Page 41 - Lienz Treasure Chest
P. 41

City fountain with stone basin.

                                                                                                          The town tour continues through Muchargas-  front, a 1958  fresco depicting a
                                                                                                          se, formerly known as Münich- or Mönchs-  bourgeois trading scene by Franz
                                                                                                          gasse (Monk Alley), to Johannesplatz (St
                                                                                                          John’s  Square). From  there,  a  network  of   Walchegger from Lienz.
                                                                                                          streets and paths to important locations
                                                                                                          branches out: Judengasse, Zwergergasse,   Further west towards
                                                                                                          Rosengasse, Torgasse, Muchargasse.  the Upper Old Town
                                                                                                                                       47  City fountain with stone ba-
                                                                                                          In front of the “Hotel Sonne” stands   sin,  in  front  of  Muchargasse  1  –
                                                                                                          the stone sculpture “DNS-De-  1943  repoussé  work by  Hermann
                                                                                                          kalog” (“DNA Decalogue”) by Fritz   Pedit Sr.
                                                                                                          Tiefenthaler as a memorial to the
                                                                                                          Ten Commandments.          Johannesplatz (St John’s Square)
                                                                                                                                     – This square was originally outside
                                                                                                          To the east
                                                                                                                                     of  the  town  gates.  It  was  the  ori-
                                                                                                           45  “Adlerstüberl”, Andrä-Kranz-   gin of “Lienz’s middle class”, with
                                                                                                          Gasse 4 – Formerly “Schwarzer   workshops, market halls, taverns
                                                                                                          Adler” (“Black Eagle”), it is one of   and hostels. It is the former loca-
                                                                                                          the town’s oldest inns and hou-  tion of the Church of St John the
                                                                                                          sed many famous guests, such as   Baptist (memorial plaque), which
                                                                                                          Emperor Karl V when he was on   originated  in  the  13th  century.  Af-
                                                                  St Florian’s fountain at the main square.
                                                                                                          the run from the Protestant elector   ter a devastating fire, it was rebu-
                                         Public Fountains of Lienz                                        Moritz of Saxony in May of 1552.   ilt from 1468 to 1491. After being
                                                                                                          For a long time, the building was   destroyed in another fire in 1798,
                                         The cityscape of Lienz is marked by its various fountains. There’s   the seat of the Thurn and Taxis   the ruins were removed in 1815.
                                         barely a square or street where people are not accompanied by the   post company. In 1597, the Mulleth     48  St Mary’s Column, originally
                                         splashing of fountain water. Simple and plain, traditional, modern,   family acquired the place and, after   located in the main square, was
                                         or designed by famous artists. Up until 1582, the rivers Isel and   being raised to nobility, they used   placed here in 1861. The statue of
                                         Drava were the town’s sources of drinking water. There was no    it as their seat “Thurnhausen”. In   Mary was created by Michael Ras-
                                         water supply facility. Only after the plague had wreaked havoc did   1673, it was sold to local innkeeper   ner in 1716.
                                         the town decide to build wells.                                  Thomas Hibler.
                                                                                                                                       49  Oldest town hall of Lienz,
                                         The “Prappernitz” water source fed the first well of Lienz in 1596   Hans-von-Graben-Gasse 2 – Ori-  Muchargasse 1 – On the southern
                                         and began a new era of water. The pipes were made of wood        ginally outside the expanded sett-  side, the 1955 fresco “Troubadour
                                         at the time. The wells and fountains, as the only central water   lement,  this alley  presumably  ser-  Heinrich, Count of Lienz at the Go-
                                         sources, were hubs for the population. Even today, people in Lienz   ved  as  a  moat.  On  the  west  side     rizian Court” by Franz Walchegger
                                         love to sit at the splashing public fountains. In an endless stream,     46  of the house, one can see Hans   (Lienz).
                                         top-quality drinking water flows from all the taps.              von Graben’s coat of arms, from
                                                                                                          1510. His family was influential in
                                                                                                          the decades around 1500. To the

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