Ludwig Salvator of Austria-Tuscany

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Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria-Tuscany (around 1875)
Ludwig Salvator

Ludwig Salvator (born August 4, 1847 in Florence , Grand Duchy of Tuscany , † October 12, 1915 in Brandeis , Austria-Hungary ) was Archduke of Austria and Prince of Tuscany. Today he is best known for his scientific and regional studies of the Mediterranean region.

Life

Image from Son Marroig

Ludwig Salvator was the second youngest son of the ruling Grand Duke of Tuscany , Leopold II , and his wife Maria Antonia of Naples-Sicily . As a scion of the Tuscan branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine (he was a great-grandson of Emperor Leopold II through his second son Ferdinand III of Tuscany, whose son was then Ludwig's father), he enjoyed a liberal upbringing. Instead of courtly etiquette, the young Archduke preferred to study nature and several languages, as well as his chimpanzee "Gorilla". In 1859 the grand ducal family, which had recently become unpopular, had to leave Florence due to the Risorgimento and the Austrian defeat at Solferino - the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was annexed by Sardinia-Piedmont in 1860 . Ludwig Salvator now lived with his parents at Brandeis Castle near Prague . He soon realized that he was not meant to be a civil servant or a military career, but an explorer. In the late autumn of 1876 he acquired a country house with the associated lands in Zindis near Muggia south of Trieste , which was his until 1914, when he left Zindis on the advice of his cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I , in the course of the war was a permanent summer residence.

When the First World War broke out in 1914, Ludwig Salvator had to return to Brandeis Castle near Prague on imperial orders. During the war, the archduke, who was already terminally ill - he suffered from elephantiasis - published his last work “Expressions of endearment and endearing words in the Friulian language” ( furlanisch Magari un pagnut in dìe vuarê-si ben, benedete! 'A piece of bread a day is also enough, if you only love one another, my darling! ' ).

Ludwig Salvator died on October 12, 1915 at Brandeis Castle. Instead of “where the sun would have flooded his burial mound with its golden light”, “Diogenes of the princely family”, as the Spanish poet Unamuno once called him, now rests in a niche in the Capuchin crypt in Vienna .

Sea voyages

Ludwig Salvator's yacht "Nixe II"

Numerous trips in his youth had awakened Ludwig Salvator's longing for the sea and southern countries. So the emperor “put him on leave” , and in 1867 Ludwig set off on a trip to the Balearic Islands for the first time under the pseudonym “Ludwig Graf Neudorf” to study natural sciences . The main island of Mallorca and its inhabitants impressed him so much that he moved to the island three years later. As the owner of the “captain's patent for the long voyage”, he acquired a ship (“Nixe”, steam sailing yacht, launched in 1872, test drive and inauguration on February 28, 1873) which he used as his actual home.

“The urge to migrate is innate in humans. Only the so-called civilization, the many duties that man imposes on himself, brought him to a sedentary life and in no way can one pursue this natural instinct as with the help of the yacht. You can have your own work, be it literary, be it artistic, be it scientific, on board, devote yourself to it with all the aids necessary for this, and yet delight the eye with new pictures from time to time, I would say at the same time also refresh the mind with it. New walks and new trips create a means to rest while working, which one would search in vain in a permanent residence. "

Ludwig Salvator traveled the Mediterranean with the “Nixe” for decades , mostly accompanied by around 20 people, as well as dogs, cats, birds, monkeys and all sorts of other animals, so that contemporaries mockingly referred to the ship as “ Noah's Ark ”. The archduke's mixed-up travel company always caused a sensation in the ports. In addition to shipping, he was particularly interested in the scientific research of neglected islands and coastlines. For this purpose, he had drafted a questionnaire with the name “Tabulae Ludovicinae”, which comprised about 100 pages and which he handed over to educated local people, such as the mayor, doctor, teacher, judge and pastor, with the request that as many as possible and to collect precise data about their areas of work and knowledge, which he then evaluated together with his employees. Accompanied by his Mallorcan secretary Don Antoni Vives and a local guide, Ludwig Salvator often went on extensive hikes, describing the landscape, flora , fauna , population and culture of his whereabouts in great detail. With him he always had a small ink bottle in the shape of a globe, pen and paper. This resulted in a wealth of drawings that complemented his descriptions. From this data Ludwig Salvator put together extensive manuscripts which he had printed at his own expense in the form of lavishly designed books by the Prague publisher Mercy. Usually only made in an edition of 500 pieces, the Archduke gave these bibliophile rarities away to friends, employees and other people and institutions interested in his work. The well-known travel publisher Leo Woerl (1843–1918), who also wrote Ludwig Salvator's first biography, brought some of the prince's works to the book trade. Ludwig's scientific works quickly found international recognition, he received diplomas and honorary memberships from various academies and institutions. He served his close friend Jules Verne as a template for the hero of the novel Mathias Sandorf . Verne also took other suggestions and settings from the writings of Ludwig Salvator.

