Tyrol and Its People

by Clive Holland

WINTER NEAR MERAN

The first view of the town, with its spires, huge hotels, white-walled houses and villas, and the ruins of Castle Tyrol set high on the north-western and vine-clad slope of the Kuchelberg, is one of great beauty. On the lower hillsides are chestnut groves and pine woods; and many of the villas and houses of the town itself appear amid them as though embowered in green.

The railway from Bozen traverses the picturesque Etsch Valley, which is dotted with orchards, and follows the course of the Etsch to where it joins the Passer about three-quarters of a mile from Meran.

The architecture of the town, as is the case with most places of any size in South Tyrol, is distinctly Italian in general characteristics. In fact, one of the things which makes Tyrol, as a whole, of unusual interest to students and artists is the variety of the domestic architecture found within its borders. Although there are many quaint corners and delightful byways in Meran, there is really only one important business thoroughfare, running almost due east and west and of considerable length, with arcaded shops known as "Unter den Lauben" (in the shade). It is probably because it has this aspect that one of the sunniest streets we have ever been in has been so amply provided with shady arcades; and in summer the latter can be appreciated to the full. In the season the long street is at times crowded with foreigners from England, Germany, Italy, and America, and has a busy and cosmopolitan air somewhat out of character with its general old-world look.

Just off this interesting thoroughfare stands the Burg, or, to give it its fuller and ancient name, the Landesfürstliche Burg, in ancient times the town residence of the Counts of Tyrol. Retired as it is in the courtyard of the Magistrats Gebäude it is often overlooked by the passing tourist, although of great antiquarian and historical interest. Dating from the fifteenth century, the building has been admirably and sympathetically restored, and is a treasure-house of fine old furniture and bric-a-brac. There are also some interesting frescoes and coats-of-arms of former owners and inhabitants. It is, perhaps, difficult to realize that amongst the latter in the middle of the fifteenth century was a Scottish princess. But it was to the Burg that Sigismund, son of Duke Frederick of the Empty Purse, brought his bride Eleonora, daughter of James I. of Scotland, over the Brenner and via Bozen, to the house and home he had prepared for her reception.

From Bozen onwards, we are told, the young couple's progress was marked by rejoicings and enthusiasm as they passed from castle to castle, until at last they came, in due time, to the then capital of Tyrol. Eleonora's ultimate popularity with the Tyrolese was, perhaps, even more owing to her skill in the chase than to her intellectual gifts, although the latter were very remarkable for a woman of that period. The translator of "The Book of Celebrated Women," by Boccaccio, waxes very enthusiastic over her, and he is by no means the only writer of the period who has left on record a tribute to the Archduchess' high mental and physical qualities. That Eleonora was of a scholarly disposition and gifted with "tongues" is proved by her translation of a French Romance of the period, "Pontus and Sidoni," into German. It is now a rare book, although copies are occasionally found, and it would appear to have had a considerable vogue at the time it was published. It was printed at Augsburg. In the preface one gathers that the translation was done by the noble authoress to "please his Serene Highness and Lord Sigismund, Archduke of Austria, her lawful husband."

In this charming old palace, set back from the hum and bustle of the street, Sigismund and Eleonora dwelt for some years, happy in the pursuit of learning, the enjoyment of sport, and in the affection of the townsfolk.

In the Burg it is possible to obtain a very good conception of what a mediæval nobleman's house really was like, for not only have many interesting specimens of furniture, presses, chairs and other fittings been preserved, but also household utensils, and other articles of common use.

There are, in the byways and courtyards of the main street, several other most interesting houses dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, which will repay the attention of students of architecture. And may we add the ubiquitous "Kodaker"?