Helblinghaus

The Helblinghaus stands in Innsbruck’s Old Town, directly opposite the Golden Roof on Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse. Built in the fifteenth century as a row of townhouses, it absorbed Gothic lines before Baroque and Rococo craftsmen transformed it. Anton Gigl finished the present design in 1732, crowning the façade with delicate stucco that looks like spun sugar. Sebastian Helbling owned the house from 1800 to 1827, giving the building its current name. Its value lies in the way the Rococo decoration catches changing light throughout the day. The bows, window frames, oriels, tympana, masks, sculptures and shells were added early in the eighteenth century. The result is one of the most photographed façades in the Alps, admired for its lightness and detail. The contrast between the original Gothic core and the later ornament shows how tastes shifted across centuries. Inside, visitors find a narrow courtyard that rises behind the ornate front. The staircases and landings display the same playful stucco, guiding the eye upward to small balconies. From the upper floors there are views over the Old Town’s gabled roofs and the distant Nordkette peaks. The house remains a quiet counterpoint to the busier Golden Roof across the street, yet its façade draws photographers from dawn to dusk.