Isidor Muller

Isidor Muller

Isidor Müller (born April 3, 1827 in Landeck , † July 20, 1900 in Innsbruck ) was a Tyrolean lawyer, writer, publisher, photographer, alpinist and promoter of tourism.

Live and act

Müller's legal career

Isidor Müller was born as the seventh of ten children of Josef Müller and Notburga Winkler in the Landeck district of Bruggen. Despite tight financial circumstances, his father made it possible for him to study law, which he completed at the University of Innsbruck . After receiving his doctorate in law on July 22, 1861, Müller turned to the notarial profession. After several years of practical training, he began his notarial career in Hopfgarten in 1872. In the years 1875 and 1876 he practiced in Reutte. During this time he published a series of articles on the notarial system and its development in Tyrol. In January 1877 the Lieutenancy approved the relocation of his law firm to Silz , where his legal career soon came to an abrupt end: after complaints from the population about various negligence in his office, Müller was suspended from work by a disciplinary senate of the Chamber of Notaries and as a result completely relieved of his office; this although he could not be blamed for anything dishonorable. Afterwards, Müller was unable to gain a foothold in his traditional profession as a lawyer. Nevertheless, he did not let his knowledge, which he had acquired as a notary, lie idle: In autumn 1888, a work with the title Notulus - The self-notary for Tyrol and Vorarlberg , which was not legally educated, appeared in Karl Lampe's printing works in Imst Legal practitioners should be able to create documents and court submissions themselves without the need for legal counsel. The first delivery of the work was confiscated at the request of the Imst District Authority by the Innsbruck Regional Court on the grounds that a certain text passage in the notulus constituted the crime of lese majesty .

Playwright, poet and poet

Isidor Müller's urge to become a writer gained recognition very early on. As early as 1852 he published the prose story s' Christili by Valgenair , which despite the young age of the author can be considered his masterpiece. The work was last performed in a dramatized form in 2004. At the age of 26, Müller published the historical drama Friedrich with the empty pocket , which took place in the Innsbruck National Theater in the 1960s. Most of his stage works were performed by groups of amateur actors. Since this often happened without his knowledge, the man who had been cheated about the royalties placed advertisements in the country's popular daily newspapers, in which he reminded them that the public performance of his works without his prior consent was also not permitted for amateur stages. With the one-act play The Dance Lesson on the Alm , Müller was able to win over the audience of the Innsbruck City Theater. The play, described by the press as a “dramatic alpine joke”, was successfully performed at the international exhibition in Vienna by an actor company from Brixlegg.

Müller added literary works in free and bound language to the dramatic poems. A selection of his works is at ALO and in the Dr. Tessmann available in digital form. His epic poems, of which The Bride of the Imperial Hunter is the best known, seem antiquated and clumsy today. The hymn Der Deutsche Wald , written by Josef Pembaur the Elder, became known beyond the borders of Tyrol . Ä. was set to music. Müller dedicated the cyclist song for which the choir conductor A. Steiner wrote the piano accompaniment to the Tyrolean Cyclists Association . Müller was the first Tyrolean poet to prepare a complete edition of his poetic works. This should have appeared in three deliveries. The first two series went on sale in 1896 and 1897, the third delivery, which should have appeared before the turn of the century, was no longer realized.

Travel guide writer

In addition to literary literature, Isidor Müller has also written several travel guides. Two of these “guide books” stand out from the other works of this genre in that they are written in poetry. Müller wrote the guide through the Upper Inn Valley to Bludenz on behalf of the Austrian Tourist Club . The work appeared just in time for the opening of the Arlbergbahn . In the Arl-Bahn memorial , Müller described - also in poetry - the 100 most beautiful points on the Arlbergbahn route. This remarkable booklet is one of the earliest tourist advertising pamphlets in Tyrol. In addition to the often involuntarily funny texts, the guide also contains an advertising section with business recommendations, which are provided with introductory lines and verses from the editor. Isidor Müller was also the author of a monograph for foreigners and locals, which was sold under the title The City of Innsbruck with Surroundings, Excursions and Day Tours . One month before his death he completed the manuscript Gedenk an's Ländle .

Müller's travel guides were only published in a very limited number. Even if it was sometimes assumed that his descriptions do not always correspond to the facts, his writings have contributed to revitalizing tourism in Tyrol. The beneficiaries of his commitment were not only the guests passing through, but also the hotel and catering industry, whose achievements are extensively recognized in Müller's works.

Designer and editor of literary magazines

In 1852 Isidor Müller published his first literary works in the literary magazine Phönix, edited by Ignaz Zingerle and Tobias Wildauer . After this project was discontinued, in 1859 Müller continued the Tyrolean monthly sheets founded by Johann Nepomuk von Alpenburg . According to his plan, this magazine should develop into a comprehensive review of all areas of spiritual life in Tyrol. Although he was able to win well-known employees for his project with the poets Johann Pfeifer and Balthasar Hunold , the hoped-for success did not materialize. In the end the magazine, which appeared only irregularly, was completely discontinued. After a note in the messenger for Tyrol, Müller also tried in the winter of 1859 to establish himself in Vienna with a periodical magazine, for which he chose the title The Austrian Academy . Twenty years later, in 1879, Müller tried one last time as a newspaper publisher. The magazine, which appears every five weeks, was called Tirolerstufen and contained well-known and tried-and-tested things from the poet's earlier creative periods, which were supplemented by new works. In the last section of this periodical publication, topics from the areas of tourism and mountaineering were dealt with. Arriving late and the lack of proven employees brought this project down too.

The photographer Isidor Müller

Bas-relief by Alexander Colin, published by Verlag Würthle & Spinnhirn

Isidor Müller took command of the Silz fire brigade on August 4, 1876

Isidor Müller dealt with the possibilities that photography offered at a time when Anton Gratl, the brothers Bopp and CA Czichna, the pioneers of photography in Tyrol, had not even opened their studios and salons. In April 1862, an Innsbruck daily reported - initially without naming his name - about Müller's plan to take photographs of the largest sculptural art treasure in Innsbruck - the marble reliefs on the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I in the Innsbruck Court Church - and to make it accessible to a larger public through reproduction. To do this, the doctor who had just received his doctorate in law had to obtain the approval of the chief steward's office, which was given to him without hesitation. As a result, he publicly offered the right to publish an Kaiser Maximilian album to art and booksellers in Germany in various newspapers, including the Münchner Allgemeine Zeitung , within 3 months of which he committed himself for a "worthy fee" Send in matrices of the 24 bas-reliefs, as well as the portraits of Margarete von Sachsen, to whose memory the album was dedicated, and of the creator of the work of art, Alexander Colin . Within a year, Müller then wanted to deliver the historical text in German, English, Italian and French. A request for a support contribution of 300 guilders for the publication of this album was rejected by the Tyrolean state parliament, which, however, did not prevent Müller from implementing his project. The photos of the bas-reliefs did not come from himself, but were made on his behalf by the Munich photographer Danner. They were exhibited in the Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck and in the Germanic Museum in Nuremberg. Photographs of the reliefs could be obtained from the art dealer of Johann Groß, among others. It has not yet been decided whether the pictures sold by the publishers Würthle & Spinnhirn after 1874 came from Danner's photo plates or whether they were made by the publisher himself.

As an entry in a business directory published in 1879 shows, Müller was also active as a photographer - at least as a part-time job. In the Tyrolean stages , Müller offered the readers “Tyrolean pictures for the stereoscope”, which he wanted to elevate “with the help of the word into an educational tool for home and school”. The demand for these pictures does not seem to have been great; in any case, hardly anything has been preserved from his photographic legacy. His pictures of the construction of the Arlberg tunnel, which were also exhibited in Innsbruck, attracted attention. In Silz and Telfs, photographs of the fire brigades have been preserved that can be clearly assigned to Isidor Müller.

The alpinist

In 1875 Müller founded the Reutte section of the German and Austrian Alpine Association, which he headed until his notary's office was relocated to Silz. He was secretary in the Innsbruck-Landeck-Bludenz Alpine Association , an offshoot of the Austrian Tourist Club . The enthusiastic mountaineer and nature lover wrote numerous articles about hiking trails and mountain huts, which were printed in the Austrian tourist newspaper. In letters that he addressed to a fictional friend named Philoräa and published in the messenger for Tyrol and in the Tyrolean stages , he developed his ideas about alpinism , which he defined as a "cult", the ideal of which is more or less common, organized enthusiasm and care of the alpine nature. He vehemently opposed the opinion, represented by conservative circles, that tourism was "deceiving" the local population. H. negative influence. On July 26, 1875, Müller, in the company of Theodor Petersen and the guide Kaspar Neuner, achieved the first ascent of the 3353 m high Rofelewand , one of the most beautiful mountains of the Kaunergrat between Pitztal and Kaunertal.

