Die Donau als Pilgerstraße in der österreichisch-ungarischen Monarchie
The Danube as a pilgrimage route in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy

Author(s): Walpurga Oppeker
Subject(s): History of Church(es), Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, History of Religion
Published by: Fórum Kisebbségkutató Intézet
Summary/Abstract: Votive images depicting failed pilgrimage ships on the Lower Austrian Danube prompted a closer examination of this mode of transport. The investigation revealed that the Danube, as a central pilgrimage route of the early modern Habsburg Monarchy, was closely linked to the Counter-Reformation and the rise of large-scale mass pilgrimages. Maria Taferl developed into a crucial hub where pilgrims from Upper Austria, Moravia, Vienna, and Hungary disembarked or continued their journeys home by ship. Votive tablets, miracle accounts, and contemporary press sources document not only the religious dynamism but also the high risk posed by the overcrowded, often unsuitable boats, frequently captained by inexperienced boatmen. Critical locations along the river, such as the Steiner Danube Bridge, repeatedly led to serious accidents. The analysis illustrates how religious practice, social mobility and the specific conditions of Danube shipping interlocked and made the waterway a defining axis of Catholic piety in Central Europe.

• Details
• Contents