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Personality from the Val Passiria: Andreas Hofer
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Andreas Hofer - Freedom fighter
Andreas Hofer was born on 22nd November 1767 at Sandhof by St. Leonhard. He lost both his parents very early. He had to take over the family farm when he was only 22. In order to reduce the amount of debts left by his step mother, he started serving and selling wine, corn and horses. On his journeys through the country he got to know every part of South Tyrol which came in very handy in later life. In summer 1789 he married Anna Ladurner from Algund. She was a good wife and mother. Together they had 6 girls and one boy. As a young man, Hofer stood out due to his character. In Karl Paulin’s book “Andreas Hofer’s Life” he describes him as “He has a feeling for justice, order and custom, is deeply religious and a true follower of the Austrian monarchy. He loved his homeland and would do just about everything to protect it. He was so attached to his home that nothing could make him move away. The landlord of the Sandhof was a leader and his fellow countrymen began to listen to what he said. Although a hard fighter, inside his chest he had a soft heart, just like all people from the Passeier Valley.”
Tyrol became part of Bavaria in 1805, Bavaria being on Napoleon’s side. The foreign leaders promised that everything would stay the same, but didn’t keep their promise. The Tyrolean's became more and more dissatisfied with what was happening and started making plans for their freedom. When Austria declared war against Napoleon in 1809, the Tyrolean's thought that they had achieved their freedom. They sent a party of men under the leadership of Andreas Hofer to Vienna to ask the Emperor for help. They received the assignment to stop Napoleon and his troops from marching to Southern Germany at all costs. Austria promised to send troops to help them. Secret plans were made for the rebellion until the night before 9th April 1809. Bells rang and fires were lit on the mountains. Hofer started with his troops and attacked the foreigners by Sterzing. Boulders and tree trunks rolled down from the mountains, bullets were fired from behind trees and houses by the Tyrolean's. Those that escaped death took flight to Innsbruck and Kufstein. Innsbruck was taken by force, the fortress at Kufstein was conquered and within a few days, the country was back in the hands of the Tyrolean's. The French attacked Tyrol three more times. That is how the three well known attacks at Berg Isel by Innsbruck came about where the Tyroelan's remained winners. Andreas Hofer took over the position of chief commandant by popular request of the people and resided in the Hofburg in Innsbruck. Hofer still stayed the simple farmer he really was. The luck and peace of the Tyrolean's, and Hofer, didn’t last for long.
On 14th October 1809 the peace treaty of Schönbrunn was signed, whereby Tyrol went back to being part of Bavaria again. The Tyrolean's didn’t believe that the Emperor would do such a thing and thought it was an enemy plot. Hofer gathered his troops together but the enemy was stronger and this led to the 4th Berg Isel rebellion on 1st November 1809 and the defeat of the Tyrolean's. The enemy’s revenge was terrible and was directed mainly at the leader, Andreas Hofer.
The Sandhof landlord hid on the Pfandler Alm above St Martin, but a scoundrel, Franz Raffl, turned him over to the enemy. Hofer was chained up and taken to Mantua and put before a court martial where he was sentenced to death. He took his sentence like a man. In the night before he was shot, he wrote a farewell note that ended with the words “Goodbye wonderful world, it is so easy to die that my eyes don’t even get wet.” At the place of execution they gave him a white cloth to cover his eyes, but he refused it. As he was told to kneel down he said “I stand before Him who made me, and I will give Him my spirit standing up.” He then commanded the troops to open fire and only fell on his knees after the first fusillade. The second round killed the hero. This was on 20th February 1810. Today his remains are buried in the HofChurch in Innsbruck.
Dr. Heinrich Hofer
