Corps Borussia Bonn

Corps Borussia Bonn
FoundedDecember 22, 1821 (December 22, 1821)
University of Bonn
TypeGerman Student Corps
AffiliationKSCV
StatusActive[1]
ScopeLocal
MottoVirtus fidesque bonorum corona
"Bravery and loyalty are the crown of the good"
Zirkel
Chapters1
HeadquartersBonn
Germany
Wilhelm II, with student cap and ribbon of Corps Borussia Bonn

The Corps Borussia Bonn is a German Student Corps. It was established at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany in 1821. Inactive during the Nazi rule of Germany, the Corps was reestablished in 1949.

History

The Corps Borussia Bonn was established on 22 December 1821 at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany. It is the corps of the House of Hohenzollern and Prussian nobility.[2]

The Corps Borussia Bonn joined the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband (KSCV) in 1856. In 1864 and 1883, Borussia headed the KSCV. In 1933, the KSCV amended its bylaws to require member corps to expel anyone of Jewish ancestry or with a Jewish spouse, a rule that affected twelve Borussia members. Rather than formally expel them, the corps initially attempted to persuade the affected members to resign voluntarily. The matter came to a head at a members' meeting on 13 October 1935, when Paul Graf Yorck von Wartenburg protested the policy and announced his resignation; the corps voted to dissolve itself at that same meeting rather than comply with the expulsion requirement.[3]

The Corps Borussia Bonn reestablished itself in 1949, after the defeat of the Nazis in World War II. Corps records indicate the reestablished corps was active by the mid-1950s: the Wiener Holocaust Library in London holds correspondence and Corps Borussia semester reports dated 1954–1962 relating to a lecture Alfred Wiener gave to the corps.[4] The corps' alumni organization, the Verein der Alten Herren des Corps Borussia Bonn e.V. ("Association of Old Members"), remains currently registered in the German register of associations (Vereinsregister) at the District Court of Bonn (VR 2182) as of 2026.[1]

Symbols

The Corps Borussia Bonn's motto is Virtus fidesque bonorum corona (Latin for "Bravery and loyalty are the crown of the good").

Notable members

Following are some of the notable members of the Corps Borussia Bonn.[5]

Princes

Others

Scandals and member misconduct

Karl Marx fought a duel with a Corps Borrussia member in August 1836.[6][7]

In November 1909, the corps was suspended for one semester for hazing and its members were prohibited from wearing its colours for three months.[2] At the time, it was the primary fraternity of German royalty, including the Kaiser and all of the Hohenzollern princes.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Vereinsregister-Auszug: Verein der Alten Herren des Corps Borussia Bonn e.V." Gemeinsames Registerportal der Länder (in German). Amtsgericht Bonn. VR 2182. Retrieved 8 August 2026. Status: currently registered
  2. 1 2 3 "Kaiser's Fraternity Now in Disgrace; Borussia Corps of the University of Bonn Is Suspended for Hazing. All the Princes Members. Leading Organization of German University Life Guilty of Disorder -- Students Not Expelled" (PDF). The New York Times. November 21, 1909. p. S2. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  3. 1 2 Schwerin von Krosigk, Dedo Graf. "Das Corps Borussia löste sich auf, um keine Juden ausschließen zu müssen". Portal Rheinische Geschichte (in German). Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR). Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Correspondence with Corps Borussia Bonn". Wiener Holocaust Library. WL3000/9/1/293. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Adelsforschung, Institut Deutsche. "Adelige im Studentencorps der Bonner Borussen 1827-1902". home.foni.net. Archived from the original on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  6. ↑ Nicolaievsky, Boris; Maenchen-Helfen, Otto (1976) [1936]. Karl Marx: Man and Fighter. Translated by David, Gwenda; Mosbacher, Eric. Harmondsworth and New York: Pelican. ISBN 978-1-4067-2703-6. p. 21-22.
  7. ↑ McLellan, David (2006). Karl Marx: A Biography (4th ed.). Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-9730-2. p. 14.

Bibliography

  • Weber, Rosco G. The German Corps in the Third Reich. Macmillan, London 1986. ISBN 978-0312326234
  • Beiträge zur Geschichte des Corps Borussia zu Bonn. Herausgegeben vom Vorstand des Vereins der Alten Herren des Corps Borussia e. V. Bonn 2007 (383 p.).
  • Biografisches Corpsalbum des Corps Borussia zu Bonn 1821-2008. Herausgegeben vom Vorstand des Vereins der Alten Herren des Corps Borussia Bonn e. V. Bonn 2008 (458 p.).
  • Stephen Klimczuk, Gerald Warner. Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries: Uncovering Mysterious Sights, Symbols, and Societies. Sterling Publishing Company, 2009, p. 224-232. ISBN 978-1402762079
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