Researcher and chronicler of the Mediterranean

It was a major concern of Ludwig Salvator to arouse public interest in landscapes which, he found, were wrongly little known and hardly traveled. His attention was less on the classic cultural centers, but rather on small, undiscovered regions, such as the islands of Paxos and Andipaxos , Ithaka , Lefkada and Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea and the Aeolian Islands in northern Sicily , the small islands of Giglio , Ustica and Alborán and, in particular, largely those at that time unknown Balearic Islands Mallorca , Menorca , Eivissa (Ibiza) and Formentera . In 1869, the first emperor appeared Franz Joseph devoted his band of seven individual volumes in nine folios existing, about 6,000-page monumental work The Balearic Islands. Described in words and pictures, for whose first two volumes he received the gold medal at the Paris World Exhibition in 1878 . This monograph contains descriptions of animals, plants, meteorology, history, folklore, architecture, descriptions of landscapes and detailed descriptions of the population, their customs, songs and poems. In 1897 a two-volume popular edition ( Die Balearen. Described in words and pictures ) appeared with the most important illustrations and texts. It is on loan from the Geographical Society in the Austrian State Archives .

Peaceful international understanding

The Archduke was also interested in the progress of technology, which was shown in the great world exhibitions of the time. In 1881 he decided to attend the World's Fair in Melbourne , Australia. The convinced pacifist was enthusiastic about what he believed to be the peace-promoting effect of such major events. In his booklet “Some things about world expositions ”, published in 1911 - three years before the outbreak of the First World War - he wrote: “How many preconceived notions, how many prejudices are cast off when you know another people, when you live in your own country. I claim that if the individual peoples knew each other better, they would not be hostile to each other. ”He also contributed ideas for the design of the world exhibition sites, such as the demand for an infrastructure suitable for the disabled (“ wheelchair suitability ”).

Friendship with Empress Elisabeth

The ships Nixe and Miramar (right) in front of the
Sa Foradada rock
Punta de Sa Foradada of Son Marroig seen from
Loggia of Son Marroig
Round temple of Son Marroig
View from the loggia

Ludwig Salvator was friends with Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi"), who held the Archduke in high regard. She visited him twice with her yacht Miramar in Mallorca. Her absence on Christmas Eve of 1892 , her 55th birthday, which she spent with the Archduke instead of with her ascetic husband, aroused particular whispering at the Viennese court . "I hope that fat Luigi will take care of your well-being," telegraphed the worried imperial consort.

Mallorca

In the summer of 1867, Ludwig Salvator, coming from Ibiza, landed on the coast of Mallorca and began to collect and systematize data and information about the Balearic Islands. The resulting seven-volume monumental work "The Balearic Islands" is still today a reliable and precise testimony to that era.

Over the course of 30 years, the Archduke had successively acquired an entire stretch of coastline, 16 kilometers long and up to 10 kilometers deep, between the towns of Valldemossa and Deià . No tree was allowed to be felled, no house to be built on this site, and all animals that were not kept for food could enjoy an undisturbed life here until their natural death.

His main residence was Son Marroig , the other two larger estates Son Moraques and Son Miramar . For the tourists of those days who wanted to experience this stretch of coast, Ludwig Salvator had the Hospederia “Ca Madó Pilla” set up, a guest house in which travelers received three days of free accommodation. Only the "food supplies" had to be brought along. He also laid out a network of trails around 12 kilometers long into the mountains of the Sierra del Teix, which is still preserved today. He had so-called miradores built at the most beautiful viewpoints, small walls with benches from which one could admire the beauty of the coast and the sunset.

Private

In Mallorca there are countless legends and stories about the "Archiduque", the uncrowned king of the Balearic Islands, who is still valued today. Ludwig Salvator's special trademark was his extremely careless clothing. He preferred to move in the company of simple people, "from whom one can often learn more than from some scholars," and did not attach particular importance to his appearance. He wore worn out suits or the simplest of robes, had the cuffs tied with a splits (Austrian for parcel string) and was sometimes mistaken for a swineherd, sailor, cook or farm worker, to his own amusement. He once received a tip from a Mallorcan farmer whom he was helping to pull a stuck cart out of the mud. “My first self-earned money”, as he later proudly told. At the Viennese court he was considered a learned eccentric and a disguised communist , and people were very amused by his only uniform , which over the years was bursting at the seams. In response to the mockery of his wrinkled look, however, the Archduke said calmly: "Better diverse than simple-minded!"

