Abitur

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"Song book for the Abituria-Kommers" of the Abituria of the Gymnasium Hof 1930

As Abituria (from Latin abire 'out, expect Abiturium from neulat. Abiturire want leave') were referred to the graduating class of a high school year or the Ganges formed by this year pupils connection . The first evidence of this designation can be found around 1850 in Bayreuth , but predecessors can be assumed. Today there are still numerous high school diplomas , especially in southern Germany, especially in Franconia . Some of them are alumni associations of a grammar school that organize alumni meetings and support their school in a variety of ways, but the majority are firmly established color-bearing associations , whose active students are in a grammar school and who have passed the Abitur pass into an old manor.

Historical

Up until the beginning of the 19th century, the municipal, church or princely grammar schools were the only secondary school type in today's sense as Latin schools preparing for university studies. Here, the knowledge of Latin, Greek and general subjects that is usually necessary for studying theology, medicine or law was imparted. Analogous to the universities, high school corps or fraternities were formed from 1815 onwards , but these existed in secret, were politically persecuted and had little in common with the later Abitur. A university entrance qualification as entry authorization to a university arose in Prussia from 1812, gradually also in the other states of the later German Empire. The term Abitur is hardly in use until 1945, but the term Abitur is for a school leaver. Often the term graduate was used synonymously, who has acquired the absolutorium , i.e. the secondary school leaving certificate. In southern Germany, the term Abitur was usually used in classical high schools or later also in upper secondary schools, and graduates in commercial, commercial and secondary schools. There was no uniform designation, the deviations are numerous. Similarly, the final year was referred to as the Abituria or Absolvia of the school in question. Therefore, in some cities there were several high school diplomas, which were differentiated by attaching the school or special color features, such as B. in Bayreuth the Abituria OR (for O ber R ealschule) and the "red" Abituria (because of their red caps).

Until the First World War

"Reminder card for the Weißenfels high school graduation ", 1909

From around 1850, the first associations that formed from the final class of the respective grammar school in order to prepare a graduation ceremony can be proven. According to the customs of the time, this took place in the form of a Kommerses , to which the students put ribbons on their student hats and later also beer tips. It was forbidden to wear this couleurs openly before leaving school, and there was still no freedom of association for students. In some cities this association was at least tolerated by the school administration, so in Bamberg from 1854, and the pupils used the "going out evenings" granted by the schools on the one hand for lectures or musical events, on the other hand, however, was already in the class community based on the student's comment hidden away. These class bars broke up after the graduation ceremony, which was often followed by a ball on the following day. The inventory such as pennants, rackets, coats of arms etc. were passed on to the following year in a pub. Numerous memoirs and autobiographies describe this. Numerous color cards, ball books and later photographs bear witness to the graduation commers and balls. These associations are not yet to be regarded as connections with the principle of life covenant. In some cases, the members of the age groups independently formed alumni clubs without any connection character, for example the high school diploma at Kronberg-Gymnasium in Aschaffenburg, which still exists today.

Weimar Republic and National Socialism

As early as August 1914 in the German Reich was a Notabitur possible many students attracted war enthusiastically into the field and the continuous still at school tradition as led Kriegsabituria on. So was after the war the Abituria be continued seamlessly, facilitated by the Weimar Constitution guaranteed freedom of association from 1919 were also reflected in the now mostly students compounds corresponding Abituria old boys machinations. The federal life flourished, in many smaller towns performances and balls of the local Abitur were an integral part of social life. Only the regular pubs are mostly hidden, as the underage students are not officially allowed to go to restaurants in the evening. A deep turning point was the seizure of power in 1933, along with the fact that the youth associations were brought into line by 1935 . Many high school diplomas gradually dissolved, the last at the turn of the year 1936/37 as part of the law on the Hitler Youth that came into effect on December 1, 1936 . In isolated cases, the surveillance decreased in the course of the war, and isolated war high school diplomas are detectable.

After the Second World War

After the war, former high school graduates soon got together again and organized commerses or pubs for anniversaries, which aroused the interest of the young students and led to the resumption of the tradition of a high school graduation. Especially in Franconia, the Bünder revived, the old gentlemen's associations were re-established and federal life was continued. But here, too, the 1968 movement led to deep cuts: the offspring stayed away, the traditions were called into question. The gender segregation at the grammar schools was lifted in favor of so-called coeducational grammar schools . Occasionally women have now also been given the opportunity to join a high school diploma, but this has only prevailed among alumni associations without any connection character. Numerous high school graduates stopped their activity and later disbanded.

Present stock

Today there are alumni or alumni associations at many grammar schools, but they no longer have the character of a student association. In the last 30 years resulting pennale Fraternities or Pennälerverbindungen are usually with the support of student organizations emerged and are open to all students in their home city, a Abituria itself whereas traditionally a particular school or limited nor restricted. In southern Germany, an Abitur class is still referred to today as an Abitur.

Student connections

As a student association still exist today:

Name of the connection city founding Colours coat of arms Circle Others
Abitur from 1851 Bayreuth 1851
white-red-white
Abitur OR Bayreuth 1907
black-white-dark red
Abituria Bambergia Bamberg 1912
green-white-green
Abituria Radantia Bamberg 1881
blue-white-green
Abitur Fuerth 1900
white-red-white
Abitur OR court 1923
green-white-red
Abituria Germania Lichtenfels 1925
blue-gold-black
Abituria Wirceburgia Wurzburg 1910
blue-white-green

literature

  • Michael Freyer: Student associations and clubs in Bavaria in: Information on educational and historical research, Issue 32, Hanover 1988
  • Oskar Waas: The Pennalie. A contribution to their history , Aula Verlag, Graz 1967
  • Hofmann, Werner (Ed.): Chronicle of the Abituria Germania Lichtenfels: 1925-2015 , Renovamen-Verlag, 2015 ISBN 3956210956
  • Abituria Wirceburgia Würzburg eV (Hrsg.): 100 years Abituria Wirceburgia zu Würzburg 1910 - 2010 , edited by Wolfgang Nüdling, akadpress, 2010 ISBN 3939413089
  • Hans Sünkel: 100 years of Abituria Radantia Bamberg 1881-1981. A contribution to their history. , Max Gardill publishing house, Bamberg 1981
  • Student connection Abituria (Ed.): 100 years "Pennal". History and stories of a humanistic high school. Dedicated to the Heinrich Schliemann Gymnasium Fürth on the occasion of the 100th anniversary by the student association Abituria , Verlagdruckerei Schmidt, Neustadt / Aisch 1996

Individual evidence

  1. Duden - The large dictionary of the German language: etymological information on the keywords Abitur and Abitur .
  2. Edict on the examination of students going to the universities . In: Friedrich Schultze (Ed.): The high school graduation exams, mainly in the Prussian state, A. Document collection, Eduard Anton, Halle 1831 p. 6
  3. for example: Karl Benker, Dr. Axel Herrmann, Dr. Arnd Kluge, Walter Wirth (eds.): Herbert Weidner: A childhood in Hof in the first third of the 20th century , special publication by the Nordoberfränkischer Verein für Natur-, Geschichts- und Landeskunde eV Hof, 2007, ISBN 3-928626-55-8
  4. Homepage of the Abituria des KGA with the history of the association , accessed on June 22, 2017
  5. verassungen.de (full text) Reichsgesetzblatt 1936, p. 993
  6. Exemplary: History of the Lessing-Gymnasium Karlsruhe