Nordische Gesellschaft
Encyclopedia
Nordische Gesellschaft was an association founded in 1921, with the objective of strengthening German-Nordic cultural and political cooperation. It was based in Lübeck
, Germany
. The association had both German and Scandinavia
n members. After the National Socialist take-over in Germany 1933 Nordische Gesellschaft came under the control of Alfred Rosenberg
. A new board was formed. Rosenberg's ambition was that the organization could be utilized for the National Socialist cause. Heinrich Himmler
became a member of the board.
As of 1940, the association had 40 local branches in different parts of Germany. The association published a notable amount of books and brochures which were distributed in Scandinavia.
During the Second World War it ran two publications, Pressedienst Nord and Der Norden, directed towards influencing the political debate in the Scandinavian countries towards a pro-German position.
historical and cultural heritage, based on the legacy of the Hanseatic league
. The publication presented the Hanseatic period as a golden era of the region. Several Scandinavian writers had their articles published in Der Norden.
Der Norden had a monthly edition of around 6-7000. It is assumed that the last issue was published in October 1944.
but some were in Scandinavian languages, especially in Norwegian
.
The articles dealt mainly with Nordic issues. The publishing house did a conscious effort to include Scandinavian writers, such as Knut Hamsun
, Erling Björnsson and Karl Olivecrona
.
The publication was rather thin, and printed on cheap paper. Images were rare, and generally limited to political caricature
s.
, and was not used for political purposes like the other two main publications of the association.
original, England eller Tyskland?.
. The activities included study visits, lectures and concerts in Germany and tours of German scholars and artists in Sweden. The branch also maintained correspondence with a large number of Swedish individual scholars, painters, musicians and artists. The branch sent large amounts of pro-German literature to these people, whom in turn distributed this literature amongst frieds and colleagues. According to a Swedish state survey conducted directly after the war, the work of Nordische Gesellschaft played an important role in the German cultural propaganda work during the war.
and Barbra Ring played key roles in the Norwegian
activities of Nordische Gesellschaft during the 1930s. Other important individuals in the networks of the association were Ronald Fangen, Tore Ørjasæter
and Mikkjel Fønhus
.
During the first six months of the German occupation of Norway, the organization was very active in trying to utilize the bonds forged with Norwegian writers during the 1930s. This endeavour was however largely unsuccessful. The most prominent writer who retained contacts with the association was Åsmund Sveen. Vidkun Quisling
's Nasjonal Samling never had any formal contacts with Nordische Gesellschaft.
-based Deutsch-Nordische Gesellschaft and, to a lesser extent, Kulturabteilung des Auswärtigen Amtes in Berlin
.
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, 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...
. The association had both German and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n members. After the National Socialist take-over in Germany 1933 Nordische Gesellschaft came under the control of Alfred Rosenberg
Alfred Rosenberg
' was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi Party. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart; he later held several important posts in the Nazi government...
. A new board was formed. Rosenberg's ambition was that the organization could be utilized for the National Socialist cause. Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
became a member of the board.
As of 1940, the association had 40 local branches in different parts of Germany. The association published a notable amount of books and brochures which were distributed in Scandinavia.
During the Second World War it ran two publications, Pressedienst Nord and Der Norden, directed towards influencing the political debate in the Scandinavian countries towards a pro-German position.
Der Norden
Der Norden ('The North') was the flagship of the publishing activities of Nordische Gesellschaft. Initially known as Der Nordische Aufseher, it got the name Der Norden in 1935. It dealt mainly with Nordic issues and actively tried to foster a concept of a common Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
historical and cultural heritage, based on the legacy of the Hanseatic league
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
. The publication presented the Hanseatic period as a golden era of the region. Several Scandinavian writers had their articles published in Der Norden.
Der Norden had a monthly edition of around 6-7000. It is assumed that the last issue was published in October 1944.
Pressedienst Nord
Pressedienst Nord ('Press Service North') was published weekly. In the summer of 1940 it had an edition of 3000 weekly. Its edition gradually increased until the spring of 1941. From that point until February 1945, its edition was 10 000 weekly. Its articles were mainly in German languageGerman 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....
but some were in Scandinavian languages, especially in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
.
The articles dealt mainly with Nordic issues. The publishing house did a conscious effort to include Scandinavian writers, such as Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
, Erling Björnsson and Karl Olivecrona
Karl Olivecrona
Karl Olivecrona was a Swedish lawyer and legal philosopher: He studied law at Uppsala from 1915 to 1920 and was a pupil of Axel Hägerström, the spiritual father of Scandinavian legal realism. One of the internationally best-known Swedish legal theorists, Olivecrona was a professor of procedural...
.
The publication was rather thin, and printed on cheap paper. Images were rare, and generally limited to political caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
s.
Wirtschaftswart Nord
A third publication issued by the association, with much smaller edition, was Wirtschaftswart Nord ('Northern Economics'). The publication was dedicated to economicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and was not used for political purposes like the other two main publications of the association.
Brochures
A sizeable amount of brochures were published by the association, most of them were part of the series Veröffentlichungen der Nordische Gesellschaft zum Zeitgeschehen. One brochure in the series England oder Deutschland? ('England or Germany?'), written by Karl Olivecrona, had an edition of 80 000. Published in 1941, was a translation from its SwedishSwedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
original, England eller Tyskland?.
Cultural branch
A special 'cultural branch' was set up under the leadership of Dr. Heinrich Jessen, to facilitate contacts with the cultural and academic sphere in the Scandinavian countries. The cultural branch arranged yearly summer congresses in Lübeck, Reichtagung zur Sommersonnenwende.Activities in Sweden
The cultural branch worked actively throughout the war years to foster contacts with Swedish academics and artists. This work was often done in close cooperation with the cultural section of the German diplomatic representation in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. The activities included study visits, lectures and concerts in Germany and tours of German scholars and artists in Sweden. The branch also maintained correspondence with a large number of Swedish individual scholars, painters, musicians and artists. The branch sent large amounts of pro-German literature to these people, whom in turn distributed this literature amongst frieds and colleagues. According to a Swedish state survey conducted directly after the war, the work of Nordische Gesellschaft played an important role in the German cultural propaganda work during the war.
Activities in Norway
Johan BojerJohan Bojer
Johan Bojer was a popular Norwegian novelist and dramatist. He principally wrote about the lives of the poor farmers and fishermen, both in his native Norway and among the Norwegian immigrants in the United States.-Biography:...
and Barbra Ring played key roles in the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
activities of Nordische Gesellschaft during the 1930s. Other important individuals in the networks of the association were Ronald Fangen, Tore Ørjasæter
Tore Ørjasæter
Tore "Spencer Brown" Ørjasæter was a Norwegian poet.The son of a teacher, he attended folk high school and qualified as a teacher before becoming a writer....
and Mikkjel Fønhus
Mikkjel Fønhus
Mikkjel Fønhus was a Norwegian journalist, novelist and short story writer. Fønhus' stories are often set in the wilderness, featuring animals and animal behavior.-Personal life:...
.
During the first six months of the German occupation of Norway, the organization was very active in trying to utilize the bonds forged with Norwegian writers during the 1930s. This endeavour was however largely unsuccessful. The most prominent writer who retained contacts with the association was Åsmund Sveen. Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
's Nasjonal Samling never had any formal contacts with Nordische Gesellschaft.
Other organizations
Nordische Gesellschaft was however not the sole organization dedicated to Nordic-German cultural exchange at the time. It faced competition from the HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
-based Deutsch-Nordische Gesellschaft and, to a lesser extent, Kulturabteilung des Auswärtigen Amtes in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.