Many stories also deal with the love life of the Archduke, who, never married, was fond of the charms of both sexes and especially the beauty of the Mallorcan women. The Archduke is said to have looked after his numerous illegitimate children. A special place in this amorous kaleidoscope is the carpenter's daughter Catalina Homar , who under the wing of her mentor enjoyed an excellent education, learned several languages ​​and advanced to the manager of his wineries. The center of her life was the small country house S'Estaca, designed by Ludwig Salvator based on a model on the Aeolian Islands. Malvasia grapes, among other things, ripened on the adjacent lands , for whose wines the Archduke and his winemaker received numerous prizes at international exhibitions, even in America. On a trip to Jerusalem, Catalina is said to have contracted leprosy , from which she died in 1905. Today the S'Estaca house is inhabited by Hollywood star Michael Douglas , who is a big fan of the “Archidux” and recently initiated the “Costa Nord” information center in Valldemossa.

Works (selection)

  • The Djebel Esdoum. 1873.
  • Levkosia, the capital of Cyprus. 1873.
  • A yacht trip to the Syrten. Prague 1874.
  • A drive in the Gulf of Corinth. Prague 1876.
  • Los Angeles in Southern California. 2nd Edition. Woerl, Würzburg / Vienna 1885.
  • The caravan route from Egypt to Syria. Würzburg 1878 ( scan of the edition from Heinr. Mercy, Prague 1879 in the Google book search).
  • The Balearic Islands. 7 volumes. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1869–1891, DNB 560697449 , in addition some separate impressions and a two-volume Spanish edition Las Baleares (1887) as well as the German popular edition Die Balearen. Described in words and pictures [abridged version in two volumes], Leo Woerl, Würzburg / Leipzig 1897.
  • Around the world without wanting to. 4th edition. Wuerzburg 1886.
  • Zante. Mercy, Prague 1904 (on Zakynthos ).
  • Summer dreams on the seashore . von Neudorf, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-934696-02-3 .

See also

literature

  • Viktor J. Bruckmann (Ed.): Ludwig Salvator (1847–1915). Archduke of Austria (= Interdisciplinary Perspectives. No. 3, 2018). Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2018, ISBN 978-3-7001-7993-1 .
  • Herbert Heinrich : Ludwig Salvators experienced Mallorca today - excursions into the past on the archduke's footsteps. Editorial Moll, Palma de Mallorca 1986; 2nd Edition. Ibid. 1988, ISBN 84-273-0503-6 .
  • Horst Joseph Kleinmann: Archduke Ludwig Salvator. Mallorca's uncrowned king. Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1991, ISBN 3-222-11974-0 .
  • Brigitta Mader: "You will never get enough of this great book of nature ...". Archduke Ludwig Salvator - A Life for Science 1847–1915. Catalog for the exhibition of the same name in the Austrian State Archives Vienna (December 2002 – March 2003), Vienna 2002.
  • Marianne Rauchsteiner:  Ludwig Salvator. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 15, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-428-00196-6 , p. 406 ( digitized version ).
  • Helga Schwendinger: Archduke Ludwig Salvator, the scientist from the imperial family [biography]. 1st edition, Amalthea, Vienna / Munich 1991, ISBN 3-85002-314-1 ; 2nd edition: (= La foradada. Volume 12). Olañeta, Palma de Mallorca 2005, ISBN 84-9716-082-7 .
  • Leo Woerl : Archduke Ludwig Salvator from the Austrian imperial house as a researcher of the Mediterranean. Woerl, Leipzig 1899.
  • Constantin von Wurzbach : Habsburg, Ludwig (Prince of Toscana) . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 6th part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1860, p. 449 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Ludwig Salvator of Austria-Tuscany  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. MERMAID, Mediterranean Measures - Science, Research and the Arts. A sound art exhibition in fourteen parts. ORF-Landesstudio Steiermark, Graz 2015. Program for the event 8. – 18. October 2015. musikprotokoll.ORF.at im Steirischen Herbst p. 6 (picture) and 15 (mention).
  2. ^ Marianne Rauchsteiner:  Ludwig Salvator. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 15, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-428-00196-6 , p. 406 ( digitized version ).
  3. Helmut Neuhold: The other Habsburg. Homoeroticism in the Austrian imperial family. Tectum-Verlag, Marburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8288-9669-7 , p. 229.
  4. ^ The library of the ÖGG. In: geoaustria.ac.at. Retrieved June 8, 2019 .