Page 184 - Upland Families, Elites and Communities

Margareth Lanzinger

the recipient. It is very likely that the debt was money from the horse or
cattle trade. The grocer eventually had to pay compensation (Oberhofer
2009, 224). It is only because of the failure of the transaction that we learn
of this mode of settling debts in regional trade relations. A centrally locat-
ed, well-known inn functioned here as a drop-off and pick-up point for a
payment that involved actors over comparatively long distances.⁸ This dif-
fered significantly from payment transactions at the Bolzano fairs, where
bills of exchange were common (Denzel 2005). Innkeepers were therefore
involved in certain segments of trade and transport, which clearly empha-
sises their pluriactive profile.

Martin Schenk – Innkeeper at the Lamb in Kastelruth
In recent years I have been studying Martin Schenk (1738–1781), an inn-
keeper from Kastelruth, focusing on his financial and economic activities.⁹
Kastelruth is located at an altitude of over 1,000 metres. Today a mountain
road leads there. One of the southern connecting routes between Val Gar-
denaandBolzanopassedthrough Kastelruth.AsClemensKapshasshown,
Val Gardena was involved in trade relations as far as Andalusia and be-
yond (Kaps 2023). In 1812 Kastelruth had 935 inhabitants and three large
inns: the Kreuz (Cross), the Wolf (Wolf) and the Lamm (Lamb). Martin
Schenk was the innkeeper at the Lamb Inn. This inn caught my attention
when Schenk died in February 1781 at the age of 42. The record of the pro-
bate proceedings, which include an inventory and the subsequent negoti-
ations and contracts, fills almost 140 folios in the court book (sla, vbk
1781, 405–544), that is, 280 pages. Martin Schenk died in the midst of his
business activities. He left behind a widow, also from an innkeeper family
called Schenk, and three minor children, a daughter Anna, fourteen years
old, and two sons, Johann, twelve years old and Martin, six years old. The
inventory reveals no luxury items but instead lists objects that indicate a
solid lifestyle. The food stocks – mainly dried ox and beef meat – and the
supply of beds and bedding, as well as table and bed linen, which are listed
in the inventory, all point to the inn’s operations. Additionally, the inven-
tory also documents a well-stocked wine cellar (Maegraith and Lanzinger,
forthcoming).
Martin Schenk’s reputation and social standing are reflected in the way

⁸ On today’s roads, the villages are each about 40 to 50 kilometres away from Bolzano in the
opposite direction.
⁹ This is a work in progress.

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