The memoirs of the Austrian historian Albert Jger (1801-1891) are published here for the first time in a scholarly annotated edition. As an autodidact, Jger went through a remarkable career from a Benedictine monk in Marienberg, first to a high school professor in Meran, then to a university professor in Innsbruck and Vienna. From 1854 Jger was the first director of the Institute for Austrian Historical Research, before turning to conservative politics for a time. The memories of this remarkable contemporary witness offer special insights into the history of the Habsburg monarchy, Tyrol and historical research in the 19th century.