Josef Eisensteck
Josef Eisensteck (born April 1, 1779 in Matrei am Brenner , † May 1, 1827 in Gries near Bozen ) was a Tyrolean freedom fighter and kk major .
Life
Eisensteck came from a poor background. He grew up in Matrei until his family moved to Gries near Bozen in 1790. His father was a binder and found work there easily. Josef was drawn to the military at an early age: at the age of seventeen, he joined an Austrian regiment as a volunteer.
In 1802 he married a landlord's daughter and in the same year took over the “Badl” inn in Gries together with his wife. From then on he was simply called the “Badlwirt” after this.
In 1805 Tyrol passed from Austria to the newly established Kingdom of Bavaria in the course of the Napoleonic Wars . In 1809 Eisensteck participated in the Tyrolean struggle for freedom against the Bavarians and their French patrons. He was at the forefront and proved to be particularly brave and determined. The high commander of the Tyrolean, Andreas Hofer , heard of his actions and called him to his side. Eisensteck contributed significantly to the victory of the Tyrolean riflemen in the Second Battle of Bergisel (May 25 and 29, 1809).
The young “Badlwirt” from Gries also proved himself as an imperial courier. In the autumn of 1809, Emperor Franz I entrusted him with the honorable and dangerous task of secretly smuggling a very large amount of money from Vienna to Tyrol in order to support the Tyrolean rebels and also gave Andreas Hofer a gift of honor (a large gold medal with the bust of the Emperor on a chain). Eisensteck mastered this task and brought everything to Innsbruck well. After the Peace of Schönbrunn and the general amnesty proclaimed by the French , Eisensteck laid down his arms. In 1810 he received the rank of major in the Austrian army for his services . Furthermore, he was awarded the middle gold civil medal of honor "Honori" and the Army Cross for 1813/14 for his services , whereby these awards can also be found on the pictorial representations known to him.
After the war, Eisensteck returned home and was again host in the Grieser "Badl". He died at the age of forty-eight on May 1, 1827 and is buried in the old Gries cemetery , where his tombstone is still preserved today.
In 1885 a marble plaque was attached to the Badl-Wirtshaus with the following wording:
- "Remembrance of the Imperial and Royal Major Josef Eisenucken, Tyrolean Landsturm-Commander and freedom fighter in three campaigns: 1797, 1809 and 1813, who lived in this house as an owner until his death on May 1st, 1827".
In the autumn of 1934 the Italian fascist city administration demolished the inn because they wanted to create a new square (IV.-November-Platz). The table was brought to safety by some farmers from Gries. On February 20, 1989, a memorial was erected in honor of Eisensteck at Grieser Platz - a bust on a porphyry stone on which the marble plaque was attached. The Gries rifle company named itself after Josef Eisensteck.
literature
- Rudolf von Granichstaedten-Czerva: Josef Eisensteck . Ditterich, Innsbruck 1940.
- Josef Eisensteck. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 1, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1957, p. 237.
- Oscar Criste: Eisensteck, Josef . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 48, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1904, pp. 322-324.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hannes Obermair , Fabrizio Miori, Maurizio Pacchiani (eds.): Lavori in Corso - The Bozner Freiheitsstraße . La Fabbrica del Tempo - The Time Factory, Bozen 2020, ISBN 978-88-943205-2-7 , p. 55 .
- ↑ Bruno Mahlknecht : Major Eisensteck and his memorial. The “Badlwirt” from Gries was one of Andreas Hofer's most important advisors . In: Dolomiten , February 18, 2004, p. 18
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Eisensteck, Josef |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Tyrolean freedom fighter and kk major |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 1, 1779 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Matrei am Brenner |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 1, 1827 |
| Place of death | Gries near Bozen |