Oswald von Wolkenstein

About the memorial stone

When Oswald set out on his pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1408, he ordered a memorial stone to be built in case he was not about to return. Unlike one might imagine, it does not portray a devout pilgrim but rather shows the highly stylised image of a bearded crusader in full knight’s armour, carrying a heavy sword, his breast swelled with pride. The banner with the Crusader’s cross in his right, he holds a helmet with curved horns adorned with peacock feathers as appropriate for his rank. The crests of the Villander-Pradell and Wolkenstein families can be seen to his feet. The stone used to be found on the north-eastern façade of the Brixen Cathedral but was temporarily lost during restoration works. It was only in 1843 that the memorial, covered in mortar and cement, was discovered and installed on the outer wall of the north vestry. Since 1996 its can be seen on the western façade of the old cemetery.

Oswald’s life

Born in Issing in the Pustertal valley as the second son of Friedrich von Wolkenstein and Katharina von Villanders, he left his home at the age of ten to become squire of a knight and travel the world. It was only after his father had died in 1399 that he returned to the Tyrol as a highly-cultured and widely-travelled gentleman; he was however prone to quarrel and soon got involved in various family feuds about his inheritance. After travelling to the Holy Land in 1408 he entered as diplomat in the service of King Sigismund and led an eventful life: characterised by numerous diplomatic visits, he received great honours, and was involved in courts trials and violent fights. Oswald’s autobiographic songs give a thorough account of his exciting life, telling about knightly adventures, public fights and private brawls, as well as of his extensive travels throughout Europe and to Africa and Asia. He knew how to imaginatively describe his visits to exotic courts and certainly added the one or other boastful detail. When he died in 1445, his body was taken to Neustift monastery near Brixen, where he is buried.

Interesting details

His humorous lyrics, witty yet coarse, make him an important transitional figure for the onset of the Renaissance. His music clearly stands out from among the traditional “Minnesinger” minstrels of the late Medieval period. Legend said that eight-year-old Oswald had suffered an eye injury while fencing. It was only when his skull was examined in 1973 that scientists concluded he’d had this malformation since his birth: his right eye socket being smaller than his left, the constant pressure caused the lid muscle to become paralysed.