Colonized Innsbruck: A Post-Colonial Perspective
In the heart of the Austrian Alps lies Innsbruck, a city known for its cultural heritage and modern research institutions. Home to universities with a vibrant student population, Innsbruck has hosted significant events such as the Winter Olympic Games in 1964 and 1976.
Recently, the city has embarked on an exciting new project - the creation of a digital city map that invites exploration of its history and connections to the global community. This initiative is a collaboration between the University of Innsbruck and the City of Innsbruck, with the technical implementation carried out by the GIS and Strategy & Integration departments of the city.
The digital city map, accessible via the municipal geoHub, offers a unique opportunity to learn about the history of Innsbruck. It invites reflection on inequalities, racism, and resistance, and sheds light on largely unknown or forgotten traces, places, and stories. Topics covered by the map include colonial trade, Capuchin missionaries around the world, and a solidarity movement that opposed apartheid in South Africa.
One such example is the sign of the company "Unterberger & Comp." with the inscription "Colonial Goods" located at Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 26 in Innsbruck. This is just one of the 29 stations within the city that invite further exploration.
The creation of this digital city map was spearheaded by Ass.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Eric Burton from the Institute of Contemporary History at the University of Innsbruck and Konrad Kuhn from the Institute of Historical Sciences and European Ethnology. For more information, you can contact Ass.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Eric Burton at the Institute of Contemporary History, University of Innsbruck, with a phone number 43 512 507 44026.
This digital project represents a significant step in the study of Innsbruck's global history, revealing the city's connections to events and movements across the globe. By delving into its past, Innsbruck's digital city map offers a fresh perspective on its role in the global community.
- The digital city map, initiated by the University of Innsbruck and the City of Innsbruck, serves as an educational tool for understanding the history of Innsbruck, exploring topics such as colonial trade, resistance movements, and global connections.
- Through self-development and exploration of this digital city map, users can gain new insights about Innsbruck's role in education-and-self-development, particularly in the context of its global history and connections.
