Horn sledge
The horn sledge (also Horner , Horen or Schnabler in southern Germany ) is a special sledge and was originally a work tool (winter wagon ) used by mountain farmers who used it to transport their hay from remote alpine huts down into the valley or to bring felled wood to the farm; For years, however, the horn sledge has mostly only been used for sporting competitions and as a decoration.
Construction and function
The horn sled gets its name from the runners that are extended upwards at the front and are used to steer and push the sled and as handles. The slide is steered by pushing and pulling on these horns , which slightly warps the frame, which affects the running direction of the runners . In addition, it is controlled and braked with your feet in the snow. In addition, this type of sled is partly equipped with side brakes, the paws , two bars with iron brake fittings, but these are ineffective in soft snow. Poles also protrude to the left and right, which are used to secure the load against slipping and to hold on and handle.
The horn sled can be guided by a person who sits between the horns at the front. Heavier types are designed for a two-man crew, the handlebars at the front and the brakes at the rear - sometimes there are also shaped bars at the back. Sometimes a third or fourth man is also involved, i.e. the runners who push the sled and help to control the device by shifting their weight during the journey. In some places the sledge was also operated with a rod with iron spikes, the stackl (see pegs ). In Bavaria, this brake or handlebar is called a Starzbaum, hence the name Starzer for the handlebars or brakes on the horn sled, which was also carried over to Schwiggers' work .
Many original horn sledges of various local types and designs can be viewed in local museums today , and they are also used on traditional occasions. Today some of them are being rebuilt according to the historical models in the old construction.
Historical meaning
The horn sledge is a classic piece of equipment used in mountain farming in the Alps and low mountain ranges such as the Black Forest . or in the Vosges in France. It is still used today for the transport of hay ( mountain hay , alpine mowing ) cut at great heights to the farm , as well as the removal of felled long and logs .
This hay and wood pulling was one of the most dangerous jobs of the old mountain farmer's life, with a high accident and death rate. Due to the arduous winter ascent, the sledges were loaded as heavily as possible with the heavy equipment and weighed easily more than a ton with hay, and even more with wood - there was often a second sled at the back as a trailer (Schloapf, Gfa) . Sometimes entire convoys were put together.
Driven by one man, possibly the second at the back to brake and additional runners, the descent was an undertaking that was difficult to control. In addition, you had to rely on sufficient snow, and the best hay and wood pulling time was the one for which the highest avalanche warning level applies today, namely with a lot of snow that had fallen in a very short time on a hard surface. This offers guidance without braking the sledge too much and a lower risk of getting stuck (which would have drawn the help and ridicule of other farmers). Therefore, the number of avalanche victims while sledging was probably similar to that of those who were run over by sleds ("eaten") or who fell in the field.
Even today, for example, the Salzburg Agricultural and Forestry Employee Protection Ordinance in Section 18 (3) :
“Pulling wood with a sledge may only be carried out by experienced employees and only if the condition of the sled path ensures the safest possible operation. Sleds must be equipped with operational brakes. The load must be secured against slipping. When going downhill, an appropriate safety distance must be maintained between the individual sleds. "
In addition, the horn sled was in historical times used for various usages such as parades, the settling of Brautguts ( dowry ), as well as in funeral processions .
Sledding
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In Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland there are active clubs for horn sled races, a variant of natural track tobogganing . A European championship will also be held.
The racing sleds are custom-made and no longer have much in common with the original horn sledges. There is a threesome to drive: The team consists of a handlebar who carries ski boots with screwed-on steel plates for steering and braking, a brakeman and, if necessary, a runner - the functions are the same as those in the four-man bobsleigh . Regulations are common.
Important events are the Bavarian championship in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Epiphany (January 6th), numerous events in the classic ski resorts of the Austrian Alps (championships with changing venues, racing series and trophies).
Other Events
In Alt St. Johann in Toggenburg , Switzerland , a race with horn sledges decorated in a carnival style is held every February.
In Gaißach near Bad Tölz, the Gaißach Schnabler and sledge race takes place during the carnival season. From a bet born in 1928, a fun event with around 6000 spectators annually has developed, twice as many as the town has inhabitants.
Others
The only ship post line in Austria (for the transport of consignments), which until around 1990 led only 1 km from the train station to Hallstatt (Upper Austria) across Lake Hallstatt , was handled by horn sledge in winter when the ice wore out.
literature
- Joachim Köninger: Loop, sledge, wheel and wagon: on the question of early means of transport north of the Alps . Janus, 2002 (round table Hemmenhofen October 10, 2001).
- Herta Maurer-Lausegger : About sledges… In: Documentation of old folk culture in dialect . Hermagoras, 1999, ISBN 978-3-85013-684-6 (synchronized German version).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gaißacher Schnabler and sled races
- ↑ Horn sledding, a sport that maintains tradition
- ↑ a b Harald Haller, Franz Lanthaler: Passeirer dictionary. Verlag Passier, 2004
- ↑ badische-zeitung.de, Local. Münstertal , August 17, 2011, Eberhard Gross: The sledge firmly under control (September 1, 2011)
- ↑ See e.g. B. Official homepage of the city of La Bresse, in German Woll, archive link ( Memento of the original from July 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Hans Haid: Mythos Lawine: A cultural history. Studienverlag, 2008, ISBN 3-7065-4493-8
- ^ Agricultural and forestry employee protection ordinance LGBl. No. 53/1977 as amended: LGBl. No. 34/1983, salzburg.gv.at, PDF
- ↑ Gottlieb Schweiger: The castle keep stable - the history of the communities Rangersdorf and stable . Stable 1978.
- ↑ The rural customs in Stall. SAGEN.at, accessed on February 2, 2009 .
- ↑ For example: Horenschlitten club Habkern (ed.): Regulations Horenschlitten race . Habkern 2003 ( pdf ).
- ↑ Flying sledges in the Schnabler race Münchner Merkur
- ↑ Telephone conversation with Karoline Hemetsberger, CEO of Hallstättersee Schifffahrt Hemetsberger GmbH on April 21, 2015
