-
led from the Rennweg road to the Bergisel. Onmore than 1,000m²,
the Cyclorama illustrates Innsbruck in1900 and scenes of the the 3
rd
Bergisel battle that endedwith the heroic victory of the Tyrolean tro-
opsagainst thealliedBavariansandFrench.
The creator of this Cyclorama is Michael Zeno Diemer, an artist
fromMunich, who painted the panorama of Innsbruckwithhistorical
background in 1895. The preliminary work – including the historical
research – started in summer 1895. Already in June 1896, the Cyclo-
rama was first presented by the tourist office on the occasion of an
exhibition about “Physical education, health care and sport”. In only
eight months, the then 28-year-old completed the painting with the
help of his painter colleagues. Apparently at the inauguration the co-
lourshadn’t even completelydried.
At first, it was placed in awooden rotunda in Saggen, close to the
today’s Federal Railways Head Office. The amount of initial visitors
was huge! After ten years thepanoramawas sent on a journey, as the
number of visitors dropped due to a less populated surroundings. It
received a lot of recognition during the Imperial Austrian Exhibition
(1906) in London andwas even awarded a goldmedal. In themean-
time, the first wooden rotunda burnt down and after a change of
ownership a new place for it was found at the bridge Kettenbrücke.
During the FirstWorldWar it was transferred toVienna for safety rea-
sons. There, it servedmainly for political propaganda.
1924, thepaintingwas auctionedand returned to the restored ro-
tunda. In the SecondWorldWar, it was left in Innsbruck and secured
its protection as a registeredmonument in1974. As the condition of
the rotunda at the Kettenbrücke got worse and worse in the end of
the last century, something had to be done. The land of Tyrol acqui-
red themonument including the painting. In a spectacular operation
in2010, after long preparatorywork and the new construction of the
museum “TyroleanPanorama” (architectural officeStoll-Wagner, Inns-
bruck), thepaintingwas transferred to theBergisel hill. Since its inau-
Tirol Panorama–diemoderneHeimat
desRiesenrundgemäldes. //
TyroleanPanorama– themodern
homeof theCyclorama.
