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Although not directly connected with mining, the Giantess of the Tyrol was one of the most extraordinary personages of the area, and the Museum of Mines at Ridnaun has devoted exhibition space to her.
Born in 1879 on the Staudner farm, the highest at Ridnaun, at 1,566 m, from the age of three Maria grew at an incredible rate and finally reached a height of 2.17 metres. During this period, her poor family of mountain peasants was almost unable to feed her since, by all accounts, she consumed entire basins of polenta and mosa, a kind of gruel.
Of course, the Riesenmoidl (gigantic girl) was talked about by everybody, and ended by attracting the attention of fairground managers, who wanted to engage her for exhibition to the public, a thing which was quite usual in those times. The simple giantess, a very religious woman, devotedly attached to animals and her simple life on the farm, finally accepted an attractive offer in order to alleviate her family’s extreme poverty. From 1906 until 1913, she travelled throughout Europe, accompanied by her sister and a crowd of curious spectators, and was admired by thousands of people as ’The Tallest Woman in the World’. Her enormous body, weighing 172 kg, was made to look still taller by thick-soled shoes, long skirts, a top hat, and a notice with her disportionate height marked on it.
The giantess with the heart of a child was already ill with dropsy at a young age. She died on December 4 1917, at the age of only 38, and was buried in the cemetery at Ridnaun.
The Giantess of the Tyrol is shown life-size in the Museum of Mines at Ridnaun. Also on display are several of her personal effects and her jewellery. A booklet tells the story of her life.
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history of mining on Schneeberg
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