Maria Theresien Strasse

This broad avenue is the main artery of Innsbruck, running south from the old town toward the mountains that close the view at its end. Lined with pastel Baroque townhouses, cafes and department stores, it centres on St. Anne's Column, a red marble pillar topped with a statue of the Virgin raised in the early eighteenth century. At its northern end stands the Triumphal Arch built for a Habsburg wedding. The framed sight of the snow-capped Nordkette rising directly above the street is one of the most memorable in any Alpine city.