The Corps Suevia Freiburg was founded by thirteen students at the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg on June 21, 1815. The founders were influenced by the late 18th and early 19th century philosophical school of German idealism.[1]
The Corps House
The corps is politically and religiously neutral and was founded on the principles of tolerance and democracy.[1] It is committed to brotherhood, tolerance, scholarship, and academic excellence. It is a dueling fraternity that practices academic fencing.[2]
The corps house, or Schwabenhaus, is in Freiburg was designed by Hermann Billing in 1910. It is in Baden Art Nouveau style, with clean lines.[3]
Corps Suevia's sealMan wearing a corp's couleur (cap), 1925
Symbols and traditions
Its members wear its colors (ribbon) and a couleur (cap) on official occasions.[1][4] The ribbon includes the corps' official colors: black, yellow, and blue.[5]
Because of the cultural commitment to equality, members refer to each other as “Du” (you), but it is customary for members to refer to one another using their last names.[4]
Suevia's Latin motto is "Virtute constanti fulget salus!" or "Health shines with constant power!" Its guiding principle and the main pillar of its constitution is democracy.
Activities
Members of the corps are expected to complete their academic studies successfully and quickly.[4] Its members also practice Mensuren or ritualized combat and academic fencing with a Korbschläger, a sword with a basket-type hilt and sharp blade.[1][2] Each member much compete in at least four Mensuren combats for the Corps' colors.[2]
The corps hosts seminars, supports academic and vocational practice periods, organizes cultural trips to Europe, and supports language and intercultural skills.[6] Its members attend dance classes, lectures, theater, concerts, and weekly meals.[7]
Membership
Membership in Corps Suevia Freiburg is open to male students who attend a Frieburg college.[5] Potential members submit a written application and are selected based on personal character, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or social status.[5][1] After completing an initial probatory period as a "fuchs" (fox), prospective members will have the opportunity to become full members.
The corps includes two types of members: Aktiven (active members) and Altherrenschaft (senior members) who have graduated from college.[6] The active members oversee the daily operations of the corps and its chapter house, while the alumni provide financial support and scholarships for active members.[6]
Corps (or Korps; "das ~" (n), German pronunciation:[ˈkoːɐ] (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 existing today was founded in 1789. Its members are referred to as corps students (Corpsstudenten). The corps belong to the tradition of student fraternities which wear couleur and practice academic fencing.
Studentenverbindung or studentische Korporation is the umbrella term for many different kinds of fraternity-type associations in German-speaking countries, including Corps, Burschenschaften, Landsmannschaften, Turnerschaften, and Catholic fraternities. Worldwide, there are over 1,600 Studentenverbindungen, about a thousand in Germany, with a total of over 190,000 members. In them, students spend their university years in an organized community, whose members stay connected even after graduation. A goal of this lifelong bond is to create contacts and friendships over many generations and to facilitate networking. The Lebensbund is very important for the longevity of these networks.
Academic fencing or Mensur 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 Poland. It is a traditional, strictly regulated épée fight between two male members of different fraternities with sharp weapons. The German technical term Mensur in the 16th century referred to the specified distance between each of the fencers.
The Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband is the oldest association of German, Austrian and Swiss Studentenverbindungen or students fraternities. It comprises roughly 105 German, Austrian and a Flemish (Belgian), Hungarian and Swiss Corps, all of which are based upon the principle of tolerance.
The Weinheimer Senioren-Convent 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 Corps Hannovera Göttingen is one of the oldest German Student Corps, a Studentenverbindung or student corporation founded on January 18, 1809, at the Georg August University of Göttingen by Georg Kloss and his associates. The name was chosen because the founders had their home residences in the Kingdom of Hanover. As a corps it is a founding member (1848) of the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband (KSCV), the oldest governing body of such student associations in both Germany and Austria.
The Union of Catholic German Student Fraternities is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities (Studentenverbindung).
Corps Austria is a member Corps of the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband, the association of the oldest student fraternities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Corps Austria is "pflichtschlagend", which refers to the fact that it requires of its members to participate in several organized duel-like fencing engagements with members of other specific student fraternities, a ritual dating back to the 17th century and described by Mark Twain in his book "A tramp abroad". The Corps Austria is further considered "farbentragend" in that its members wear a colored sash across their chests as evidence of their membership of the fraternity. Both of these tendencies are characteristic of the most traditional and often very elite all-male fraternities in countries for central Europe. Eligible applicants are students of the Goethe University Frankfurt and other colleges in Frankfurt, Germany. Members of Corps Austria are colloquially referred to as "Austrianer", or simply "Austern". Corps Austria was founded in 1861 at the Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague and moved to the newly established Goethe University Frankfurt in 1919.
Corps Rhenania Tübingen is a German fraternity and member of the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband (KSCV), which is among the oldest fraternity associations. The Corps commits itself to a traditional kind of sport called academic fencing. It associates students and graduates of the University of Tübingen. Its members are called “Tübingen Rhenanians”.
Corps Rhenania Heidelberg is a member Corps of the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband, the oldest association of student fraternities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Corps Rhenania is "pflichtschlagend", which refers to the fact that it requires of its members, that they participate in several ritual, organised duels with members of other specific student fraternities. Eligible applicants are those students, both current and former, of the Ruprecht Karl University in Heidelberg, Germany. Members of Corps Rhenania are colloquially referred to as "Rhenane".
Vandalia-Teutonia Berlin is a German Student Corps (Fraternity) in the Kösener SC-Verband (KSCV), the umbrella organization of the oldest German fraternities. As a corps, Vandalia-Teutonia practices academic fencing and wears Colours. Its membership comprises active and former students and alumni of all Berlin universities. Its members are called Vandalen-Teutonen.
The Corps Hubertia Freiburg is a fraternity (Studentenverbindung) in Freiburg, Germany. It was founded on October 29, 1868, and is one of 162 German Student Corps in Europe today. The Corps is a member of the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband (KSCV), the oldest federation of classical European fraternities with roots dating back to the 15th century and member fraternities across Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Latvia and Switzerland.
The Corps Altsachsen is a fraternity (Studentenverbindung) in Dresden, Germany. It was founded on October 31, 1861, and is one of 162 German Student Corps in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Latvia and Hungary today. The Corps is a member of the Weinheimer Senioren-Convent (WSC), the second oldest federation of classical Fraternities in Europe with roots dating back to the 15th century.
Norbert Pfretzschner was an Austrian sculptor and author of books on hunting.
The Corps Saxo-Thuringia München is a fraternity (Studentenverbindung) in Munich, Germany, founded on March 15, 1882. It is one of 162 German Student Corps in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Latvia and Hungary today. The Corps is a member of the Weinheimer Senioren-Convent (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.
The Corps Marko-Guestphalia Aachen is a fraternity (Studentenverbindung) in Aachen, Germany, founded on December 2, 1871. It is one of 162 German Student Corps in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Latvia and Hungary today. The Corps is a member of the Weinheimer Senioren-Convent (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.
The Corps Berlin is a fraternity (Studentenverbindung) in Berlin, Germany, founded on February 9, 2009 with roots dating back to December 2, 1859. It is one of 162 German Student Corps in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Latvia and Hungary today. The Corps is a member of the Weinheimer Senioren-Convent (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.
The Corps Franconia München is a German Student Corps at the University of Munich. As a member of the Münchner Senioren Convent (SC) it is a member of the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband, the oldest fraternity association in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The Corps Franconia Darmstadt is a fraternity founded on November 16, 1889, in Darmstadt. It is one of the 59 German Student Corps within the Weinheimer Senioren-Convent (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.
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