Klushund

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The Klushund is a legendary figure from Vorarlberg . The demonic animal form is loud forecast back to the traitor in the Thirty Years' War the city Bregenz to the Swedish army under General Wrangel is said to have betrayed. Wrangel had promised the traitor the golden bowling game at Hohenbregenz Castle for his deed . According to legend, the traitor for his outrage has to run forever as a big black dog , usually described with plate-sized shining eyes, on the former Roman road on the mountain edge from north to south through the country. An encounter with the threatening beast brings sickness, suffering or plague in the legends.

Historical basis for the legend

The legend of the Klushund, was where this alleged traitor turns (including a certain Biggl of Lochau), which the Swedes the secret path to the fortifications of the hermitage past should have shown is based on historical documents and reports not traceable or provable . The military defeat against the Swedes was self-inflicted, with the legend an attempt was made to subsequently conceal this failure of the militarily and politically responsible persons. When the Swedes attacked Bregenz on January 4, 1647, the fortifications were partially bypassed, were poorly manned or the motivation of the defenders to fight was low and they were poorly equipped. The organization of the defense by those responsible militarily and politically had already been fundamentally poor and the population was tired of war. Many of the local military leaders were only concerned about their own safety or wanted to bring their assets to safety and have demonstrably left the defenders of the simple classes , farmers, servants, craftsmen and citizens in the lurch. Also, for reasons of economy, the divided Vorarlberg estates had sent back Colonel Kaspar Schoch, who was experienced in war, with his troops, which were provided by the imperial government, and raised and carried out the defense with their own forces, although these were not sufficient and the estates from Walgau and Montafon also had little interest in making troops available at the hermitage in Lochau.

distribution

Legends of the Klushund are spread across the communities in the Vorarlberg Rhine Valley . His preferred areas to walk around are the Bregenz area and above all the so-called Kluser Wald , a once very dark and therefore feared forest area between the communities of Götzis and Klaus . The Klushund has now found its way into a variety of literary works.

Web links

literature

  • Erwin Bennat: The traitor in the Swedish War from the perspective of the Klushund . In: Ders .: Community Chronicle Lochau . Edited by the municipality of Lochau for the 800th anniversary celebration in 1986. Lochau 1986. pp. 204–208.
  • Kulturkreis Hohenems (Ed.): Emser Sagen. Lustenau 1980.
  • Richard Beitl: In the forest of legends. New legends from Vorarlberg. Feldkirch 1953.
  • Franz Elsensohn: Götzner sagas and legends. Self-published. Götzis 2000.
  • Franz Elsensohn: Ruggburg, Klushund, Felsowible. Sagas and legends from the Leiblachtal. Götzis 2005. ISBN 3-902249-89-7
  • Franz Elsensohn: Vom Klushund - Vorarlberg's most famous legend. Götzis 2013.
  • Leander Petzoldt (Ed.): Legends from Vorarlberg. Munich 1994.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See the records of the contemporary witness, Father Franz Ransberg, of the Mehrerau monastery.
  2. ↑ Erwin Bennat: Municipal Chronicle Lochau, published by the municipality of Lochau 1986, pp 204 et seq.
  3. ↑ Erwin Bennat: Municipal Chronicle Lochau, published by the municipality of Lochau 1986, pages 58 to 66th
  4. ^ Franz Ransberg, Vorarlberger War History Book 1600 to 1648, pp. 173 ff.