Corps Austria Frankfurt am Main
Encyclopedia
German Student Corps
Corps are the oldest still-existing kind of Studentenverbindung, Germany's traditional university corporations; their roots date back to the 15th century. The oldest corps still existing today was founded in 1789...
of the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband
Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband
The Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband is the oldest association of German and Austrian Studentenverbindungen. It comprises roughly 105 German, Austrian and a Swiss Corps, all of which are based upon the principle of tolerance....
, the oldest association of student fraternities
Studentenverbindung
A Studentenverbindung is a student corporation in a German-speaking country somewhat comparable to fraternities in the US or Canada, but mostly older and going back to other kinds of...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Corps Austria is "pflichtschlagend", which refers to the fact that it requires of its members, that they participate in several ritual, organised duels
Academic fencing
Academic fencing or Mensur is the traditional kind of fencing practiced by some student corporations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and to a minor extent in Kosovo, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Flanders.- Technique :Modern academic fencing, the "mensur," is neither a duel nor a sport...
with members of other specific student fraternities. Furthermore, Corps Austria is deemed "farbentragend
Couleur
Couleur is the expression used in European Studentenverbindungen for the headgears and ribbons worn by members of these student societies....
" in that its members wear a coloured sash (r. to l.), diagonally across their chests as evidence of their membership of the fraternity. Both of these tendencies are characteristic of most, if not all male fraternities in the German-speaking countries. Eligible applicants are those students, both current and former, of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main
The Goethe University Frankfurt was founded in 1914 as a Citizens' University, which means that, while it was a State university of Prussia, it had been founded and financed by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt am Main, a unique feature in German university history...
and other colleges in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany. Members of Corps Austria are colloquially referred to as "Austrianer".
CouleurCouleurCouleur is the expression used in European Studentenverbindungen for the headgears and ribbons worn by members of these student societies....
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
Monarchy until 1867. In addition to the aforementioned coloured sash, headgear is also worn and is deemed an obligatory part of the "Couleur" or "uniform" of Corps members. Depending on the time of year, one of two styles of headgear may be chosen by "Aktive" or active members. In the winter academic semester, a black cap, sporting thin bands of black, white and yellow must be worn.
In the summer semester, a white silk "Stürmer" or Kepi
Kepi
The kepi is a cap with a flat circular top and a visor or peak . Etymologically, the word is a borrowing of the French képi, itself a respelling of the Alemannic Käppi: a diminutive form of Kappe, meaning "cap"....
with black, white and yellow piping may be worn. According to the constitution of Corps Austria, the "Stürmer" may only be worn if a meeting of the internal council or "Corps Convent", elects to wear the "Stürmer" for that summer semester. Furthermore, a "Kneipjacke" or mess jacket may be worn on specific occasions. This jacket is black in colour and features silver and black braiding. "Füchse", initiate applicants to the Corps are allowed to wear a two-coloured sash of black and yellow. This is in contrast to the three-coloured sash of fully-fledged members or corps brothers (CB's). Lastly, as with all such student fraternities, Corps Austria employs its own Motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
, "Durch Eintracht Stark!" or "Strength Through Unity!"
History
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and enlightened ideals of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the Reichstag
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
in 1793 proscribed all student associations. However this ban would be strictly enforced only in the territory of the Habsburg Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
and then in large part thanks to the zeal of the suppressive Metternich régime. Even correspondence with foreign universities would be forbidden to students. After a brief period of respite in the aftermath of the so-called "March Revolution" of 1848, student associations were once more forbidden in 1849.
It was not until 1859, that the situation had sufficiently mellowed to allow the establishment of such student bodies of the same model as were to be found in other German-speaking states. The cause of this change can be attributed both to the overwhelming defeat of the Habsburg Empire in the Battle of Solferino
Battle of Solferino
The Battle of Solferino, , was fought on June 24, 1859 and resulted in the victory of the allied French Army under Napoleon III and Sardinian Army under Victor Emmanuel II against the Austrian Army under Emperor Franz Joseph I; it was the last major battle in world...
and the resultant dire state of the Empire's finances. In order to carry out much needed reforms to address these issues, Emperor Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
required the support of the middle-classes, who tended to embrace liberal ideals.
Whilst the question of national identity did not arise concerning students in other German-speaking territories, the question of students' national identity did however arise in the context of the multi-national Habsburg Empire
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. The Czechs
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
, for example, regarded the particular form of German student association as was introduced to Prague to be "typically German", whilst the Austrians increasingly believed their student associations to be almost an extension of their national identity. Consequently, such student bodies with their colourful nationalist paraphernalia frequently drew the wrath of the native population upon themselves.
Origins of Corps Austria
Corps Austria was founded on 23 February 1861 by students of the Karl-Ferdinand UniversityCharles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. On 28 June 1881, an event occurred that would lead to the eventual displacement of the Corps from its birthplace. In the so-called "Battle of Kuchelbad", a popular destination on the outskirts of Prague, Czech students violently overwhelmed and routed the participants of the annual celebrations (Ger. "Stiftungsfest
Stiftungsfest
Stiftungsfest is a Founders Day celebration held in Norwood Young America, Minnesota, on the last full weekend of August every year. The first Stiftungsfest was held in 1861. It is Minnesota's oldest celebration....
") commemorating the founding of the Corps.
