KDStV Borusso-Saxonia Berlin

KDStV Borusso-Saxonia Berlin (Katholische Deutsche Studentenverbindung Borusso-Saxonia im CV zu Berlin) is a Catholic, non-dueling student fraternity founded on 24 February 1899 at the Technical University of Charlottenburg (today the Technical University of Berlin). It was the first color-wearing Catholic student association at that institution and is a member of the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen (CV), the umbrella organization of Catholic German student fraternities. The fraternity is based in Berlin and maintains a website at bosa.org. The fraternity was founded by seven students who had previously been members of KAV Suevia Berlin, the only color-wearing CV association in Berlin at the time. The founders included Josef Frerich (founding senior), Rudolf Pabst, Wilhelm Fahlbusch (first Fuxmajor and later a noted church architect), Bernhard Stürenberg, Hugo Wischnowski, Friedrich de Gehren, and Gerhard Lewe. After the Technical University of Charlottenburg was granted the right to award doctorates in engineering in 1899, Borusso-Saxonia was among the first technical fraternities admitted to the CV, which thereby recognized the academic equality of engineering sciences. In the years before World War I, the fraternity was a focal point of the Akademischer Kulturkampf, in which a number of dueling, non-confessional fraternities challenged the existence of Catholic corporations. During World War I, fraternity life largely ceased as 37 of its 50 founding members served in the war, seven of whom fell. In the interwar period, Borusso-Saxonia took over the chairmanship (Vorort) of the CV in 1926, hosting the Cartellversammlung in Berlin; the festivities were attended by Reich Chancellor Wilhelm Marx and the Apostolic Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII). In 1927 the fraternity moved into its first own house on Englische Straße near the Technical University. At that time it was the largest student fraternity at the Technical University of Berlin by membership. After the Nazi takeover in 1933, the Gleichschaltung of student organizations led to the loss of many constitutive features of confessional fraternities. Borusso-Saxonia was briefly expelled from the Deutsche Studentenschaft in 1934, and in 1934 it merged temporarily with AV Hansea as Borusso-Saxonia-Hansea, a union dissolved in 1936. After the dissolution of the CV in 1935, the active fraternity was dissolved on 29 June 1936; the alumni association continued until July 1938, and the house-building association was dissolved by the Gestapo in March 1939, with the house falling to the Reichsstudentenwerk. Honorary member Heinrich Hirtsiefer, a former Prussian minister, died in 1941 from the effects of concentration camp imprisonment and is venerated as a martyr by the Catholic Church. Twelve Borusso-Saxons died in World War II. After the war, former members regrouped, and on 27 November 1948 a new fraternity named KDStV Saxo-Suevia was founded, supported by the alumni associations of Borusso-Saxonia and its mother fraternity KAV Suevia. Less than a year later, the two went separate ways, and on 4 August 1949 Borusso-Saxonia was re-established as an active fraternity in Berlin. The fraternity continues to operate as a Catholic, non-dueling CV corporation in Berlin.

