Bleiburg meadow market
The Bleiburger Wiesenmarkt is an annual folk festival that has been held in Bleiburg in the Austrian state of Carinthia since 1393 . For some time now, it has been held on the day of Aegydius (September 1st) on four consecutive days and is considered the largest event of its kind in Lower Carinthia. Attached is an exhibition of agricultural machinery, which underlines the regional economic importance of this event.
history
prehistory
After the fall of the Auffenstein family , the castle and town of Bleiburg fell to the Austrian dukes in 1369 and became the fourth princely town in Carinthia after St. Veit an der Glan , Völkermarkt and Klagenfurt . Duke Leopold himself supervised the reconstruction of the city and, together with his brother Duke Albrecht, renewed the city charter granted by Count Ulrich von Pfannberg in 1325 . It comprised 20 points and had a special feature: the right to the ban mile . This means that within a 7.5 km radius of the city only Bleiburg craftsmen and innkeepers were allowed to offer their goods, except on the days when the meadow market took place.
In 1386 Duke Leopold fell in the battle of Sempach in the war against the Confederates and the ducal vassal Haug von Tybein cared little for the prince's estate Bleiburg. From 1392 Duke Albrecht provided him with Rudolf von Pernegg as a carer. This nursing office lasted until the middle of the 19th century.
Granting of market rights
In order to further promote the development of the city, Duke Albrecht granted the Bleiburgers on March 16, 1393 the right to hold a meadow market, which at that time had to take place around August 15.
Here it says (abbreviated):
- "We Albrecht von gotsgnaden hertzog ze Austria, ze Steyr, ze Kernden and ze krain, grave ze Tirol etc. confess and do khundt ... that we have considered the trew and frumbkhait of our brewing of the burgers common ze Pleiburg ... , the sy nu ... daselbs ze Pleiburg all jar on our Frawen day to the divorce in August, two days before and the next day after ainen open freyn jarmarkht sullen have a sales team and business with allerlay and also give everyone the right, grace and keep free and good ... "
For a short time the market was located within the city walls; then it developed into the largest cattle market in Lower Carinthia, so that it had to be moved outside. Linked to the economic success was the expansion into a popular folk festival , which has been preserved to this day.
development
The very first market brought disputes with it, so Duke Albrecht had a city judge elected from among the Bleiburg citizens to ensure law and order. However, death sentences for "maleficent persons" did not fall within his jurisdiction.
In 1428, the brothers Jörg and Hans Gutensteiner made it possible to enlarge the market square by making another meadow available - in return for being awarded the Sorgendorf Castle. A contract on the Wiesenmarkt tax from July 22nd, 1428 is still valid today. Every year a red bag should be handed over for the meadow, "which is worth 14 Viennese pfennigs and contains 2 loth of nutmeg and nails ..." . In 1441, Duke Albrecht, brother of King Friedrich von Habsburg, confirmed the city of Bleiburg its trading rights .
Adaptations
- The painter Werner Berg (1904–1981) was an avid visitor to the Wiesenfest; he converted his observations into pictures, for example “Agricultural Machinery” (1967) or “Shooting Gallery” (1958). The Wiesenmarkt takes up a large part of his work. His works can be seen in the Werner Berg Museum in Bleiburg.
- The artist Kiki Kogelnik (1935–1997) was born in Bleiburg; she designed the new Freyungs fountain on the main square, where the market and court square used to be. A monumental, forged bull's head was included in the design; the bull is the heraldic animal of Bleiburg and symbol of the apostle Luke, the patron of the city.
literature
- Othmar Mory, Historical stories from and about Bleiburg, A walk through the centuries of a small town in Lower Carinthia, Bleiburg 2005. (Chapter 8 Market and Wiesenmarkt 76-85.)
- Othmar Mory, Moments from Bleiburg's History, Bleiburg 2007.
