Micurà de Rü

A famous linguist from Val Badia

Micurà de Rü (Nikolaus Bacher) was born as youngest child of a peasant family on December 4, 1789 in the hamlet Rü in San Cassiano. After having finished school, Micurà started studying philosophy and theology in Innsbruck, Trento and Salzburg.

On August 28, 1814 Micurà de Rü was ordained as a priest and spent his first years as a priest in different parishes in Austria. For a short period of time he also worked as a lector for the Italian language at the university of Innsbruck. Moreover he was field chaplain in the military pastoral care and educator in a male educational institute in Milan.

On March 19, 1847, after having suffered from a disease for a long period of time, Micurà de Rü died in Innsbruck. Beside his devotion as a priest, he dedicated himself to the Ladin language and above all to Ladin grammar. In 1833 he composed the first Ladin grammar book. The basic concept of this book is to bring the language of the inhabitants of the Dolomites on a common denominator and to create a common basis for people who use of this language.

In honour of Micurà de Rü, the Ladin Culture Institute in San Martino in Badia bares his name.