Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband
Encyclopedia
The Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband (abbreviation: KSCV) is the oldest association of German and Austrian Studentenverbindung
en. It comprises roughly 105 German
, Austria
n and a Swiss
Corps
, all of which are based upon the principle of tolerance
.
The KSCV had been founded in Jena
in 1848 and soon moved its venue to the nearby city of Bad Kösen
in the northernmost German wine growing area Saale-Unstrut
having its annual meetings at the nearby Rudelsburg
. The Kösener monuments commemorate prestigious members of the Corps as well as the many fallen during the wars.
During the period in which the National Socialist regime of the Third Reich (Ger. Drittes Reich) ruled Germany and its territories, a majority of member corps of the KSCV (namely five member corps which refused - Borussia Hall, Vandalia Heidelberg, Rhenania Strasbourg Marburg, Suevia Munich, and Suevia Tübingen) refused to exclude Jewish members in addition to refusing to cooperate with the National Socialist youth movements, which were intended to replace the corps and other non-compliant student associations. Inevitably, this policy resulted in the forced closure and disbandment of the corps and, eventually, the KSCV. The dissolution of the KSCV was further ensured by Hitler after the May 1935 Heidelberg asparagus dinner disturbances, in which Corps Borussia Hall members had interfered with a broadcast speech by Hitler in which they sang satirical songs against the Nazis. The Hitler Youth
, in particular, was a rival organization which gained supremacy as the premiere youth organization in Germany under the Third Reich.
The KSCV, which had an ambivalent relationship with the Nazi government, was reconstituted by 1950 primarily in West Germany, with fraternities from the now-Soviet-occupied East Germany relocating to the West. Upon reunification, the Eastern fraternities returned to their original locations.
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...
en. It comprises roughly 105 German
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...
, 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...
n and a Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Corps
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...
, all of which are based upon the principle of tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
.
History
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
in 1848 and soon moved its venue to the nearby city of Bad Kösen
Bad Kösen
' is a spa town in Germany, on the Saale river in the small German wine-growing region of Saale-Unstrut. It is a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt...
in the northernmost German wine growing area Saale-Unstrut
Saale-Unstrut
Saale-Unstrut is a region for quality wine in Germany, and takes its name from the rivers Saale and Unstrut. The region is located on various hill slopes around these rivers...
having its annual meetings at the nearby Rudelsburg
Rudelsburg
The castle ruin Rudelsburg lies on the east bank of the river Saale atop a rocky shell limestone ridge, approximately above the river and above Saaleck, a suburb of the town of Bad Kösen in the Burgenlandkreis district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
. The Kösener monuments commemorate prestigious members of the Corps as well as the many fallen during the wars.
During the period in which the National Socialist regime of the Third Reich (Ger. Drittes Reich) ruled Germany and its territories, a majority of member corps of the KSCV (namely five member corps which refused - Borussia Hall, Vandalia Heidelberg, Rhenania Strasbourg Marburg, Suevia Munich, and Suevia Tübingen) refused to exclude Jewish members in addition to refusing to cooperate with the National Socialist youth movements, which were intended to replace the corps and other non-compliant student associations. Inevitably, this policy resulted in the forced closure and disbandment of the corps and, eventually, the KSCV. The dissolution of the KSCV was further ensured by Hitler after the May 1935 Heidelberg asparagus dinner disturbances, in which Corps Borussia Hall members had interfered with a broadcast speech by Hitler in which they sang satirical songs against the Nazis. The Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
, in particular, was a rival organization which gained supremacy as the premiere youth organization in Germany under the Third Reich.
The KSCV, which had an ambivalent relationship with the Nazi government, was reconstituted by 1950 primarily in West Germany, with fraternities from the now-Soviet-occupied East Germany relocating to the West. Upon reunification, the Eastern fraternities returned to their original locations.
Member corps
- Corps Austria FrankfurtFrankfurtFrankfurt 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...
- Corps Hannovera GöttingenCorps Hannovera Göttingenthumb|Bismarck 1836The Corps Hannovera Göttingen is one of the oldest German Student Corps, a Studentenverbindung or student corporation founded 18 January 1809 at the Georg August University of Göttingen by students like Georg Kloss. The name was chosen because the founders had their home...
- Corps Rhenania HeidelbergCorps Rhenania HeidelbergCorps 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...
- Corps Rhenania TübingenCorps Rhenania TübingenCorps Rhenania Tübingen is a German fraternity and member of the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband , 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 Eberhard Karls...
- Corps Suevia FreiburgCorps Suevia FreiburgThe Corps Suevia Freiburg is one of the oldest German Student Corps, a Studentenverbindung or student corporation founded by 13 students at the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg on June 21, 1815...
- Corps Vandalia-TeutoniaCorps Vandalia-TeutoniaVandalia-Teutonia Berlin is a German Student Corps in the Kösener SC-Verband , 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...
, BerlinBerlinBerlin 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...