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a result Fugger was reimbursed with shares of the silver mining un-
til eventually it belonged to him and he became the Lord in Schwaz.
In Hall, the silver that wasminedwasminted into coins, as the Taler
or the Gulden (Sigmund d. Münzreiche) in circa 1486. Under Maximi-
lianmanymedallions with the Kaiser’s portrait came into being. The
most important posts were relocated to Innsbruck, and that is why
the Imperial Treasurywas housed in the rooms of theGoldenDachl –
Museum.
Maximilian I. –AnEarlyAdmirer of Tyrol
Falconry and the hunt for chamois and deer delighted Maximilian I.
His dramatic adventures in theMartinswand rock wall, where he was
rescued literally at the lastminute, is still well-known today. He even
undertookencountersonglaciers,which, 500yearsago, still proposed
ahuge risk. Ashewasanavid show rider, heoftenemergedas the vic-
tor of these competitions. Nowonder that in today‘s sports-enthusia-
sticTyrol he is still fondly thought of.
Militant
In the Zeughaus Maximilian I. shopd weapons and canons, that we-
re at the time considered new, giving them odd names: “Purlepautz”,
“Weckauf vonÖsterreich”, “the schöneKathl”, the “Lauerpfeiff” … along
with their help he could often determine a victory in his favor. This
well-preservedoriginal secularbuilding isaunique four-winged struc-
tureandhasbeen turned intoaTyroleanHistoryMuseum.
TheMagicof Gold
In the centre of Innsbruck Maximilian erected an alcove balcony,
fromwhichhehadaperfectviewof thesquare. Thisstructurewascom-
pleted in1500andwasnamed “GoldenesDachel“ (GoldenRoof)becau-
se itwascrownedwitha roofmadeof fire-gildedcoppershingles (2657
pieces).AprestigiousMaximilianstructure, the “MagicofGold“hadapo-
werful allureoncontemporariesof the time.Maximilianevenhadhim-
self portrayed twiceon the relief: withbothof hiswives,Maria vonBur-
gund (+1482) andBiancaMariaSforza (+1510) – themarriage for love
and themarriage for money – and between court jester and council-
man. His second wife Bianca Maria Sforza held a golden apple in her
hands, the victory prize for the best moriscan dancer. These dancers
were minstrels from the south of Spain, who moved from court to
courtpresenting theiracts. Theycarriedoutwildstampingdances,we-
re equippedwith bells on their hands and feet andwere regarded as
a type of “breakdancer of themiddle ages”. The best amongst them –
it was of course all about winning the favor of a beautiful woman –
was awarded the Golden Apple as the victory prize. Today the Gol-
den Roof is a tourist hotspot, proven by the estimated four million
daily visitors per year. The charm of the late gothic houses with their
”Tyrol is likeabigmoneybag, inwhichone
never reaches in vain.”
Hofkirche, Graf Albrecht IV. v. Habsburg
Hofkirche
HOFKIRCHE,GRAFALBRECHT IV.,TIROLERLANDESMUSEEN,HOFKIRCHE
