Reference to the Goldener Adler

In the liberation wars of Tyrol anno 1809 the Goldener Adler played a role.
This is where the folk hero Andreas Hofer stayed after his first victory over the Napoleonic troops and from the first floor of the house the freedom fighter addressed his dear “Sprugger” (residents of Innsbruck) on August 15, 1809:

“I will not leave you, as true as I am Andrä Hofer. I’ve told you; you’ve seen me, God bless you!”

Two plaques refer to these events: The western plaque on the occasion of the described uprising, the plaque attached to the house on the eastern side comes from the Steinbock Inn in Steinach am Brenner, where Andreas Hofer often stayed during the fighting and decided to submit on November 2, 1809.

Life and facts

Andreas Hofer was born in Passeier in 1767. He attended school, but there he learned only elementary arithmetic and writing. Until the end of his life, his written running notes were directly oriented to the literal speech spoken in the South Tyrolean dialect without any attention to spelling rules.

After the death of his father, first his stepmother and then his brother-in-law took over the fortunes of the well-run “Sand” inn in Passeier.

However, they were not very successful, soon the “Sandhof” was in debt and Andreas Hofer had to go into employment with various innkeepers and wine merchants in exchange for room and board for some time before he reached the age of majority.

During this time, he was also in Welschtirol (Cles in Val di Non), where he learned Italian, and probably travelled as far as Upper Italy. On these trips he was able to acquire a good knowledge of the country and its people in the wider area.

He also made many acquaintances and friendships, such as with Archduke Johann. When he took over his father’s inn, he also became known as the “Sandwirt”.

As the leader of the Tyrolean uprising of 1809, he is considered a freedom fighter against the Bavarian and French occupation of his homeland.

Bavaria began to implement a series of reforms in the new Bavarian province of Tyrol, with the disregard for the old Tyrolean military constitution and the reintroduction of the Josephinian church reform causing displeasure.

After several battles in Tyrol and 3 battles won at Bergisel, the fourth and last battle there was lost.

Andreas Hofer then fled with his family and his confidant Kajetan Sweth to the Passeier Valley. They were betrayed and so he was captured by French occupation troops and taken to Mantua.

He was court-martialled, declared guilty and shot in 1810.

In 1823, after a long detour, his mortal remains arrived in Innsbruck and were temporarily stored in the Servite Monastery until they were solemnly transferred to the Court Church in 1834. The Tyrolean national anthem “Zu Mantua in Banden” is in his honour and the freedom fighters of 1809.

Sources

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Hofer
Website Stand 22.07.2021 23:10

data.cfm (innsbruck.gv.at) – Chronik von Innsbruck, zusammengestellt von Carl Unterkircher, Scriptor an der k.k. Universitäts-Bibliothek in Innsbruck. Druck und Verlag der Vereinsbuchhandlung. 1897. UB Innsbruck Separatabdruck der „Neuen Tiroler Stimmen“ 1892–1896.