This small town south of Innsbruck, which had long been popular as a holiday centre and winter-sports resort, was given a new face for the 1976 Winter Olympic Games when modern toboggan and bobsleigh runs were built. The nearby Patscherkofel (2,247 m/7,372 ft high) is a popular destination for winter skiing expeditions and summer rambles. It is served by a funicular, a chair lift and five T-bars. An old salt track, Romerstrasse, runs above the Sill Valley, providing views of the famous Europabrucke (Europe Bridge) (252), which spans the alpine gorges and is part of the busiest motorway network connecting northern Europe with Italy. The Aegidiuskirche in Igls, the church of St Giles, probably dates back to the 13th century but has been remodelled in the Baroque period. It has beautiful vault frescoes by Josef Michael Schmitzer. Near Igls is the interesting pilgrimage chapel Heiligwasser (1662), with attractive stuccowork created in 1720 as well as a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary dating back to the early 15th century.
