Melchior Steiner

Melchior Steiner (born January 10, 1630 in Winterthur , † 1690 in Zurich ) was a salt merchant and one of the most important merchants in the Confederation .

Life

Melchior Steiner was born on January 10, 1630 as the son of Hans Steiner , mayor of Winterthur and salt merchant, and Katharina Meier. He completed his training in his father's salt business before going into business for himself. In self-employment he soon became an important businessman and in 1655, in collaboration with a brother Hans Georg and the salt factor Martin Rader from Lindau, managed to obtain a three-year monopoly for the salt trade between Switzerland, southern Germany and the court of Innsbruck . However, this monopoly was a thorn in the side of the Zurich government , as the salt business also promised good profits for the state and the authorities did not like the price control in private hands for an important good such as salt.

Despite various attempts from the Zurich side (as well as from Lucerne and Unterwalden ) to oust Steiner from the salt trade after the expiry of the three-year contract, the government did not succeed because Steiner probably had much better contacts than the state. In 1664, in cooperation with the salt factor Wachter von Memmingen, he again managed to conclude a monopoly agreement, this time for 10 years. After signing this contract, Steiner moved to Basel , from where he wanted to gain influence on the Burgundian and Lorraine salt trade and in 1671 signed a monopoly agreement with Bavaria . In 1672 his monopoly finally reached its climax, when he was the head of a trading community and controlled the salt trade in Switzerland and southern Germany. Steiner depressed the price of salt more and more by lowering transport costs, eliminating middlemen and bypassing customs stations, and thus also setting state prices - u. a. Zurich, which actually claimed the salt monopoly - under increasing pressure. Many means were right in Zurich to get Steiner grounded. So one tried to wrest the salt monopoly from him by economic measures, lying propaganda and even by arrest. Steiner was able to escape these attempts for a long time until he finally went bankrupt in 1676, because the state could raise more money in this fight. So Zurich was finally able to take over the salt agreement with Innsbruck.

After his bankruptcy he tried again to build a gold and silver wire factory in Bichwil in Toggenburg , but without success. He was even declared “crazy” by the Zurich authorities and interned in a hospital in Zurich. After his death in 1690, Steiner was buried in Töss , outside his home town.

His two sons Johann and Hans Georg later both became mayors in Winterthur.

Web links

• Martin Lassner: Steiner, Melchior. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .