The Corps Franconia Darmstadt is a

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

founded on November 16, 1889, in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

. It is one of the 59

German Student Corps Corps (or Korps; "''das ~''" ('' n''), (''sg.''), (''pl.'')) 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 existi ...

within the

Weinheimer Senioren-Convent The Weinheimer Senioren-Convent (abbreviation: WSC) is the second oldest association of German Studentenverbindungen. It comprises roughly 60 German ''Corps'', all of which are based upon the principle of tolerance. The WSC had been founded in ...

(WSC), the second oldest federation of classical European fraternal corporations, with roots dating back to the 15th century and fraternities founded in several European countries.Die Corps. "Was sind die Corps? - Who are the Corps?" http://www.die-corps.de/interessenten.0.html Retrieved on Oct. 7, 2013.Klimczuk, Stephen & Warner, Gerald. " Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries: Uncovering Mysterious Sites, Symbols, and Societies". Sterling Publishing, 2009, New York and London. . pp. 212–232 ("University Secret Societies and Dueling Corps"). The Corps is a color-bearing fraternal corporation that keeps alive the tradition of

Academic fencing Academic fencing (german: link=no, akademisches Fechten) or is the traditional kind of fencing practiced by some student corporations () in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Latvia, Estonia, and, to a minor extent, in Belgium, Lithuania, and Pol ...

. Membership in the fraternity is open to men studying at one of Darmstadt's

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

such as TU Darmstadt and

University of Applied Sciences A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...

. Corps Franconia's members wear the traditional colour, coloured stripes, in black/ white/ lime-green. The fraternity teaches and expects tolerance from its members, stemming from diverse ethnic, national, religious and political backgrounds. In particular, the Corps is known for its foundation by

Wilhelm von Opel Wilhelm von Opel (15 May 1871 – 2 May 1948), known as Wilhelm Opel before being ennobled in 1917, was one of the founders of the German automobile manufacturer Opel. He introduced the assembly line to the German automobile industry. His father, ...

and the active membership of his brother

Carl von Opel Georg Adolf Carl von Opel (31 August 1869 – 16 February 1927), known as Georg Adolf Carl Opel before being ennobled in 1918, was a bank specialist and industrialist of the Opel family and one of the founders of the German automobile manufacturer ...

as well as his nephew Hans von Opel, founders and owners of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

company

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

. In 2016/2017 for the second time, the Corps chaired the umbrella organisation of the

. On May 26 of 2017, by the initiative of Corps Franconia, the WSC first opened the membership for Corps of foreign countries. A characteristic of Corps Franconia is its cooperation with the American

Tau Kappa Epsilon Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, making the Fraternity an internat ...

which evoked mutual memberships.

History

On November 16, 1889, the fraternity was founded as an academic cycling club (''Academischer Radfahrer-Verein'') and was approved by the directory of the Technische Universität Darmstadt on January 9, 1890. In its beginning, Wilhelm von Opel filled the position of the vice president and as a passionate racing driver, he won a lot of races and prizes in the name of the Corps. As the reputation of cycling clubs sunk, the club was converted to the voluntarily fencing fraternity ''Franconia.'' Just a few months later, in March 1893, Franconia was authorized by the TU Darmstadt. On June 26 of 1893, the brotherhood converted to the Corps Franconia. On Jule 11 later that year, the Corps was approved by the Darmstädter Senioren-Convent, the community of all Corps in Darmstadt and on Whitsun 1895 it was admitted by the Weinheimer Senioren-Convent, the community of all technical Corps in Germany. In comparison to other university cities, the relationship between the Corps in Darmstadt and the students was regarded as "convenient" in the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. In many cases, members of the Corps led the students committee of the university.

Reconstitution after World War I

The

first World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

represents a turning-point of the Corps, especially as 12 corps brothers let their lives in the war. In 1920/1921 the members of the Corps erected a memorial to their remembrance. In the winter semester of 1918/1919 the corps activities could be continued. Already before the first World War the desire for their own corps house arose. For this purpose, the club ''Verein Alter Darmstädter Franken'' (VADaF) was founded on July 15, 1919. Wilhelm von Opel led the club as chairman and 1920, he was elected as the first ''Ehrenbursch'' of the corps, a very honorary member. Together with his nephew Hans von Opel, Wilhelm donated 60.000

Reichsmark The (; sign: ℛℳ; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until 20 June 1948 in West Germany, where it was replaced with the , and until 23 June 1948 in East Germany, where it was replaced by the East German mark. The Reich ...

and provided a loan for further 50.000 RM to make the house project possible. The Opel family (and later Klaus Mahn as well) raised further voluntary donations, whose amounts exceeded the average payments many times, which is apparent from the cash reports and bank statements. Wilhelm von Opel signed a duty to assure lifelong financial support to the corps, which even moved on to his children.

From National Socialism to today

In 1933, members of fencing fraternities were requested to join the SA and the SS. Like all other corps, Franconia was forced to dismiss their not-aryan corps brothers, when the WSC joined the ''Allgemeinen Deutschen Waffenring''. Although the affected members wanted to leave the corps voluntarily, their corps brothers did not accept this and tried to get special regulation for them - without success. The democratic principle of the corps was inconsistent with the

Führerprinzip The (; German for 'leader principle') prescribed the fundamental basis of political authority in the Government of Nazi Germany. This principle can be most succinctly understood to mean that "the Führer's word is above all written law" and t ...

, which endangered the existence of the fraternities and the corps. Franconia was lively keen for a working relationship between the fraternities and their political environment. The NSDStB drew on more and more fraternity traditions. A lot of resistance was raised against this adsorption: For example, in May 1930 the German corps magazine printed an explicit warning about political engagement in general and within the NSDAP especially. In a meeting the corps unanimously denied to provide themselves as a

Kameradschaft ''Kameradschaft'' ( en, Comradeship, known in France as ''La Tragédie de la mine'') is a 1931 dramatic film directed by Austrian director G. W. Pabst. The French-German co-production drama is noted for combining expressionism and realism.Butle ...

. Under pressure of the national socialist student leadership, the corps suspended on October 19, 1935, and the WSC ended with its voluntary disbanding, the only alternative to escape the NSDStB. Despite the disbanding of the corps, the participating VADaF club kept up under provisional leadership through Arthur Tix,Rundschreiben vom 15. Januar 1936 von Wilhelm Bachmayer. In: ''Geschichte des Corps Franconia zu Darmstadt''. Mainz 1998. S. 207f. as it did not stand in contrast to any party authorities". With the exception of the Corps Franconia, all other Corps in Darmstadt sold their houses. This way, Franconia could continue its activities in the rented house, but under much harder conditions. From 1939, a few rooms of the corps house were provided for the Kameradschaft Kaspar (named after its leader), to which the corps members stand in contact. In 1941, the Kameradschaft was renamed in Kameradschaft Litzmann. The corps member ''Dr.'' ''Georg Wilhelm Lotterhos'' was able to prevent the full integration of the VADaF's members and property into the NSDAP, which is apparent from the correspondence between him and the Nazi student leadership in 1943/1944. In chronist ''Dr. Peter Heß'' opinion, the Corps would not exist anymore without the leaders of the VADaF. In the end of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

the Kameradschaft dissolved and the Corps was reconstituted on September 18, 1948. After receiving the approval of the Technical University the fraternity fully started its first semester program in the winter semester of 1949/1950. After the second World War, the corps consisted of 10-15 members. Since 1949 the corps continued its activities continuously. The press and agents from politics and university regularly visit the Corps to tell their congratulations. Both in 1970/71 and in 2016/17 the Corps Franconia led the

for each one year. Through the Corps' endeavours, the WSC was opened first for Corps in non-German speaking countries. The opening of the WSC was recorded as ''decision of fundamental importance.'' The newspapers quoted chairman ''Jonathan Hildebrand'', saying ''"The opening for other associations and for the public is one of the most important topic at the conference. (transl.)"''

Foreign Relations

On the basis of historically grown relations, there is an exchange program with the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

fraternity

. ''Timothy J. Murphy'', executive vice president of TKE 1996–2000 is a member of the Corps.The TEKE - The Magazine of Tau Kappa Epsilon Summer 2003
Online
, retrieved 3 January 2017 Since 1972 there is also a friendship relation to the Corps Normannia Vandalia

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Fraternity houses

On September 26, 1919, the Corps bought a house in the Frankfurt Strasse 15, Darmstadt. This was sold in 1930 to a

Cartellverband The Union of Catholic German Student Fraternities (german: Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen or ''Cartellverband'' (CV)) is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities (Studentenverbindung). ...

fraternity. A committee, which also joined

and Hans von Opel, decided together with the tenured professor of architecture, ''Paul Meissner'', about the drafts for the new house. On July 7, 1928, the foundation stone was laid down ceremonially. A report in the Darmstädter Tagblatt from March 23, 1928, attested the public interest of the event. With Friedrich Dingeldey, ''Otto Berndt'' and mayor ''August Buxbaum'' agents from both university and city visited the ceremony. The official opening was celebrated on July 7, 1929. Next to a lot of other speakers, mayor ''Rudolf Mueller'' and his Magnificence ''Haus Rau'' delivered their congratulations, as the newspaper reported on its front page. As the only Corps in Darmstadt, Franconia did not sold the new house in the national socialism, but partially provided it to a Kameradschaft. On September 14, 1944, it was heavily damaged in an air raid. Until 1953 the reconstruction was compleded most extensive. Also a memorial for the fallen Corps members was moved to the corps house and expanded for the fallen Corps brothers in World War II.

Couleur and Coat of arms

The Corps' colors black/ white/ lime-green with silvered edge, are worn as traditional

Couleur Couleur (from French, meaning ''colour'' in English) is the expression used in Central European ''Studentenverbindungen'' for the various headgear and distinctive ribbons worn by members of these student societies. There are three classes of such ...

. A '' Fuchs'' typically wears a two-colored ribbon in black and white. Headgear and the traditional suit ''Pekesche'' is made from black cloth. The slogan is ''"Nec temere - nec timide"'' (Neither act thoughtless - nor timidly) (Handle besonnen - bleibe frei von Furcht). The coat of arms shows the colors and the

Zirkel Zirkel may refer to: * Zirkel (Studentenverbindung), a symbol used in European student societies * Dorsum Zirkel, a wrinkle ridge in Mare Imbrium on the Moon * Mount Zirkel, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado * USS ''Zirkel'' (ID-3407), a cargo ...

at the top of the left, the Lion of Hesse at the top of the right, the crossed swords with oak leaves and laurel wreath and weapon slogan ''G.U.N.'' (lat. Gladius Ultor Noster) and the foundation date (November 16, 1889). In the last field there is the Burg Frankenstein in the near of Darmstadt. In the middle there are the old colors of the Academic Cycling Club (white and green with golden edge). The coat of arms in the colors black/ white/ lime-green is still on the historic Wappentor of the Wachenburg.

Social Commitment

The Circle

In 2012, the corps member ''Oliver Zimmermann'' founded the C!rkel e.V. (registered club). This club made the support of young professionals to its business. It offers general and student-orientated further education to give better job perspectives for as many Corps students as possible. Among the coaches are professors, executive employees and chief executive officers, exclusive from the corps student ranks. Also the executive committee is composed of members of the corps.

Weinheim Seminars

The seminars of the AWS e.V. (Academy Weinheim Seminars) is an essential element of the agenda of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent. The Academy Weinheim Seminars e.V. is a registered club. It offers seminars in the topics

Assessment centre An assessment centre is a process where candidates are examined to determine their suitability for specific types of employment, especially management or military command. The candidates' personality and aptitudes are determined by techniques in ...

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

Neuro-linguistic programming Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a pseudoscientific approach to communication, personal development and psychotherapy, that first appeared in Richard Bandler and John Grinder's 1975 book ''The Structure of Magic I''. NLP claims that th ...

negotiation Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties to reach the desired outcome regarding one or more issues of conflict. It is an interaction between entities who aspire to agree on matters of mutual interest. The agreement c ...

etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...

, organization and group theory. In 1970/71 when the Corps Franconia was the executive Corps ("Vorort") within the Weinheimer Senioren Convent, it founded the "Kuratorium Weinheim Seminar", the predecessor of today's AWS e.V.

Jugend Aktiv

In 2000, the corps member ''Götz Junkers-Lommatzsch'' founded the club "Jugend Aktiv e.V." in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. With its coaching and training program, especially very talented young professionals get supported. Throughout Germany, more than 2000 pupils got sponsored until 2011. The coaching program comprises seminars in the topics personal development, networking, logistics and individual

mentorship Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

by personnel consultants. Important partners of Jugend Aktiv are the

Handelshochschule Leipzig HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, formerly known as Handelshochschule Leipzig, is a private business school based in Saxony, Germany. Established in 1898, it is one of the world's oldest business schools. The school is accredited intern ...

, the

Technische Universität Braunschweig The Technische Universität Braunschweig (unofficially University of Braunschweig – Institute of Technology), commonly referred to as TU Braunschweig, is the oldest ' (comparable to an institute of technology in the American system) in Germany. ...

as well as the

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (german: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, KAS) is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's headquarters are located in Sank ...

. The program stands in coordination with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and the ministries of education from several

federal states A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governi ...

. Today, the founder is honorary member both of the corps and the club. When he received for the ''Wachenburg-Medaille'' (the highest award from the WVAC) the magazine "Corps" reported:

Friends for peace

In 2012 the Corps Franconia officially supported the club ''Freunde für Frieden - friends for peace.'' In addition to financial assistance, the corps supported the club also by providing premises and the active support from several corps members. Beyond that and with other partners, the corps participated in the 6th Darmstädter Lichterzug, a symbol against racism and hostility to strangers.

Opel

Unique among other corps is the close historical contact to industrial dynasty Opel. Wilhelm, Hans and Carl von Opel were active members of the corps. The Opels engaged in the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

for the corps house. The house is decorated with pictures of Hans von Opel and Wilhelm von Opel. One room is still named after the Opels.

Notable Members

* Hatto Brenner (* 1940), President of European Union of Medium-sized Business (short: EUMU) * Wilhelm Cornelius (1915-1996), Inventor of the

Orthotropic deck An orthotropic bridge or orthotropic deck is typically one whose fabricated deck consists of a structural steel deck plate stiffened either longitudinally with ribs or transversely, or in both directions. This allows the fabricated deck both t ...

* Peter Jühling (1925–2011), Honorary president of IHK * Hans Walter Lotterhos (1914-1989), President of Alumni organization ''Weinheimer Verband Alter Corpsstudenten'' (WVAC) * Klaus Mahn (1934–1993), Writer, Author of

Perry Rhodan ''Perry Rhodan'' is a West Germany, West German/Germany, German space opera franchise, named after its hero. It commenced in 1961 and has been ongoing for decades, written by an ever-changing team of authors. Having sold approximately two billi ...

* Fritz Mouson (1884–1926), Industrialist, creator of the Mouson Tower in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

(1869–1927), Industrialist of the German automobile manufacture * Hans von Opel (1899–1948), Industrialist *

(1871–1948), Industrialist of the German automobile manufacture *

Hanns Pellar Hanns is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Hanns Blaschke (1896–1971), Austrian politician *Hanns Bolz (1885–1918), German expressionist and cubist painter * Hanns Brandstätter (born 1949), Austrian fencer *Hanns Braun (18 ...

(1886–1971), Professor, Austrian painter, illustrator *

Willy Sachs Wilhelm Josef Sachs known as Willy Sachs (23 July 1896 – 19 November 1958) was a German industrialist and Nazi party member. He served in the SS as an ''Obersturmbannführer'' and was appointed as a '' Wehrwirtschaftsführer'', recognizing h ...

(1896–1958), Industrialist * Hermann Schwind (1923–2009), Professor at TU Dortmund * Karl Hans Simmrock (1930–2017), Tenured professor at TU Dortmund * Arthur Tix (1897-1971),

Honorary doctor An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

of Technische University of Clausthal

Recipients of the Klinggraeff-Medal ()

The Klinggraeff-Medal is awarded for the combination of extraordinary accomplishments in academia, involvement for the fraternity and proven leadership on local and, preferentially, national level.Stifterverien Alter Corpsstudenten e.V. "Die Preisträger der Klinggräff-Medaille" (Recipients of the Klinggraeff-Medal) http://www.stifterverein.org/preistraeger Retrieved on Oct. 7, 2013. The award indirectly reflects back at the fraternity, showing leaders in their field among the fraternity's brothers. The medal is rewarded with EUR 4.000. For more information see Klinggräff-Medaille at the Association of German Student Corps Alumni. Recipients of the Klinggraeff-Medal for the Corps Franconia are: * Harald Frank (1994) * Christian Eickhorn (1998) * Alexander Megej (2002) * Nicolas Gatzke (2010) * Fabian von Blücher (2019)

Literature

* Technische Hochschule Darmstadt (Hrsg.): ''Hochschulführer Darmstadt,'' Darmstadt 1922, S. 92 * E. H. Eberhard: ''Handbuch des studentischen Verbindungswesens.'' Leipzig, 1924/25, S. 131. * Hans Schüler: ''Weinheimer S.C.-Chronik'', Darmstadt 1927, S. 401–432. *

Michael Doeberl Michael Doeberl (15 January 1861, Waldsassen – 24 March 1928, Partenkirchen) was a German historian who specialized in Bavarian history. He studied philology and history at the University of Munich, obtaining his doctorate from the Universi ...

u. a. (Hrsg.): ''Das akademische Deutschland'', Band 2: ''Die deutschen Hochschulen und ihre akademischen Bürger'', Berlin 1931, S. 724. * Dr. Peter Heß: ''Geschichte des Corps Franconia zu Darmstadt''. Mainz 1998. http://d-nb.info/997404396 * Manfred Studier: ''Der Corpsstudent als Idealbild der Wilhelminischen Ära - Untersuchungen zum Zeitgeist 1888 bis 1914'', Abhandlungen zum Studenten- und Hochschulwesen, Band 3, Schernfeld 1990, * * * Frederic Beier: ''Korporiert!'', Entstanden im Sommersemester 2005 an der Fachhochschule Darmstadt im Entwurfskurs unter der Betreuung von Herrn Prof. Christian K. Pfestorf und Frau Wiebke Schwarzpaul. S. 16f

* Stephan Peters (Hrsg.): ''Intellektuelle Tiefgarage. Auf den Spuren studentischer Korporationen in der Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt'', Darmstadt, June 2005, S. 84f.,

* Becker, G. et al. (zsgest. & hrsg. von Vorstand des Weinheimer Verbandes Alter Corpsstudenten in Zsarb. mit der Historischen Kommission des WVAC): ''100 Jahre Weinheimer Senioren-Convent. Festschrift zum 100jährigen Bestehen des Weinheimer Senioren-Convents''. Laupenmüller & Dierichs, Bochum 1963.

References

{{Authority control Student societies in Germany