Sauerländer Heimatbund
Encyclopedia
The Sauerländer Heimatbund (English: Sauerland
Sauerland
The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited...

 Home Federation) Heimat
Heimat
Heimat is a German word that has no simple English translation. It is often expressed with terms such as home or homeland, but these English counterparts fail to encapsulate the true meaning of the word.-The meaning of Heimat:...

 is a German word that has no simple English translation. It is often expressed with terms such as home or homeland, but these English counterparts fail to encapsulate centuries of German consciousness and the thousands of connections this quintessential aspect of German identity carries with it.
is a non-profit NGO in 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...

 whose purpose is to adhere to and honour the cultural roots, heritage and traditions the Sauerland area. It was founded in 1921 in Meschede
Meschede
Meschede is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis.-Geography:Meschede is situated in the Ruhr valley, near to the Hennesee, south of the nature-park Arnsberger Wald...

.

History

The organisation was founded by the Roman Catholic priest Franz Hoffmeister
Franz Hoffmeister
Franz Hoffmeister was a Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Sauerländer Heimatbund and Festspiele Balver Höhle.-Vita:He was consecrated to a Roman Catholic priest by bishop Hähling von Lanzenauer in 1924....

 as a community of traditional students. Like simialr organisations in Germany, it was founded because of the experiences of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. During the Third Reich activities were interrupted. Specific aspects of Heimat — love and attachment to homeland and the rejection of anything foreign — left the idea vulnerable to easy assimilation into the fascist "blood and soil" literature of the National Socialists
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...

.

Bylaws

The registered voluntary association
Eingetragener Verein
Eingetragener Verein is a legal status for a registered voluntary association in Germany and Austria. While any group may be called a Verein, registration as eingetragener Verein holds many legal benefits because a registered association may legally function as a corporate body rather than just...

 has 3,000 members. As in all other German associations of this type, an annual meeting is compulsory. In the 21st century annual meetings were held in Balve
Balve
Balve is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in Hönnetal, a narrow valley created by the river Hönne, which is near the Sorpesee, formerly part of Balve, and at the north end of the Sauerland, near Dortmund...

 (2004),, Meschede
Meschede
Meschede is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis.-Geography:Meschede is situated in the Ruhr valley, near to the Hennesee, south of the nature-park Arnsberger Wald...

 (2005), Arnsberg
Arnsberg
Arnsberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg's administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochsauerlandkreis.-Geography:...

 (2006) and Allendorf
Allendorf
Allendorf may refer to the following places:*in Germany:**Allendorf, Gießen, a town in the Gießen district, Hesse**Allendorf, Waldeck-Frankenberg, a municipality in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district, Hesse...

 (2007),

Notable members

  • Theodor Pröpper
    Theodor Pröpper
    Theodor Pröpper was a German church organist and composer. Pröpper was born in Balve and spent most of his career there as an organist at Saint Blasius church.-Career:...

     (1896–1979), composer
  • Franz Lenze (1910–2005), politician
  • Friedhelm Ackermann (1934–2006), photographer
  • Werner Ahrens, designer

Literature

  • Landeskundliche Schriftenreihe für das kurkölnische Sauerland. Darin u.a.:
    • Helmut Müller (Bearb.): Die Urkunden des Klosters Bredelar. Fredeburg, 1994.
    • Manfred Wolf (Bearb.) : Die Urkunden des Klosters Oelinghausen : Regesten. Fredeburg, 1992
  • Sauerland : Zeitschrift des Sauerländer Heimatbundes
  • Erika Richter: 75 Jahre Sauerländer Heimatbund. In: Sauerland 29/1996. S.123-159
  • Dieter Wurm: 85 Jahre Sauerländer Heimatbund. In: Sauerland 3/2006. S.107
  • Sauerland, Zeitschrift des Sauerländer Heimatbundes, Publisher: Sauerländer Heimatbund
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