The Smith of Kochel

Kochel

Kochel am See is a municipality in the district of Bad Tolz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria on the shores of Kochelsee.Apart from the idyllic scenery, it is known for The Smith of Kochel "Schmied von Kochel," who according to legend, lead a Bavarian farmer rebellion against Austro-Hungarian occupiers at...

is a figure from Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

n myth. According to this myth, he was a soldier in the Habsburg-Ottoman Wars

Great Turkish War

The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...

 (Battle of Vienna

Battle of Vienna

The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...

). Armed with nothing but a bar, he supposedly stove in the gates of Belgrade

Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

. He refused rewards for his heroic deed from the prince electors.

Another legend attributed to him is leading the farmer rebellion against the imperial troops of the Habsburg

Habsburg

The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

 Emperor Joseph I

Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor

Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg....

 during the War of Spanish Succession. This culminated in the Sendlinger Mordweihnacht ("Sendling Christmas Massacre"). In literature, the smith is described as a man of over 70 years of age, yet great in stature and power. For the revolt, he supposedly armed himself with a spiked club of his own making that weighed over 100 lb (50 kg) . On the night of the massacre, the smith fought in the ranks of the rebels at the Sendling

Sendling

Sendling is a borough of Munich. It is located south-west of the city centre and spans of the city boroughs Sendling and Sendling-Westpark. Sendling is sub-divided into Obersendling, Mittersendling and Untersendling...

 Parish Church. There he died heroically, the last man to fall.

History

Historical research about the smith of Kochel has shown that he was probably only a legend and a symbol rather than a real person, possibly invented to make the defeat of the revolt more beareable. The smith is known as Balthasar with a last name of either Mayer or Riesenberger. A Balthasar Mayer (born January 6, 1644 in Waalkirchen) actually existed, but no evidence of this person being a smith in Kochel could be found. A Balthasar Riesenberger (born in Bach bei Holzolling) took part in the battle in Sendling, but no evidence of his being a smith in Kochel could be found either. The fact that Kochel belonged to the court district of Murnau

Murnau

Murnau may refer to:Place names:* Murnau am Staffelsee, a town in Bavaria, Germany** Oflag VII-A Murnau, A German WW 2 POW camp located in the Bavarian town "Murnau am Staffelsee"- Other :...

at the time of the revolt, which did not take part in the Oberländer rebellion, also speaks against the Kochel theory. In memory of the Sendling Christmas Massacre and the Smith of Kochel, there are regular pageants and events in Bavaria