Tyrol and its People Part 11

"Long rusted are the lances, But, as the breezes blow, Old, half-forgotten stories Like spirits come and go."

From Castle Ambras it is but a short journey by tramway to Igls, which is situated nearly a thousand feet above Innsbruck, but cannot be seen from the town. There are also two roads by which one may reach this little mountain village; one leading past Ambras, which is favoured by the less energetic of walkers, and the other, by which we ascended, much steeper, more picturesque and shorter. From Wilten it pa.s.ses over the Sill Bridge and then ascends the Paschberg and winds along the edge of the fine Sill Gorge. When the little village of Vill is reached one seems suddenly to step into a fresh region of experience; one singularly different from that of Innsbruck, which, after all, lies but a mile or two away in the valley down below. Here as one comes in sight of the elegantly tapering red spire of the church one obtains an insight into the life of the upper valleys, and soon notices the Tyrolese custom of adorning the outside walls of the house with paintings, which, generally religious in subject, are many of them of a striking and even meritorious character as regards execution. In Vill none should fail to notice the painting of the Angel of Peace, which is over the doorway of a house in the main street.

[Sidenote: BEAUTIFUL IGLS]

One of the most beautiful walks hereabouts is that by the path which leads down through the woods to Garberbach inn on the great Brenner High Road, from which point Berg Isel can be reached on foot in less than half an hour.

Still climbing upwards from Vill and leaving the sights and sounds of the valley behind us we gradually approach Igls. Innsbruck and every trace of the wide valley and environing hills across it have suddenly vanished, and one finds one's self in the midst of wide extending and restfully green upland pastures, with a vista of the charmingly situated little villages of Natters and Mutters, across the Sill Gorge (which here is almost imperceptible) with their church steeples, green tinged and red turreted, shining in the clear Alpine air, and giving to the scene just that touch of colour which an artist loves.

It is possible in Alpine valleys such as that in which Igls nestles to more truly estimate the factors which make the Tyrolese such a home-loving and patriotic people; and to realize how the chief human as well as religious a.s.sociations even nowadays--as they did in the past--cl.u.s.ter round the village churches which rear their slender spires Heavenwards almost wherever half a dozen houses are grouped together.

There are many splendid peaks towering above the picturesque valley in which Igls lies; amongst them the Habicht, more than 10,700 feet, Saile-Spitze, and the rugged Waldraster-Spitze, 8920 feet; and the lower slopes are well-wooded and beautiful at all seasons in their varied tints of green.

Igls has altered considerably since we first visited it, and it now has the aspect of a mountain health "resort" of a modest and una.s.suming type, with some good hotels, a post office, telephone and telegraph. It is little wonder, then, that this favoured spot should have lately attracted to it many visitors in search of quietude and fresh air. The clean air and pure breezes off the glaciers and snow-fields above, which, filtering down across the pine woods of the lower slopes, come to one in the open valley not less fresh and invigorating but somewhat softened and perfumed, give it one of its chief charms.

The little church is of considerable interest, not only from its picturesque situation, but also by reason of the pastoral scenes which are painted upon its organ loft, and the many quaint relics and votive offerings to be seen in it, which are a feature of so many Tyrolese village churches. The mural paintings on the houses in the village are numerous and curious, some of the most interesting relating to the legendary story of the Heilig Wa.s.ser. In connection with this there is a pilgrimage chapel picturesquely situated, in almost absolute solitude save for the Inn, on the mountain side more than two thousand feet above the valley.

[Sidenote: A MIRACULOUS TALE]

The church is built upon the site of the alleged miracle, the story concerning which is as follows:--Three centuries ago two cowherds were tending their flocks upon the upper pasture above Igls, when they were unfortunate enough to lose two young calves; and although they sought for them far and wide along the paths and amid the woods they failed to find them. At length, quite wearied out, and frightened lest they should be severely punished for their carelessness by their father, they fell on their knees and supplicated the Virgin and Saints to help them. Almost as soon as they commenced to pray a bright light fell upon them and round about, and the Virgin appearing beside them bade them be of good cheer, and told them to trouble no more as the lost cattle had gone home to their byre. Then she bade them drink, for their throats were parched with their wanderings. But the two lads, knowing there was no water near, exclaimed, "You tell us to drink, but where shall we find water? There is none here."

