Innsbruck was founded as a market place in 1133 when the Counts of Andechs bought a field on the left bank of the Inn, today St. Nikolaus. Innsbruck was an important trading post on the Brenner Pass route to Italy some 30 km south, the easiest crossing of the Alps. As part of the Via Imperi, it was under the special protection of the king and the income allowed the city to flourish. There are usually at least four Christmas markets in Innsbruck, and the next one is in the old town the Altstadt, just as you cross from the bridge. The Altstadt the Old Town is rich in what is called imperial architecture buildings from the period Innsbruck was the favored town of the Habsburg emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.

Innsbruck was founded as a market place in 1133 when the Counts of Andechs bought a field on the left bank of the Inn, today St. Nikolaus. Innsbruck was an important trading post on the Brenner Pass route to Italy some 30 km south, the easiest crossing of the Alps. As part of the Via Imperi, it was under the special protection of the king and the income allowed the city to flouris There are usually at least four Christmas markets in Innsbruck, and the next one is in the old town the Altstadt, just as you cross from the bridge. The Altstadt the Old Town is rich in what is called imperial architecture buildings from the period Innsbruck was the favored town of the Habsburg emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.

Europe has many wonderful old traditions, and one of them is the Christmas market. The December market in Vienna is recorded since 1298, but Innsbruck was actually founded as a market in a field already in 1133 and it could be argued that the December market here would be even older. The wonderful Tyrolian atmosphere makes this a must for anyone enjoying the Christmas markets. Innsbruck is the capital of Austria's western state of Tyrol. It is a city in the Alps that's long been a destination for winter sports. It hosted the Olympics several times - 1964 and again in 1976. It is the fifth largest town in Austria with 133.000 inhabitants. It is a youthful town with a university. Innsbruck is also known for its Imperial and modern architecture.

This little book shows you some of the nativity scenes we have seen and some of the figurines and accessories that you can find in the various Christmas markets and shops in Innsbruck, Austria. Nativity is today a Catholic tradition, separated in many countries from official society as Christianity does no longer have the same central function, although the European values and norms are deeply steeped in Christianity. In Northern European countries the birth of Jesus is no longer the central theme of the Christmas displays. We show you also some alternative displays, usually with animals, that are used instead to make the children, and adults, happy. Mostly they are in shopping windows and displace for a while the display of some of the commercial goods that is the daily function of the windows.

The Malaga Christmas Market is a completely different experience from the Christmas Markets in the German speaking World. This is not only due to the lovely weather but also to significant cultural differences. Malaga is one of the oldest cities not only in Spain but in the World, inhabited for almost 3000 years. The Christmas Market in Malaga is like nothing that is currently seen in Central Europe You also do not find any stalls with warm mulled wine Glühwein as is a must in a Northern Christmas Market. If you want something to drink, you would go to a bar or a restaurant, with seating and preferably with some shade. There is absolutely no need for warm mittens, woolen knitted hats or warm sheepskin

Whether you want to explore Vienna's elegant palaces and concert halls, ski the Austrian Alps, or soak in the charms of Salzburg's classical music scene, the local Fodor's travel experts in Vienna are here to help! Fodor's Vienna & the Best of Austria guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. Fodor's Vienna & the Best of Austria travel guide includes: AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time MORE THAN 15 DETAILED MAPS to help you navigate confidently COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust! HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS on the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, side-trips, and more PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “Best Museums in Vienna” and “Vienna Under the Radar,” "What to Buy in Vienna," and more TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, politics, art, architecture, cuisine, music, geography and more SPECIAL FEATURES on “What to Watch and Read Before You Visit,” "Mozart," and “What to Eat and Drink” LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems GERMAN-LANGUAGE PRIMER with useful words and essential phrases UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE ON: Vienna, Kunshistorisches Museum, Stephensdom, Schönbrunn Palace, The Hofburg, Belvedere Palace, the Hotel Sacher, the Vienna Woods, the Danube Valley, Salzburg, Graz, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Bratislava, and more. Planning on visiting other destinations in Central Europe? Check out Fodor's Essential Germany, Fodor's Prague, and Fodor's Budapest. *Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor's has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!

This book explores the links between tourism and festivals and the various ways in which each mobilises the other to make social realities meaningful. Drawing upon a series of international cases, festivals are examined as ways of responding to various forms of crisis - social, political, economic - and as a way of re-making and re-animating spaces and social life. Importantly, this book locates festivals in the constantly changing, socio-economic and political contexts that they always operate in and respond to - contexts that are both historical and modern at the same time. Tourism is bound closely together with such contexts; feeding and challenging festivals with audiences that are increasingly transient and transnational. Tourism interrogates notions of ritual and tradition, shapes new spaces and creates, and renews, relationships between participants and observers. No longer can we dismiss tourists simply as value neutral and crass consumers of spectacle, nor tourism as some inevitable commercial force. Tourism is increasingly complicit in the festival processes of re-invention, and in forming new patterns of social existence.