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Emile Béthouart Footbridge

Emile Béthouart Footbridge

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Emile Béthouart Footbridge

Recommended by 163 hikers out of 170

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Location: Tyrol, Austria

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Best Hikes to Emile Béthouart Footbridge

5.0

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1. Innsbruck Town Tower – Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl) loop from Altstadt

3.63km

01:00

60m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

5.0

(1)

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2. Alpenzoo Innsbruck — Sculptures – Weiherburg Castle loop from St. Nikolaus

7.97km

02:34

340m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

5.0

(1)

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3. Umbrüggler Alm – Höttinger Alm loop from Innsbruck Messe

12.6km

05:32

880m

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Hard

Tips

Paul

June 7, 2025

Emile Béthouart Footbridge, Innsbruck
Streets and squares are often named after important figures who have contributed to the common good of their fellow citizens. Younger Innsbruck residents, in particular, are probably puzzled to learn why the footbridge, which leads from the northern Hofgarten across the Inn River to St. Nicholas, is named after Marie Emile Antoine Béthouart (1889-1982).
Béthouart, a French general, was Commander-in-Chief of the French occupation forces in Austria after World War II and High Commissioner of the French occupation forces in North Tyrol and Vorarlberg from 1946 to 1950.
He always emphasized that he had come not as an occupier, but as a liberator, and advocated for an independent Austrian state. He had signs with the inscription "Autriche, pays ami" (Austria, friendly country) placed along the borders.
He was highly commended for allowing the traditional rifle associations to participate in the Corpus Christi procession as an honor guard "with rifles" as early as 1947, "according to old Tyrolean traditions." In 1950, he even laid a wreath in front of the Andreas Hofer Memorial on the Bergisel. This despite the fact that Andreas Hofer fought against the French in 1809.
The Liberation Memorial on Innsbruck's Landhausplatz, which, with the inscription PRO LIBERTATE AUSTRIAE MORTUIS, commemorates all those who died for Austria's freedom, is also his initiative.
In 1960, General Béthouart received the Grand Decoration of Honor with Star for his services to the Republic of Austria. In 2003, the Innsteg Bridge was ceremoniously named after him by prominent figures and honorary formations from Austria and France.
Text / Source: Innsbruck City Archives/City Museum
innsbruck-erinnert.at/emile-bethouart-steg

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Sasha Taylor

August 27, 2021

Pedestrian steel bridge

Sascha

October 2, 2023

From here you have a great view.

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Details

Informations

Elevation 570 m

Weather

Wednesday 10 December

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-3°C

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Max wind speed: 1.0 km/h

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Location: Tyrol, Austria

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Emile Béthouart Footbridge

1. Innsbruck Town Tower – Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl) loop from Altstadt

2. Alpenzoo Innsbruck — Sculptures – Weiherburg Castle loop from St. Nikolaus

3. Umbrüggler Alm – Höttinger Alm loop from Innsbruck Messe

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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