HISTORY
Long-distance hiking in the footsteps of the muleteers and cramars
Traces of past mule tracks, which were part of a wide transalpine and transcontinental network of paths, indicate early access to and human use of the subalpine and alpine mountain regions.
For over 3,500 years, the crossing over the Hochtor was the shortest north-south connection and a central Alpine crossing for trade between southern Germany, Salzburg, Aquilea and Venice. This ancient trade route was already used by the Celts and Romans, as archaeological finds prove. There was a Roman pass sanctuary at the high gate where sacrifices were made to please the gods for a safe passage.
Freight traffic was intensified, especially in Roman times, and mule tracks and roads were extended in many places. The Migration Period led to a sharp decline in Tauern traffic. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Tauern crossings once again played an important role in the economic and cultural development of Salzburg and southern Germany. In the 12th and 13th centuries, there was a sharp increase in trade traffic. However, wagon traffic was not possible on the Tauern crossings throughout the Middle Ages, only mule traffic.
In early centuries, the term Tauern did not refer to the high mountains in the south of Salzburg, but to the ice-free crossings over them. One of the well-known historical Tauern crossings is the Hochtor, which was historically called both the Rauriser and Heiligenbluter Tauern (2,504 m), connecting southern Germany and Salzburg with Aquilea and Venice in the south.
As a continuation of the Tauern route, the old trade route ran over the Plöcken Pass to the south. This also played an important role as an Alpine crossing in ancient times and was part of the Alpine trade network between the Mediterranean region and Central Europe. The Roman road Via Julia Augusta led over the Carnic Alps and connected northern Italy with the provinces north of the Alps. The Plöcken Pass was an important strategic Alpine crossing in Roman times, linking the military, trade and administration between Italy and the province of Noricum. In the Middle Ages, many of the ancient facilities there fell into disrepair and only a narrow mule track led over the pass. Nevertheless, it remained an important regional link between southern Germany, Salzburg, Carinthia and Friuli, Aquilea and Vendig.
The hemmery
Hemming was an important sideline for farmers. The name “Säumer”, in the dialect “Samer”, is derived from the term “Saum”, the volume of freight that a pack animal (horse, mule, donkey) could transport. A horse’s pack was about 150 kg. To transport salt, the horse was loaded with two stacks of salt, which were called fuders. The wine was loaded to the right and left of the pack horse in so-called Lageln (from the Latin “lagena” = bottle). On average, pack horses covered around 35 km a day on the plain. The most important commodity traded across the Tauern in a north-south direction was always salt, but also meat and hides. The return freight carried by the muleteers included Friulian and South Tyrolean wines and brandies, “Venetian goods” such as spices, velvet, silk and glass, as well as blankets and dried tropical fruit.
The muleteers were the forwarding agents of the Middle Ages. The term muleteer was used to describe those traveling salesmen who travelled long distances with a large number of pack animals. However, poorer farmers’ sons, cottagers and farmhands also tried to survive economically by trading as muleteers, who mainly transported brandy and heavy loads (up to 80 kg) on their backs. For the journey over the Tauern, they all joined together to form “caravans” for mutual assistance: small hewers, scramblers, craftsmen (weavers, wainwrights, kettle and pan makers, shoemakers etc.), traders, merchants, cattle dealers, bird traders, pilgrims, job seekers, casual laborers (Jätergitschen etc.), builders, civil servants, postal service. Until well into the modern era, muleteering was the most important secondary occupation in the Alpine countries.
The hem merchants
The mule traders did business for archbishops, salt princes, blacksmiths, locksmiths, leather makers, saddlers, carpenters, millers, tailors, shoemakers, gingerbread makers and merchants. Mostly on behalf of rich sovereigns or large landowners, sometimes at their own risk. They found protection, shelter and allies in Tauern houses.
They learned that in addition to their own knowledge, their own craftsmanship and their own way of working, eating, living and celebrating, there were many different ways of doing things abroad. Enriched, gifted with new influences, ideas, suggestions, fashions, goods and technical know-how – such as the Venetian creel – they returned home. Traditional dishes such as Kletzenbrot go back to the muleteers. Originally, only dried fruit was used, but later the southern fruits (figs, nuts, almonds, raisins) transported by the muleteers were added. Along the mule routes, they spread these lifestyles, fashions, etc., which can be found in many traditions today. For example, intangible cultural heritage such as Pinzgauer Trester, Perchten or Untergailtaler Sonntagstracht have a close connection to the mule trade. In addition to the exchange of goods, there was also a diverse transfer of culture and knowledge. The mule trade shaped the culture of Salzburg and southern Germany. In the fields of architecture, music and art, too, there are many connections between the World Heritage Sites of Venice and Salzburg, which interact as destinations, points of departure and transfer points. The muleteers were the connecting element.
The Cramars
The muleteers were always joined by cramars. They were itinerant traders from the Carnia region in the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Its name comes from the German word “Krämer” (small trader). Most of the Cramars came from villages around Tolmezzo. This area was poor and difficult to farm, so many men sought income as itinerant traders in winter or seasonally.
The Cramars traveled across the Alps on foot, often over the Plöcken Pass and the Tauern crossings, and passed through large parts of Central Europe. They sold spices, fabrics and cloths, small household goods, haberdashery and fabric accessories, jewelry and books, prayer cards and prints. Some cramars specialized in medicines, remedies and apothecary goods.
The Cramars were important because they supplied remote regions with goods, established trade contacts between the Alps and Central Europe and formed an early network of mobile traders. Many built up fixed trade routes and customer networks. The traders often spent months on the road while their families stayed at home in Carnia. Some Cramars later became wealthy merchants and set up businesses in towns north of the Alps.