[Ill.u.s.tration: MOUNTAIN POOL ON THE RITTEN]

The Virgin made no reply but vanished; and as she disappeared from their vision there welled up, where she had stood, a spring of clear water from out the rocks, which has never ceased to flow since.

On their return home the boys refrained from saying anything about the vision or the miraculous spring, perhaps lest, notwithstanding the calves had been found in the cowshed as the Virgin had promised, they should be blamed for careless herding. But they never failed, when pa.s.sing by the spring, to offer up a prayer of grat.i.tude.

Many years pa.s.sed and the two cowherds not only grew to man's estate but became old and infirm, needing the a.s.sistance of others to look after their flocks. One of the two was aided by the deaf and dumb son of a neighbour, and one day, as the old man and boy were pa.s.sing the spring, the former knelt down and prayed and drank of the water. The boy seeing him do this did likewise, and lo and behold he found his tongue miraculously loosened, and afterwards spoke as clearly as any other.

The fame of the miracle spread abroad, and was readily believed by the people of the valley. Then the two old men told their own experience, and soon a chapel was built on the spot to which through the centuries many devout pilgrims as well as many curious visitors have journeyed.

Amid the woods by which Igls is surrounded, and along the fertile valley in which the village stands, are many charming walks, and yearly the place is becoming more resorted to by those who appreciate the lovely and bracing mountain air, and a very pleasant form of what has become known as the "simple life."

To the south-west of Igls and south of Innsbruck across the Sill is the lovely Stubai Valley, the beauty of which almost challenges that of the Oetzthal. Like the latter this valley is also verily the gate to the land of snow-fields and glaciers, of which there are upwards of eighty within its confines and hard by. The Stubai Thal is a combination of scenery of widely different character. Within a radius of a few miles, towering above its green and peaceful pastures, at least two score of magnificent peaks rear their heads skyward, none of which fall far short of (whilst many exceed) 10,000 feet in alt.i.tude.

The lower portion of the valley is reminiscent of the far-famed, music-loving Zillerthal, with its dark-green pine forests, fertile meadows, and villages perched here and there on the slopes of the mountains, or nestling in the valley itself around the white-walled churches. This kind of scenery extends some little way beyond the village of Neustift, which is the last in the valley having a church, and then one seems to at once pa.s.s into a mysterious, wonderful, and fascinating region, where the legendary gnomes and ice-maidens of Tyrolean folk-tales and lore must surely dwell in caverns and habitations of perpetual ice and snow.

Though there is a good mountain road winding up the hillside above Wilten, which in former times served the picturesque villages Natters, Mutters, Kreith, and Telfes, most travellers nowadays use the electric railway (the first made in Tyrol) for the journey to Fulpmes, which lies about half-way to Neustift and is rapidly becoming a favourite excursion resort for Innsbruck people.

The railway (although it has been called a "toy" one) presents considerable features of interest to the engineer, and elements of apparent--but not actual--danger to the timorous. At least, one lady we know who had made the upward journey, had been across the slender viaduct supported on tapering piers, and had been whirled round curves of astonishing "sharpness," refused--until the distance by road had been pointed out to her--to return the same way. But there is in reality no risk on the Stubai Bahn, only an element of pleasant excitement, and the charm of wonderful scenery; and the latter is so beautiful and the little saloon cars so well adapted for viewing that few will, after all, we think, regret travelling to Fulpmes by train instead of a-foot or by carriage. The place was formerly celebrated for its iron and steel works; the articles made finding their way not only to Austria, but also to Germany and Italy; and although of late years the trade appears to have somewhat declined, it is still considerable and of interest to the curious who can watch the skilful artisans at work. The village is most picturesquely situated, and in the church there are some paintings by a local peasant girl quite worth seeing. Fulpmes forms an excellent centre from which to make excursions in the upper portions of the lovely valley, and amid the wooded slopes of the environing mountains. In summer there is the additional charm of the wealth of beautiful wild flowers which gem the fields, and spread like a many-coloured carpet of glowing tints beneath the shadow-casting and sombre pines.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VIADUCT ON STUBAI RAILWAY]

[Ill.u.s.tration: VIEW OF THE GROSSGLOCKNER]

[Sidenote: FULPMES AND SCHONBERG]

At Schonberg, south of Igls, and on the opposite bank of the Sill, standing nearly 3500 feet above sea level, one obtains a most widely-extended and panoramic view of the Stubai Valley and its villages. And as one stands in the Alpine observatory near the "Jagerhof," one is able to realize the full beauty of the valley, and the wonder of the mountain summits, including the Serles Spitz (also known in Innsbruck as the Waldraster Spitz), whose rugged peaks remind one of those giants in the Dolomites.

