Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Tirol Panorama in Innsbruck

On a recent vacation to Bavaria and the Austrian Tyrol, two nights were spent at Innsbruck as my wife and I adjusted both to an overnight flight and the nine hour time difference from PDT USA.

One of the places on the list of attractions to visit while in Innsbruck was the Tirol Panorama on Bergisel Hill near the base of the Olympic Bergisel Ski Jump.  The panorama is dedicated to the Tyrolean militia's fight against Bavarian attempts to put down a rebellion.  The rebellion around Innsbruck was led by Andreas Hofer whose monument stands near the panorama.
Andreas Hofer Monument
After defeat of Austria during during the War of Third Coalition, control of the Austrian Tyrol was seeded to Bavaria.  When Archduke Charles invaded Bavaria at the outbreak of the 1809 campaign, the Tyrol revolted.  To put down this revolt, Bavarian troops were sent in to squash the rebellion.  Bergisel Hill on the outskirts of Innsbruck was a focal for four battles.  The third battle on 13AUG1809 is the subject of the panorama. 

For a brief history of the third battle, I turn to Wikipedia.
On 13 August, Hofer and 18,000 Tyrolese fought Deroy's division in the third battle of Bergisel. Four Bavarian battalions belonging to General Siebein's 2nd Brigade lost 200 dead and 250 wounded. The 70 companies of rebels lost 100 dead and 220 wounded. After taking hostages from leading local families, Lefebvre abandoned Innsbruck and the last occupation troops were gone from the Tyrol by 18 August.
Speckbacher and 2,000 irregulars attacked the Bavarian garrisons in the villages of Lofer, Luftenstein, Unken, and Mellek on 25 September. Of the 700 soldiers belonging to the Leib Infantry Regiment # 1, 50 were killed and wounded, 300 captured, and 100 missing. The troops were dispersed with only two companies in each village. The detachment in Mellek broke out and retreated north to Bad Reichenhall; the other garrisons were wiped out.  On the same day Haspinger with 2,400 Tyrolese and four guns evicted General-Major Stengel's brigade from the Lueg Pass near Golling an der Salzach. The 3,500 Bavarians and three cannons retreated north to Salzburg. Lefebvre, with 2,000 of Stengel's troops attacked Hallein on 3 October. Haspinger's force, which had lingered in the town, was chased back into the mountains, leaving their six cannons behind.
Andereas Hofer was later betrayed to the French and shot in Mantua 20FEB1810. 

The 360 degree panorama painting depicts the third battle on the Bergisel Heights above Innsbruck.  Enjoy the photos of this marvelous spectacle.
Church in 1809 from painting
Church today from Bergisel Hill
Church close up











Attached to the panaroma by means of an underground passage is the Kaiserjager Regimental Museum.  Plenty of other tourist-worthy sights to see in Innsbruck.  A few of those other sights as well as the Kaiserjager Museum may appear in future posts.

27 comments:

  1. What a wonderful panorama Jonathan. Thanks for posting.

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    1. Aaron, the panorama brings to life a subset of the the 1809 campaign with which I had little context.

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  3. Wow that does look fascinating!

    Christopher

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    1. Fascinated me, for sure! I think my wife even enjoyed it.

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  4. Reminds me of the days I was stationed in Bavaria. We used to patrol the Iron Curtain down to the trizonal border point with Austria. If you're ever in that neck of the woods again and in Southern Bavaria, you might give the Befreiungshalle at Kelheim a visit: another amazing thing to experience.

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    1. Oh, I forgot to add: I hope that you do post on the Kaisejager museum!

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    2. Thanks for the tip, Ed! This will be on my list if we return to Bavaria.

      I will not miss a chance to share my impressions of Kaiserjager Museum.

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  5. WoooW! That;s really great! In Poland we have something similar :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaKhx7IiyAU

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    1. Michal! Now THAT is how to properly build and display a panorama! Simply fantastic!

      Thanks so much for sharing this piece of your history.

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    2. I agree, marvelous; thanks for sharing it, Michal!

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    1. This is a good panorama but if you want to see an exquisite panorama, visit the link Michal posted above. Breathtaking.

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  7. That is fantastic Jonathan. I agree that Innsbruck is a stunning place. I was there in the late 1980s and went to the Kaiserjäger Museum, but don't remember the panorama. Isn't it amazing how we wargamers can always find some aspect of military interest when we travel?

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    1. Mark, the panorama did not open until 2011. That explains why you missed it in the 1980s!

      If you seek, you will find. We are always on the lookout for military history, are we not? I am.

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    2. Hmm looks like I will need to add the Tyrol to the travel list...

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    3. Are you still planning a trip out west to follow the Sioux Wars? Are you interested in the Nez Perce Wars too? The Nez Perce ancestral homelands are not far from Spokane; beautiful country in the Blue Mountains of NE Oregon.

      Sites from the 1858 skirmishes in Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War are very close by.

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    4. Its still in the mix. We may visit relatives in BC next year so a hop across tge border may just be le ered in there somewhere.

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  8. Thanks for the great photos of this panorama, especially as the battle of Berg Isel is in the plans for Historicon 2019; I just need to buy more Eureka Tyrolean rebels... and then paint them all. YOur shots will help with inspiration for that!

    It is interesting that it only dates back to 2011; presumably they were shooting for the 200th anniversary of the battle in 2009. Panoramas were much more the rage in the later 1800's than today. The most famous one in the US is of course the Cyclorama at Gettysburg.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the photos, Peter!

      The building which houses the cyclorama only dates to 2011 and you are correct that the target date was the 200th anniversary in 2009. Budget overruns and delays pushed the opening out to 2011.

      The panorama, itself, dates to 1894 and had been displayed in another location until relocating to the Bergisel Hill site.

      Good luck in your 2019 Historicon game.

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  9. The sweeping mural is amazing, and brings this event to life!

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    1. It does and the method in which the panorama is painting and curved lends a sense of depth to the work. Quite fascinating to study.

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  10. Thank you for posting such excellent pictures of a great art work. I am in awe of these 19th century cyclorama painters- amazing artistic vision to be able to paint so realistically on that scale, and dedication to a big project not may wargamers achieve. Reminds me of the ones at Waterloo and Gettysburg

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    1. Hi Chris! Glad you enjoyed the photos of the panorama. Like you, I find these old works of art on a grand scale fascinating.

      If you want to see another similar panorama, visit my visit to the Bourbaki Panorama in Luzern.

      https://palousewargamingjournal.blogspot.com/2017/05/bourbaki-panorama-luzern-switzerland.html

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