Annasäule
Maria-Theresienstrasse 31
Worth knowing
St Anne's Column is one of Innsbruck's most popular photo motifs. Especially when the snow-covered Nordkette mountain range rises behind the old town in winter, the column is a real eye-catcher against the mountain panorama. The Anna Column was erected to mark the end of a conflict between Tyrol and Bavaria, which was known as the Boarischer Rummel has gone down in the history books.
The monument shows several figures that are symbolically important for this occasion and the Innsbruck citizens of the time. The statue of the eponymous St Anne looks piously northwards towards Bavaria. She was Mary's grandmother. It was only very late in life that God fulfilled her wish to have a child. St Anne is considered the patron saint of expectant mothers and the childless. Above all, her housewifely efficiency and her maternal stabilisation of the household were regarded as female virtues before the first wave of female emancipation in the 19th century, which was particularly tender in conservative Tyrol.
St George, the fierce slayer of dragons, is also represented on St Anne's Column as the patron saint of Tyrol. Statues of Kassian as patron saint of the diocese of Brixen (South Tyrol) and Vigilius as patron saint of the diocese of Trento (Trentino) flank the saints. Innsbruck was not the episcopal see of the province until 1964. In 1706, the year the monument was built, Tyrol was governed by the bishops of Brixen and Trento. This is why the two saints of these South Tyrolean and Trentino dioceses are stationed in Innsbruck.
Of particular interest is the Mondsichelmadonna, die das Ensemble krönt. In der apokalyptischen Offenbarung des Johannes wird sie als Zeugin des letzten Gefechtes zwischen dem Erzengel Michael und dem Teufel genannt: „Eine Frau, mit der Sonne bekleidet; der Mond war unter ihren Füßen und ein Kranz von zwölf Sternen auf ihrem Haupt.“ Sie kann als Symbol für den Kampf zwischen Gut und Böse gelesen werden, der sich nach Tiroler Lesart zuvor abgespielt hatte.
At the time, good versus evil once again meant a threat to Tyrol from its neighbours to the north. In June 1703, the Bavarian Elector Max Emanuel marched across the border with an army of 12,000 men and conquered the fortress of Kufstein, which was considered impregnable. After a series of victories, he reached Innsbruck. Only gradually were the Tyrolean troops able to form up and celebrate their first victories. On 26 July, St. Anne's Day, the Tyrolean defenders were able to drive the Bavarian invaders out of Innsbruck again. To mark the occasion, the Tyrolean estates decided to erect a memorial monument and dedicate it to St Anne in order to protect the city from war in the future.
Von Krieg wurde Innsbruck seit 1945 verschont, der Platz rund um die Annasäule ist aber auch heute noch konfliktgeladen, wenn auch auf anderer Ebene. Die Gastronomen der umliegenden Cafés und Bars sehen es nicht gerne, dass sich junge Leute auf den Stufen vor dem Denkmal niederlassen, um das Innenstadtflair zu konsumieren, ohne dafür Geld auszugeben. Auch die Beliebtheit als Platz für Demonstrationen aller Art stößt auf wenig offizielle Gegenliebe.
Der Boarische Rummel und der Spanische Erbfolgekrieg
When Charles II of Spain, the last Habsburg of the Spanish line, left the throne without an heir in 1700, the War of the Spanish Succession between the world powers. The Habsburgs, French and Bavarians each tried to bring their candidate to the throne. In changing alliances around the globe, large armies faced each other in the coalition wars. Through frequently changing alliances between Europe, Asia and America, the Dutch, Great Britain - and even Sweden and Russia - were also involved. But what does this have to do with Innsbruck?
In 1703, the Electorate of Bavaria, allied with France, laid claim to the County of Tyrol. In order to back up their supposed claim to Tyrol militarily, the Bavarians marched with 12,000 men via Kufstein into the Inn Valley. They were able to conquer the area around Innsbruck relatively quickly in order to unite with the troops of their French ally, who were marching from Italy towards Tyrol.
The defenders swore an oath of allegiance to the heart of Jesus and asked for heavenly assistance, a process that was to be repeated several times later. South Tyrolean and Upper Inn Valley troops, most of whom were quickly recruited from the rifle clubs, successfully stood up to the foreign powers. In a battle at the Pontlatzer Bridge near Landeck, the Tyrolean troops were able to celebrate a success that turned the tide. The numerically inferior Tyrolean riflemen were on a par with the large armies, which were trained and equipped for field battles, in guerrilla warfare in impassable terrain. They skilfully exploited their superior local knowledge and sniping skills. It was not until later that regular Habsburg troops from South Tyrol joined them. Thus, on 26 July, Saint Anne's Day, the Bavarian foreign rule was driven out of Innsbruck again. The interesting thing is that Elector Max Emanuel was not greeted with hostility by a large proportion of the citizens of Innsbruck, but rather with enthusiasm. The Boarische Rummel showed how different the political ideas of the urban and rural population in Tyrol were.
The Boarische Rummel, wie der kurze Kampf um Tirol genannt wurde, klingt nur oberflächlich nach einem Scharmützel. 1704 kam es in der Schlacht von Höchstädt zu einer bayrischen Niederlage gegen die Habsburger. In der Folge besetzten österreichische Truppen München besetzen. Nun war es andersherum, die Bayern erhoben sich gegen die Habsburger. Unter anderem kam es dabei zur bekannten Sendlinger Mordweihnachtin which Habsburg troops massacred around 1000 soldiers who had actually already surrendered. The complicated relationship between the Habsburgs, Tyroleans, Innsbruckers and Bavarians, who dated their claims to Tyrol back to the time of late antiquity, was a phenomenon that accompanied the country for a long time. The Tyrolean farmers accused official Austria, not without justification, of neglecting national defence. In a wave of anger and hatred towards all those who had not defended themselves against the Bavarians and the French, violence also poured out against institutions such as Wilten Abbey, where the Bavarians had taken up quarters. The already historically poor relationship between the city and rural population was further exacerbated by the reception given to the Bavarian sovereign Max Emanuel by some of Innsbruck's citizens.