But perhaps one of the most strange and interesting natural phenomena in all Tyrol is to be seen from Schonberg when the snow-fields, which in winter completely cover the mountain tops on every hand, begin to melt. Then gradually there appear in different parts of the upper slopes of the mountain ranges dark spots which, framed in unmelted snow, at last a.s.sume the appearance of silhouettes of gigantic size.

On the peaks away above Innsbruck are slowly formed the figures of two women who appear to be fighting, and whose noses as the snow melts become more hooked and longer each day; on the Solstein a priest is seen carrying an _aspergillus_ in his hand, whilst on the Arzletscharte appears the most complete "picture" of them all, known as the "Falconer." This, a silhouette of remarkable vividness, depicts a youth dressed in a page's costume, adorned with a hat and plumes, and carrying on his left arm a falcon unhooded for flight. As the snow melts the figure loses its pristine slimness and a.s.sumes the form of a corpulent man, until at last it entirely disappears. On the side of the Patscherkofel is seen the figure of an old hunter with his dog; which, however, owing to the rapid melting of the snow when once a thaw commences, is only visible for a short time. Indeed, a few hours after we first saw it, for the reason we have given, the change was so great that the outline was almost destroyed.

Hall, from time immemorial famous for its salt mines, is well worth a visit. Lying on the north or opposite side of the Inn to Igls, and to the east of Innsbruck, it can be reached either by the prosaic post-road which traverses the Valley, or from Igls by the beautiful Ellbogen road--a branch of the Brenner road dating from Roman times--pa.s.sing over the Mittelgebirge and through Igls, Lans, Aldrans, Ampa.s.s, across the bridge over the Inn to Hall, which is somewhat longer. Equally picturesque, perhaps one might say even more so, is yet another road (the one we preferred) which skirts the lower slopes of the towering peaks of the Bavarian Alps, and pa.s.ses through the villages of Arzl, Rum, and Thaur. There are also the alternatives of the Brenner railway, and the tramway for those who are poor walkers or are pressed for time.

[Sidenote: SOME PRETTY VILLAGES]

From Muhlau onwards one has most exquisite views of the broad and fertile valley, and the magnificent mountains which tower above the wooded slopes, swelling gently upward from the Inn, in wild and craggy peaks of rugged beauty. This walk is rendered additionally attractive and picturesque for all who are interested in folk-lore, or who are able to enter into the legend and religion of the people, by the pilgrimage chapels which are found along the route. One of the most charming of these in all Tyrol is that of Arzl, which, standing on a wooded knoll, is brilliant with colour, a gem of its kind in a charming setting of dark green. The little church of Maria Loreto built by the religiously inclined Anna Katharina Gonzaga, second wife of Ferdinand II., was once a famous pilgrimage place, but of late years has been much less resorted to than formerly. The interior is, however, well worth inspection. The wood carvings and iron work are both interesting, as are also the old engravings which hang upon the walls, and the curious black Virgin and Child upon the Altar.

Arzl, Rum, and Thaur are all picturesquely situated, nestling as they do on the lower slopes of the great limestone peaks, the first named standing at the foot of the Burgstall which rises majestically to a height of nearly three thousand five hundred feet. Many of the houses in these three villages are most elaborately decorated with mural paintings; in some instances the whole of the fronts are so adorned, and often ma.s.ses of corn hang on trellis work on the walls. The effect of the brilliant tints of the paintings and the coloured window frames gives an additionally picturesque air to the little villages. Seen in summer the gay effect is perhaps a little neutralized, but in winter, when the landscape is more cheerless and there is a background of snow and grey-green rocks, the picture formed is a unique and wonderfully cheering one.

Concerning Thaur, where so many houses have either a painting or an image of a man with a bear upon their fronts, there is a legend of St.

Romedius, who centuries ago came riding into the village blessed with a keen appet.i.te gained by exercise in the invigorating mountain air.

