Mathias Bayrhamer

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Mathias Bayrhamer (born February 5, 1769 in Seekirchen am Wallersee , † October 11, 1845 in Salzburg ) was a Salzburg farmer's son, trader and banker who is remembered as a benefactor and benefactor.

Life

Bayrhamer came from a humble background; he was the second-born son of Maria and Andreas Bayrhamer, a farmer on the Jackl-Bauern-Gut zu Fischtaging . As the second-born, he had no right to the farm, but had to take a back seat to his brother Thomas, who took over his parents' farm in 1790. At the age of ten, Mathias began an apprenticeship as a waiter in the Seekirchen brewery. At the age of 14 he got a job as a piccolo and later as a house servant in the "Gasthaus Hofwirt" in Salzburg; After a few years he moved to the “Moserbräu” (Rudolfskai 12) and around 1800 to the “Gasthaus zur Rose” on Linzer Gasse 22.

Already prospered, in 1805 he bought a house in Linzer Gasse, today No. 28, which he lived in until his death. On June 9, 1806 he married the "Emerenz of Johannes Pfansagler Fuhrmann from the main story and Maria Karlinn's legitimate daughter". The marriage remained childless, and Emerenz died in 1824.

Gravesite of the Bayrhamer family in the Sebastian cemetery

Economic rise

At a young age, Bayrhamer managed to acquire a considerable fortune through commercial skill. The basis was the wine trade, which he operated on his own account on behalf of his employer. In doing so, he was able to benefit from the different currency relations in Habsburg Austria and the Prince Archbishopric of Salzburg : In Austria, so-called “ Banco notes ” from the Wiener Stadtbank had been issued as paper money since 1762 . As a result of the Napoleonic wars , the need for finance in the Habsburg monarchy increased enormously: in 1796 bank notes worth 44 million guilders were in circulation, in 1810 there were already 1 billion guilders, which led to increasing inflation and further money problems. In 1797 the redemption of paper money for metal money was stopped and in 1800 the compulsory acceptance of paper money for private money transactions was decreed. In the prince-archbishopric, however, the banco notes were not considered a legitimate means of payment. Bayrhamer now bought wine in Austria with banco notes and sold it for coins in Salzburg. This not only gave him a profit from buying and selling wine, but also because of the better exchange rate of the coins. He then changed the coins back into banco notes, with which he paid the Austrian merchants.

Bayrhamer continued to be a house servant in the "Rose". However, he rented two rooms in the inn and hired servants himself for his lucrative business. In 1803 he gave his property in court proceedings - the horrific sum of 8,000 fl (which is roughly the value of two residential buildings) had been stolen from him at the Salzburger Dult - at 13,000 fl. Obviously the money had been earned honestly. Bayrhamer was only accused of “weighing coins”, ie, like other money changers, he weighed every single coin and brought the worst that could not be sold to another mint into circulation in the Salzburg region; this enabled him to secure further profits. Bayrhamer also invested his money wisely; by the end of the 18th century he had already 73,000 fl in landscape bonds at his disposal, which had interest at 3 to 4%.

Due to the political developments, Bayrhamer was able to improve his position significantly. The Electorate of Salzburg was invaded by Napoleon in 1800 and then occupied. In 1803 the present Duchy of Salzburg (including Berchtesgaden, Eichstätt and parts of the Diocese of Passau) was handed over to Grand Duke Franz Ferdinand of Tuscany ; under this, freedom of trade was introduced in Salzburg to stimulate the economy . Because of this renewal, Bayrhamer was able to acquire a specialty trade concession on August 19, 1804 and now trade in a variety of goods. His main focus remained the wine trade and with the wine he could supply the village inns of the Flachgau . Despite this rise, he remained excluded from the long-established society of Salzburg merchants. In 1811 he acquired the Steinhauserhof (later Bayrhamerhof) in Schallmoos , which he had staff run, also a popular sign of the upper class to demonstrate their social importance. After all, Bayrhamer was granted citizenship of the city of Salzburg in 1812 .

From around 1825 Bayrhamer began to act as a lender and banker. The clientele were mainly farmers from the Flachgau and Tennengau , to whom he lent money at the usual 4 to 5% at the time (hence his nickname Geldhiasl ). When he died, he was assigned 166 landholders ; Whether he has invested his profits in realities or whether he has taken over possessions from insolvent peasants is not exactly clear.

Bayrhamer as a benefactor

Despite his great fortune, Bayrhamer always lived very simply and thriftily, which led to the fact that on December 29, 1827 he was attacked by robbers when he came home, who suspected that he had a large amount of cash. The attack went off without a hitch, however, as his housekeepers came to his aid and drove away the robbers who were also caught and sentenced.