Appreciation

Isidor Müller was an extremely active, almost restless person who had many talents. However, his fickleness and moods prevented him from deriving lasting economic benefit from his talents. These traits and his rough, at times insulting manner were the main reasons why he lost his position as a notary. With the impeachment, the material basis of the once socially respected man was shaken. When his wife also turned away from him and demanded a divorce, he turned his back on ordinary work and lived on the support of his relatives. Excessive alcohol consumption made his situation even worse. Despite these strokes of fate, Müller never gave himself up completely. The fact that he repeatedly managed to find sponsors for his projects suggests that he knew how to win over people. After the death of his brother-in-law Anton Haid (Sternwirt in Imst), he moved from house to house during the summer months to sell his writings. During the cold season he was accepted into the Kapfer'schen men's supply house in Innsbruck. Even in the last phase of his life he showed a great thirst for knowledge and was often seen in the reading room of the Ferdinandeum. He died lonely and abandoned as he had lived on July 20, 1900. With him, a man was buried who recognized very early on that specific information about the advantages of a vacation home and the possibilities offered to the guest there is the basis for a prosperous development of tourism. His body was buried at the municipal cemetery in Innsbruck.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Der Bote für Tirol, Jg. 1875, pages 542, 416, 1137 and 1153 (the last article deals with the fee system and the specialist book).
2. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, January 13, 1877, p. 2
3. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, January 28, 1879, p. 3 and April 21, 1880, p. 3
4. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, September 27, 1888, p. 4
5. ^ Lienzer Zeitung, August 18, 1888 edition, p. 3
6. ^ Zobl, Georg: Dr. Isidor Müller, a forgotten Tyrolean poet. In: Tiroler Heimatblätter 81 (2006), p. 24
7. ↑ Chronicle of Innsbruck, written by Carl Unterkircher 1897, ad anno 1863, October 25th, Feldkircher Zeitung, August 20th 1864, p. 2.
8. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, November 3, 1897, p. 7
9. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, January 15, 1897, p. 5. Director Franz von Jauner was in charge of the performance .
10. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten March 7, 1898, p. 5
11. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, October 19, 1896, April 3, 1897, p. 4, December 9, 1897, p. 2.
12. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, November 4, 1882, p. 5, Feldkircher Anzeiger May 29, 1883, p. 4.
13. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, May 30, 1899, p. 9
14. ↑ Feldkircher Zeitung, May 7, 1890, p. 3
15. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, April 22, 1913, p. 1.
16. ↑ There is no evidence in the literature for the assumption that Müller also directed the phoenix.
17. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, April 13, 1913, features by Paul Weitlaner, Wörgl, p. 1 f
18. ^ Bote für Tirol, December 28, 1859, p. 1252, column "Correspondence", penultimate sentence; see also Alfred Estermann: Die Deutschen Literaturzeitschriften 1850–1880, Bibliographien - Programs; P. 200
19. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, April 2, 1862, p. 651
20. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung (Munich), supplement to the edition of July 18, 1862 ,. No. 199, page 3316
21. ↑ Volksblatt für Tirol and Vorarlberg, No. 11, March 17, 1863, p. 86; 23rd session of the Landtag in this session
22. ↑ Die Dioskuren: German art newspaper: Hauptorgan d. dt. Kunstvereine, Volume 7, Page 391, Bote für Tirol, August 28, 1862, p. 820
23. ↑ Address book for photography and related subjects, ed. Verlag der Photographischen Correspondenz, 1879; Reprint: Vienna: Bodo Kralik, 1981, states Imst as the company location on p. 65
24. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten, November 13, 1880 and December 13, 1880
25. ↑ Kind communication from the Silz local chronicler Johann Zauner with picture credits
26. ^ Bote für Tirol, 1885, pages 1382, 1390, 1399, 1904
27. ↑ Tirolerstufen, Blätter für patriotic poetry, history, nature, tourism and club affairs, 1879, p. 62, alo picture 66. In the Wiki Lemma Rofelewand, July 24, 1873 is given as the day of the first ascent
28. ↑ In the Innsbrucker Nachrichten, October 6, 1900, p. 9, Adolf Pichler calls him "a coarse Zoch with whom it was not easy to get along"
29. ↑ On the issue of whether Müller died on July 20 or 21, see Georg Zobl: Dr. Isidor Müller, a forgotten Tyrolean poet. in: Tiroler Heimatblätter 81 (2006), pp. 19–24