KDStV Borusso-Saxonia Berlin was founded on 24 February 1899 by seven students as the first color-wearing Catholic student fraternity at the Technical University of Charlottenburg (today the Technical University of Berlin). The founders—Josef Frerich (founding senior), Rudolf Pabst, Wilhelm Fahlbusch (first Fuxmajor and later a noted church architect), Bernhard Stürenberg, Hugo Wischnowski, Friedrich de Gehren, and Gerhard Lewe—had previously been members of KAV Suevia Berlin, the only color-wearing CV fraternity in Berlin at the time. After the Technical University of Charlottenburg was granted the right to award doctorates in engineering by imperial decree on 19 October 1899, Borusso-Saxonia, along with KDStV Franconia Aachen and AV Alania Stuttgart, was among the first technical fraternities admitted to the Cartellverband (CV), which thereby recognized the academic equality of engineering sciences. Shortly after its founding, the fraternity became a focus of the Akademischer Kulturkampf, in which a number of dueling, non-confessional fraternities sought to deny Catholic corporations their right to exist. Alongside Jena, the Technical University of Charlottenburg was a center of this conflict, and Borusso-Saxonia, as the only color-wearing Catholic fraternity at the university, faced particular attacks. During World War I, fraternity life largely came to a standstill as 37 of its 50 founding members served in the war; seven of them fell. In the interwar period, Borusso-Saxonia took over the chairmanship (Vorort) of the CV for the first time in 1926. Under Vorortspräsident Gerhard Seewald, the Cartellversammlung met for a week in Berlin. The festive Kommers was attended by Reich Chancellor Wilhelm Marx and the Apostolic Nuncio and later Pope Pius XII, Eugenio Pacelli. A brief scene of the Cartellversammlung's parade appears in the famous 1927 documentary film Berlin – Die Sinfonie der Großstadt. In 1927, Borusso-Saxonia moved into its first own fraternity house on Englische Straße, in the immediate vicinity of the Technical University, where numerous other fraternity houses were located. At that time, Borusso-Saxonia was the largest student fraternity at the Technical University of Berlin by membership. After the Nazi takeover in 1933, a phase of Gleichschaltung of all student associations began in the university sphere. Through a series of government decrees—such as the introduction of the Führerprinzip, compulsory military sports, and the abandonment of the principle of Catholicity—the confessional fraternities lost many of their constitutive characteristics. On 31 March 1934, Borusso-Saxonia was expelled from the Deutsche Studentenschaft because, in the view of the responsible district leader, it belonged to those student fraternities that "had brought the entirety of the corporations into the reputation of being reactionary leagues through their resistance to the primacy of National Socialism in public." Since this had been an arbitrary measure by the district leader, the expulsion was rescinded shortly afterward. On 7 July 1934, Borusso-Saxonia merged, initially for a limited period of two years, with its sister fraternity AV Hansea to form Borusso-Saxonia-Hansea. The merger was not extended, however, and was dissolved on 18 February 1936. After the dissolution of the Cartellverband in October 1935, Borusso-Saxonia had to decide on 29 June 1936 to dissolve its active fraternity operations; the alumni association continued until July 1938. As the last element of the fraternity, the house-building association was dissolved by the Geheime Staatspolizei in March 1939; the fraternity house fell to the Reichsstudentenwerk. The honorary member of Borusso-Saxonia, the former Prussian minister Heinrich Hirtsiefer, died in 1941 as a result of concentration camp imprisonment suffered because of his religious and political convictions. He is venerated as a martyr by the Catholic Church. The three sons of Heinrich Hirtsiefer were founding members of Borusso-Saxonia. During World War II, twelve Borusso-Saxons died in military service. After Cesare Orsenigo resigned as Apostolic Nuncio in February 1945, his secretary, Father Eduard Gehrmann SVD (a founding member of Borusso-Saxonia admitted in 1926, nicknamed "(Pater) Noster"), became acting Apostolic Nuncio and chargé d'affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Berlin. Soon after the war, many Borusso-Saxons regrouped in the Rhineland and Ruhr area as well as in Berlin. The roots of the fraternity's postwar revival lay in the Catholic Student Community (KSG) of the Technical University. Various KSG students were inspired to found an active CV fraternity in Berlin. This was initially supported by the alumni associations of Borusso-Saxonia and its mother fraternity KAV Suevia and, by resolution of 27 November 1948, took the name KDStV Saxo-Suevia. Less than a year later, the two fraternities went their separate ways again, and on 4 August 1949 the republication of Borusso-Saxonia as an active fraternity in Berlin took place. After World War II, Berlin did not have the potential to sustain all six CV fraternities that had been based there during the Weimar Republic.

• 1949

  Republication of Borusso-Saxonia as an active fraternity in Berlin on 4 August 1949.

• 1948

  On 27 November 1948, a successor fraternity named KDStV Saxo-Suevia was founded, supported by alumni of Borusso-Saxonia and KAV Suevia.

• 1939

  House-building association dissolved by the Gestapo in March 1939; fraternity house fell to the Reichsstudentenwerk.

• 1936

  Merger with AV Hansea dissolved on 18 February 1936; active fraternity operations dissolved on 29 June 1936.

• 1934

  Expelled from the Deutsche Studentenschaft on 31 March 1934; expulsion rescinded shortly afterward. Merged with AV Hansea on 7 July 1934 to form Borusso-Saxonia-Hansea.

• 1927

  Moved into its first own fraternity house on Englische Straße near the Technical University.

• 1926

  Held the Vorort (chairmanship) of the CV for the first time; the Cartellversammlung met in Berlin with Reich Chancellor Wilhelm Marx and Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli attending.

• 1899

  Founded on 24 February 1899 by seven students as the first color-wearing Catholic student fraternity at the Technical University of Charlottenburg.

• 1899

  Admitted to the Cartellverband (CV) as one of the first technical fraternities after the Technical University of Charlottenburg was granted the right to award engineering doctorates.

Catholic, non-dueling student fraternity within the Cartellverband (CV), based in Berlin.

1. 1KDStV Borusso-Saxonia Berlin – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
2. 2KDStV Borusso-Saxonia Berlin – Wikidatawikidata.org