In 1844, the now 75-year-old Bayrhamer decided to make his will. During his lifetime he donated 111,800 florins to secure the livelihood of “frail and disabled community members” and to relieve the city. From this, the Salzburg Citizens Hospital received a foundation in the amount of 59,000 fl and the St. Sebastian-Bruderhaus 52,800 fl (each in the form of private letters of debt). In recognition of these generous donations, Bayrhamer received the Great Civil Medal of Honor in Gold from Emperor Ferdinand I on March 15, 1845 . The award ceremony took place in front of a large crowd in the presence of Prince Archbishop Friedrich zu Schwarzenberg , Count Gustav von Chorinsky, District Chief, and Salzburg Mayor Alois Lergetporer.

Bayrhamer died the following year; his estate is precisely regulated in his will. For 17 municipal welfare institutions (including the madhouse or the Gebärhausfonds ) a total of 106,060 fl, for a further seven institutions in the state of Salzburg 132,000 fl (including 100,000 fl for the Mathias Bayrhamer'sche poor foundation in the parish of Seekirchen) and for three Upper Austrian foundations after all 3 070fl. His universal heir Gotthard Bayrhamer was made available a further 175,000 fl for secret orders (payments to foundations about which the universal heir does not have to give an account). The will also contained generous bequests for his relatives, his numerous baptized and confirmed children, the Herrenfalls-Anlait was issued to the landholders, the debtors could not be terminated for 20 years. Money was distributed to the poor who attended his funeral, 24 kr for those present in St. Sebastian, 12 kr for the participants in Gnigl ​​(allegedly 6000 people were thought of). Furthermore, many individuals were given legacies and ultimately even their household effects were divided up by his will.

Grave slab of Mathias Bayrhamer and his wife Emerenzia

Religious expectations were also associated with the foundations. They were supposed to secure the intercession of the living for the deceased even after the death of the founder and testator. So should u. a. the benefactors of the citizen hospital commemorate him in common grace, the services he organized lasted until the end of the First World War . It probably corresponded to the medieval understanding of alms , which was still preserved in the thinking of the 19th century , that on the one hand help should be given to those in need, and that they should hold prayers for the soul of the founder as a counter-deal. Mathias Bayrhamer is buried next to his wife in St. Sebastian's cemetery in Salzburg (crypt no. 15).

In Salzburg-Schallmoos (here written Bayerhamerstraße ) and in Seekirchen (here written Bayrhammerstraße ) a street was named after this benefactor, in Hallein the Bayrhamerplatz is named after him.

literature

  • Franz Braumann: The charitable Geldhiasl. From farmer's boy to banker. Salzburg Archive, Vol. 10, 1990, pp. 199-202.
  • Heinz Dopsch; Robert Hoffmann: Salzburg. The story of a city. 2nd updated edition. Verlag Anton Pustet, Salzburg, 2008. ISBN 978-3-7025-0598-1 .
  • Sabine Falk-Veits: Mathias Bayrhammer. In the footsteps of a benefactor 150 years after his death. Salzburg Archive, Volume 20, 1995, pp. 185–208.
  • Friederike Zaisberger: History of Salzburg. R. Oldenbourg Verlag: Munich, 1998. ISBN 3-486-56351-3 .

Remarks

  1. ↑ Bayrhamer's nephew Laurenz Ibertsberger was entrusted with the administration of the foundation in Seekirchen. This poor foundation existed until 1939, when the Hitler Youth was quartered here. Today the private university Schloss Seeburg , an institution for the rich, is housed here.
  2. ↑ The surname Bayrhamer is derived from the old Bavarian settlement name -ham and not -hammer . The spelling Bayrhamer can be found on the tombstone , but with a double line on the m .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Baptismal Register - TFBXIV | Seekirchen | Salzburg, rk. Diocese | Austria | Matricula Online. Retrieved November 9, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Death book - STB6 | Salzburg-St. Andrae | Salzburg, rk. Diocese | Austria | Matricula Online. Retrieved November 9, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Marriage book - TRB2 | Salzburg-St. Andrae | Salzburg, rk. Diocese | Austria | Matricula Online. Retrieved November 9, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Sabine Falk-Veits, p. 186 f.
  5. ↑ Friederike Zaisberger, 1998, p. 234f.
personal data
SURNAME Bayrhamer, Mathias
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bayerhamer, Mathias; Bayerhammer, Mathias
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Benefactor
DATE OF BIRTH February 5, 1769
PLACE OF BIRTH Seekirchen am Wallersee
DATE OF DEATH October 11, 1845
Place of death Salzburg