Whilst the saint was engaged in satisfying his hunger, a wandering bear, so the legend goes, was so impressed with the holy man's accomplishment in this respect that he promptly (for want of other food) emulated it by eating Romedius' horse. On coming out to renew his journey the Saint was astounded at the disappearance of his steed.

He, however, seems to have guessed what had happened, and forthwith preached the bear such a sermon upon his iniquitous conduct that he was not only moved to penitence, but also sought to make amends by offering himself as a subst.i.tute for the Saint's former steed.

Although the proposal might appear to us as accompanied with some considerable risk when the bear once more became hungry, the Saint accepted it, and ultimately set forth on his strange steed to a cave in the mountains north of Thaur, where they lived for some considerable time without mishap. One day, however, as the holy man slept, a troublesome fly came buzzing round his head, and the sleeper failed to drive it away, with the result that the bear (who we are told had all this time watched over his master with great solicitude) came to the rescue and sought to get rid of it; however, without success. The fly returned again and again to the charge, and the bear in desperation aiming a blow at the fly, alas! struck and killed the Saint. This time the grief of the bear was, of course, of no avail, so he would eat nothing and gradually pined away, ultimately dying of hunger.

This story, though it has its comical side, is not, however, held to be disrespectful to the life and character of Romedius, who is one of the best esteemed Tyrolese saints. It appears more than probable, however, that Romedius (whether killed by his companion the bear or not) actually died in the Nonsthal, South Tyrol, where there are, strange to say, villages of somewhat similar names to those we have mentioned, namely, Torro, Rumo, and Arz.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE MARKET PLACE, HALL]

[Sidenote: HALL AND ITS MuNSTERTURM]

Hall, which is one of the most picturesque, busy, and interesting little towns in the neighbourhood of Innsbruck, with some 6000 inhabitants, dates from the time of the Roman occupation of Tyrol. By the well-known historian, Beda Weber, the name is stated to have been derived from the Greek word [Greek: halos], salt; the reason for such derivation from an unlikely language he does not, however, in any way seek to explain. As one enters the town one is at once struck by the strange and quaint mingling of the picturesque with the utilitarian, the rural with the mediaeval. Long before one reaches the town one sees in the distance the greenish copper cupolas of the Pfaarkirche or Parish Church which has so fine a Gothic portal and interesting relics, around whose walls shops are grouped; and rising above the other less lofty and less time-mellowed buildings, the ma.s.sive Gothic tower known as the Munsterturm with its red "pepper-box" roof of Roman origin, although the present tower was built by Duke Sigismund, the famous son of Frederick of the Empty Purse. A steeply ascending street leads to the market square, in which the Pfaarkirche and Rathaus stand opposite each other. And in this and contiguous streets there are many quaint balconies, gabled roofs, and old-time architectural features to interest and charm the artist and antiquarian visitor.

Although Hall has somewhat declined as a commercial centre with the rise of its big neighbour, Innsbruck, it is still a place of considerable activity on account, chiefly, of the famous salt mines.

In former times these and its position on the banks of the Inn (then much more navigable) gave the place importance under the rule of the Counts of Tyrol, and the earlier of the Austrian princes; many barges and boats from the Danube itself in former times making their way into the Inn and thence to the flourishing town of Hall. The salt works still remain its princ.i.p.al industry. Hall is, as things go in Tyrol, a distinctly smoky town; but it is seldom that the smoke hangs in the clear and fresh Alpine air which sweeps along the Inn valley down from the environing hills.

The Munsterturm, mint tower, which, as we have said, is so prominent an object on approaching the town, is of historical interest from the fact that it was built to enable Duke Sigismund, known as the Rich, to turn into coin his great store of silver taken from the Tyrol mountains. It was from this tower, too, that Andreas Hofer issued his Kreuzer and twenty Kreuzer pieces during the period of his brief dictatorship.

As was the case with many another Tyrolean town, Hall suffered in the past from the calamities which afflicted so many similar places in the Middle Ages. It was swept in turn by fire, sword, and pestilence, and shaken to its foundations by the earthquake which occurred in 1670. So severe was the shock, we are told, that the watchman on the parapet of the church tower was thrown off and killed by falling to the ground, and the people fled out of their houses to the open fields where their priests exhorted them to prepare for the Day of Judgment. That the alarm created was very great is borne out by the fact that, although the loss of life would appear from contemporary sources of information to have been slight, for some time afterwards the services of the church were all performed in the open air. Hall, however, chiefly on account of its salt mine resources, recovered, and these and the many privileges the burghers enjoyed enabled them in time to regain their former prosperity.

