The
Theresian Military Academy is an academy, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their
officersAn officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
. The Academy is located in the castle of
Wiener Neustadt----Wiener Neustadt , is a town located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land.- History :...
in
Lower AustriaLower Austria is the northeast state of the nine states or Bundesländer in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten , but formerly, the capital of Lower Austria was Vienna, even though Vienna is not properly part of Lower Austria...
.
The Theresian Military Academy is the oldest military academy in the world and was founded on 14 December 1751 by
Maria Theresa of Austria
who gave the first commander of the Academy, Fieldmarshal
Leopold Josef Graf DaunCount Leopold Joseph von Daun , later Prince of Thiano, Austrian field marshal, was born at Vienna, as son of Count Wirich Philipp von Daun.- Background :...
(Lord Daun), the order “” (“Make me hard working officers and honest men”).
The
Theresian Military Academy is an academy, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their
officersAn officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
. The Academy is located in the castle of
Wiener Neustadt----Wiener Neustadt , is a town located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land.- History :...
in
Lower AustriaLower Austria is the northeast state of the nine states or Bundesländer in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten , but formerly, the capital of Lower Austria was Vienna, even though Vienna is not properly part of Lower Austria...
.
History
The Theresian Military Academy is the oldest military academy in the world and was founded on 14 December 1751 by
Maria Theresa of Austria
who gave the first commander of the Academy, Fieldmarshal
Leopold Josef Graf DaunCount Leopold Joseph von Daun , later Prince of Thiano, Austrian field marshal, was born at Vienna, as son of Count Wirich Philipp von Daun.- Background :...
(Lord Daun), the order “” (“Make me hard working officers and honest men”). Per year the Academy accepted 100 noblemen and 100 commoners to start their education there. In 1771 Fieldmarshal Lieutenant Hannig published the official studying plan and in 1775 Maria Theresa published the Academy Rules. At this time it took 11 years to complete the Academy but step by step it was shortened to 3 years.
The Styrian Prince Erzherzog Johann (Archduke John) was the principal Headmaster of the academy for 44 years (1805–1849).
In the
First RepublicIn Austrian history, the First Republic encompasses the period following the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy at the end of World War I, up to World War II. Austria was a de-facto republic, as the constitution did not identify it directly as a republic, its official name was the Federal...
(1918–1938) the academy was located in
EnnsEnns is a city in the Austrian state of Upper Austria, located 281 m above sea level on the river Enns, which forms the border to the state of Lower Austria....
untll 1934 and then again in the castle of Wiener Neustadt. A very special thing in the time between the
AustrofascismAustrofascism is a term which is frequently used by historians to describe the authoritarian rule installed in Austria between 1934 and 1938. It was based on a ruling party, the Fatherland Front and the Heimwehr paramilitary units...
and the
AnschlussThe ' , also known as the ', was the 1938 de facto annexation of Austria into Greater Germany by the Nazi regime....
(Occupation of Austria by
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
) was that
Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Rudolf Towarek (Commander of the TherMilAk between 1933 and 1938) didn't let the
WehrmachtWehrmacht was the name of the unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe ....
inside the castle for several days, which was the only military resistance of Austria against the occupation by Nazi Germany. GenLt Towarek wasn't punished for this action but he was retired and had the right to wear the Austrian uniform after his retirement which was more than unusual in those days.
After the Anschluss the Wehrmacht installed a war school for
non-commissioned officerNon-commissioned officer , abbreviated to NCO or Non-com , is a term in many armed forces indicating leadership ranks less senior than commissioned officers...
s at the castle of Wiener Neustadt. The first commander of this school was
Erwin RommelErwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , was perhaps the most famous German Field Marshal of World War II....
. At this time the Germans erected a new building next to the castle which is nowadays known as Fort Daun in which the Military High School of Austria is located.
After
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the
Austrian State TreatyThe Austrian State Treaty or Austrian Independence Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on May 15, 1955, in Vienna at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allied occupying powers and the Austrian government...
which was signed in 1955 the totally destroyed castle was rebuilt and in 1958 the military academy was again located in Wiener Neustadt after a short intermezzo (1955-1958) in Enns.
The TherMilAk today
The current commander of the TherMilAk is
GeneralmajorGeneral is presently the highest rank of the German Army and Luftwaffe . It is the equivalent to an Admiral in the German Navy .-Early history:...
Norbert Sinn.
Since 1997 the TherMilAk is a 4-year college which can also be attended by civilian students and finishes with a masters degree in military leadership. In 2003 the first four women completed the academy. Since 1959 more than 3,600 young officers have been educated at the Theresian Military Academy.
External links