Imst: City History, Easter Traditions and Nature

Imst combines city history and religious art with Easter traditions and opportunities to enjoy nature and outdoor activities. When planning your trip, it is worth keeping these themes separate: a museum visit caters to a different interest than the Easter routes or a ride on the Alpine Coaster. This lets you organize your time in Imst around the themes that matter most to you.

City History and Religious Art

The Museum im Ballhaus presents the city’s history, from the Urnfield culture through the medieval guild system and bird trade to Baroque and modern art. The scope thus ranges from early periods and urban work and trade to art history. One precisely dated exhibit is the Ursuline nativity scene at the Museum im Ballhaus: it dates from 1790 and consists of 239 figures. At the Imst Nativity Museum, the Lenten nativity scene depicts the Passion of Christ in a vivid and artistic way.

Another historical trace leads to mining: the Blue Grotto is a tunnel created by mining during Roman times. Silver-bearing galena was mined there. Imst therefore brings together a range of cultural and historical themes—from urban life and artistic activity to the use of mineral resources.

Easter Traditions in Imst

Palm Sunday traditions include a competition for the longest Imst palm pole. On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, the Easter route leads from St. John’s Church via Calvary Hill to the parish church in the center of Imst. On Easter Monday, the Easter Light Procession runs from the parish church to St. John’s Church, marking the end of the Easter celebrations. The distinctive Easter traditions draw numerous visitors to Imst’s Calvary Hill year after year. If you would like to plan your trip around these dates, check the specific event days in advance.

Nature and Activities

There are also plenty of reasons to explore Imst outside the Easter period. The Rosengarten Gorge is a natural monument in Imst. In Hoch-Imst, you can reach the natural lake with a short walk from the Imst cable car parking lot. At the gorge, its designation as a natural monument is the main point; for the natural lake, the short walk from the specified parking lot is a useful guide.

The Alpine Coaster in Hoch-Imst offers a different way to plan your time: the track is 3,535 meters long, a ride takes about nine minutes, covers 500 meters of elevation gain and reaches speeds of up to 40 km/h. The approximate duration gives you a specific time frame for the ride; the elevation gain and speed provide further details.

The Imst Climbing Center has climbing routes indoors and outdoors. Courses are available for beginners, and the necessary climbing equipment, including a helmet and via ferrata set, can be rented there. When weighing up these activities, climbing is all about routes, courses and equipment, while the coaster is about the ride and its track statistics.

Admission to Adlerhorst is free; you must take the cable car up to reach it. Before visiting, check whether this access option is currently available.

Discover more destinations: Hoch-Imst, Mötz, Obergurgl, Obsteig, Jerzens, Längenfeld, Silz, Umhausen

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