The town played an important part in the various wars which had Tyrol for their battleground during the Middle Ages; and during the Patriotic War the people of Hall were not less brave and self-sacrificing than those of other places. One gallant deed in especial of that long struggle for freedom is directly connected with the town. In May, 1809, Joseph Speckbacher (who was born on a Gnadenwald farm near Hall in 1767) and his troops attacked the Bavarians at Volders, near Hall, and after blowing up the bridge behind him he marched to the relief of the latter town, which was held by the Bavarian troops. These had artillery, and were also numerically stronger and better armed, so that the task set before the patriot force was no slight one. Happily, Speckbacher became aware that the Bavarians were short of ammunition, and therefore when a truce was proposed he refused to agree to it. The Bavarians after, as they thought, completely destroying the Hall bridge, which they held as well as the town, retreated. Calling upon his men to follow him, Speckbacher led them boldly on to the then dangerous and tottering structure, entered the town and pursued the Bavarians.

[Sidenote: AN INTERESTING CHURCH]

In the churchyard is an interesting wooden crucifix carved by Joseph Stocker in 1691, as well as some monuments of the princ.i.p.al Hall families of former times. The church itself should be visited, if only for the "Salvator Mundi" by Albrecht Durer painted on a panel, and the high altar-piece by a pupil of the master Reubens, named Erasmus Quillinus. One of the chapels, the Waldaufische, was built in 1493 by Florian von Waldauf, who, originally a peasant boy, entered the Imperial Army and ultimately became one of the confidential advisers of the Emperor Frederick and his son, afterwards Maximilian I. He was also enn.o.bled and given considerable estates. He met with many adventures on his journeys into foreign lands, and on one of his expeditions was in so terrible a storm as to be threatened with shipwreck, and he vowed if his life was spared that he would found a chapel in his native land. As events turned out, he lived to reach Tyrol once more, and in accordance with his vow founded the chapel in the church at Hall, which was also the parish church of Rettenburg Castle and estates which Maximilian had granted to him. Upon this chapel he bestowed numerous relics which he had acquired during his various travels, and nearly 50,000 pilgrims came from all parts of Tyrol to the consecration service.

More than one of the chapels and churches of Hall owe their origin to special circ.u.mstances of a more or less romantic character. That of St. Saviour, for example, which stands on the site of some tumbledown hovels which existed in the first years of the fifteenth century. The story goes that it was to a dying man in one of these that one of the priests attached to the village church was summoned to convey the Viatic.u.m, and administer extreme unction and the last rites of the Church. He came in due course to the hovel, and placing the sacred vessels on a rickety table the latter collapsed and the Host was thrown on to the floor. This was, of course, a terrible disaster in the eyes of the priest and peasants; and a rich burgher, Johann von Kripp by name, hearing of the circ.u.mstance, purchased the cottages, and as a reparation for the sacrilege which had occurred, founded a church on the spot, dedicated to the Redeemer.

The Hall records are of great interest, and show that the town was a place of much importance in the fifteenth century, when a considerable part of the trade between Venice and Germany pa.s.sed through it. In those days, too, the town was somewhat celebrated for its junketings, more especially the feasts which were held in connection with the opening of the sessions at the Courts of Justice.

The neighbourhood, on account of the good sport provided, was a favourite hunting-ground with the Emperor Maximilian, who on several occasions was entertained in the town.

Hall declined slowly in importance during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries by reason of the change in the trade routes; but in quite modern times has regained some at least of its former prosperity by adopting up-to-date methods.

There are numerous excellent and interesting excursions to be made from Hall, but nearly every one pays a visit to the famous salt mines, which are to the north amid most romantic and beautiful scenery. Even by carriage the journey of about eight miles takes the greater part of two hours; on foot even good walkers can scarcely hope to do it in less than three. The scenery is in places very fine, and one enjoys most beautiful views, and nearer glimpses of the Bettelwulf, Speckkar and Nisslspitz Alps.

[Sidenote: ABSAM AND JAKOB STAINER]