Forgotten Innsbruck: A Photo Book

Recently an old, tattered copy of a photo book on Innsbruck by one Adolf Sickert (Innsbruck: Ein Farbbildwerk, published by Meinhold Verlagsgesellschaft, Dresden 1943) fell into my hands, and some of the photographs I found interesting enough to scan and post here. For example this view of the Serles over the snow-covered rooftops of the old town, with its swastika-draped facades.

This town square still looks pretty much the same — the fountain is still there, and the grass, and even that nice big tree. The old ladies are gone, replaced by young homeless men and their dogs. The name of the square, too — at the time it was Adolf-Hitler-Platz, but it went (back?) to Theaterplatz after all that business ended.

The old Hungerburgbahn — would this be one of the original cars? — had open windows from which one could lean out. This track is no longer used since the new line was built, but the bridge is still there.

The arch, where Maria-Theresien-Strasse meets Maximilienstrasse. The gun shop is now a bakery/lunch counter. The “oldtimer” trams, like the one shown here, are pulled out and run every so often.

4 thoughts on “Forgotten Innsbruck: A Photo Book

  1. The old Hungerburgbahn — would this be one of the original cars?
    Maybe the livery was a bit changed during the times.
    But from 1949 to 1951 the coaches were rebuilt new in the same style. If the postcard was phtographed and printed past 1949, the chassis is original an the other parts of the car are new, but looking the same (See Walter Kreutz: Straßenbahnen, Busse und Seilbahnen von Innsbruck, Haymon Verlas 2011)

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  2. This book was published in 1943 (and there a “brown” feel to some of the texts which accompany some of the other photos…) So this photo would have been taken before the overhaul. Danke!

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