With this fracas, an unfortunate precedent had been set. Although it was never officially recognised as such, the Battle of Kuchelbad had in fact opened the door on an animosity between the various nationalities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Badeni Language Act of 5 April 1897 attempted to lessen the growing divide between the native Czechs and their German-speaking overlords by giving equal importance to the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
languages in the context of rulings in courts of law in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
. A storm of protests by German-speakers engulfed cities across the Empire such that the act was entirely repealed by 1899. A chain of events that would lead to the collapse of the Empire in the First World War had now gained an unstoppable momentum.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a reconstitution of the Corps in Prague was deemed inadvisable not least because the colours of the Corps reflected the colours of the old Habsburg Monarchy. Instead the Corps quit Prague indefinitely and moved home, once in 1919 to Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, as guests of Corps Rhaetia Innsbruck and then in the same year to the newly founded Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, where it has been ever since.
In 1935, the National Socialist
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
government passed a law requiring all student bodies to expel members, whom it deemed to be "non-aryan". Corps Austria refused to comply and accordingly was forced to close its doors in 1936. In 1939, the Corp's association of Old Boys (Alte Herren Verein) was forcibly disbanded by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
largely because it refused to co-operate with the association of National Socialist
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
Students (NS-Studentenbund). After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in which 19 members of the Corps lost their lives, Corps Austria was reconstituted in Frankfurt in 1949
General
Since 1919 Corp Austria is a member of the Kösener Senioren-Convents-VerbandKösener Senioren-Convents-Verband
The Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband is the oldest association of German and Austrian Studentenverbindungen. It comprises roughly 105 German, Austrian and a Swiss Corps, all of which are based upon the principle of tolerance....
(KSCV). On the basis of its principles and values (e.g. personal etiquette and decorum) Corps Austria is deemed to belong to the "Blue Circle", an unofficial circle within the KSCV Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband
Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband
The Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband is the oldest association of German and Austrian Studentenverbindungen. It comprises roughly 105 German, Austrian and a Swiss Corps, all of which are based upon the principle of tolerance....
of Corps with similar values, on which basis alliances and friendships are formed „Blauen Kreis“
Famous Members
- Vincenz CzernyVincenz CzernyVincenz Czerny was an Austrian-German surgeon whose main contributions were in the fields of oncological and gynecological surgery.Czerny was born in Trutnov, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire...
(1842-1916), surgeon - Robert GersunyRobert GersunyRobert Gersuny was an Austrian surgeon.- Life :Gersuny was the second child of a respected Balneologist in Teplitz . His father was not only a surgeon and obstetrician, but also practiced internal medicine and dentistry...
(1844-1924), surgeon - Jürgen HerrleinJürgen HerrleinJürgen Herrlein is a German lawyer and historian of academic corporations.- Life :Herrlein grew up in Regensburg and Friedrichsdorf/Taunus...
(* 1962), lawyer - Ott-Heinrich KellerOtt-Heinrich KellerEduard Ott-Heinrich Keller was a German mathematician who worked in the fields of geometry, topology and algebraic geometry. He formulated the celebrated problem which is now called the Jacobian conjecture in 1939.He was born in Frankfurt–am-Main, and studied at the universities of Frankfurt,...
(1906-1990), mathematician - Alfred PribramAlfred PribramAlfred Pribram was a Bohemian internist born in Prague. He was a brother of chemist Richard Pribram . His son was the internist Hugo Pribram ....
(1841-1912), internist - August Leopold von ReussAugust Leopold von ReussAugust Leopold von Reuss was an Austrian ophthalmologist who was a native of Bilin, Bohemia. He was the son of geologist August Emanuel von Reuss , and father to pediatrician August von Reuss ....
(1841-1924), ophthalmologist - Karl Hans Strobl (1877-1946), novelist
- Eberhard ZahnEberhard ZahnDr. rer. oec. Eberhard Detloff Zahn was a highly decorated Oberstleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
(1910-2010)
Literatur
- Jürgen Herrlein, Corps Austria – Corpsgeschichte 1861-2001 (History of Corps Austria 1861-2001), Frankfurt am Main 2003
- Jürgen Herrlein, Corps Austria - Corpsliste 1861-2001 (List of members 1861-2001), Frankfurt am Main 2001
- Egon Erwin KischEgon Erwin KischEgon Erwin Kisch was a Czechoslovak writer and journalist, who wrote in German. Known as the The raging reporter from Prague, Kisch was noted for his development of literary reportage and his opposition to Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.- Biography :Kisch was born into a wealthy, German-speaking...
, Alt-Prager Mensurlokale, in Aus Prager Gassen und Nächten (collected works, volume 2), Aufbau Verlag, Berlin, 5. edition 1992, ISBN 3-351-02024-4, S. 172-176 - Egon Erwin KischEgon Erwin KischEgon Erwin Kisch was a Czechoslovak writer and journalist, who wrote in German. Known as the The raging reporter from Prague, Kisch was noted for his development of literary reportage and his opposition to Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.- Biography :Kisch was born into a wealthy, German-speaking...
, Die Kuchelbader Schlacht, in Prager Pitaval - Späte Reportagen (collected works, volume 3), Aufbau Verlag, Berlin, 5. edition 1992, ISBN 3-351-02092-9, S. 267-271
External links
- Literature about Corps Austria in the catalogues of the German National LibraryGerman National LibraryThe German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...
- Corps Austria (in German)