Old Scots
The Alt-Scots Association of Former Schottengymnasiasten are the alumni association of the 1807 founded by imperial order Schottengymnasiums in Vienna . Although in the course of history there has always been a strong bond between the graduates and the school, and there have been repeated associations of former students, the Old Scots Association was not officially founded until 1947.
Due to the high proportion of old Scots in key positions in public life, the association is considered to be very influential within Austrian society. In 2001, the Austrian-wide business magazine Profit listed the old Scots in a compilation of the 50 most powerful clubs in Austria. The influence of the old Scots stems less from the association as an institution than from the personal cohesion of the individual members.
Membership is voluntary. Although the association has a very high membership rate, there are also a number of Schottengymnasium graduates who do not become members. The term "Old Scots" is mostly used for all graduates - including non-members.
Purpose of the association
The association serves, among other things, to promote solidarity between the graduates of the Schottengymnasium. The KILT Foundation was set up to promote the school in particular. The name stands for culture and education in the Christian worldview, intellect , joie de vivre and tradition . Since 2002, the old Scots have published the Schottillion as a communication platform for associations and schools.
Old Scots Ball
Every year on the second Saturday in January, the Alt-Schotten ball takes place in the Viennese Palais Auersperg . Traditionally, the ball is opened by the abbot of the Vienna Schottenstift .
Old Scots and Politics
The old Scots are usually said to have good contacts to the Austrian political scene, especially to the ÖVP . Between 1995 and 1997 the old Scots appointed three federal ministers to the Austrian federal government at the same time. However, as an exception, the proximity to the ÖVP cannot be proven. In addition to the then Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schüssel (ÖVP, Federal Chancellor 2000–2007), these were the SPÖ members Franz Hums (Labor and Social Affairs Minister) and Rudolf Scholten (Science Minister).
Also graduates of the "Scots" are the ÖVP politician Hans Tuppy (former Minister of Science), the late Michael Graff (former Secretary General of the ÖVP), Manfred Mautner Markhof (former Federal Councilor) and Leopold Guggenberger (former Mayor of Klagenfurt) as well as Peter Marboe (former Vienna City Councilor for Culture), the green politician Christoph Chorherr , also Hans-Georg Possanner († 2006), close to the ÖVP and press spokesman for the “Permanent Representation of Austria to the EU” until 2006.
In addition, Hans Adam II , the ruling prince of Liechtenstein , attended the Schottengymnasium.
Old Scots and Economy
With Andreas Treichl (General Director of Erste Bank ) and Wolfgang Reithofer ( CEO of Wienerberger ) an old Scotsman was named “Man of the Year” by the Austrian business magazine Trend in 2003 and 2004 .
Other prominent old Scots from the field of economy are about Gustav Harmer (former director of the Ottakringer brewery ) and Heinrich Treichl (former general director of Creditanstalt ).
Old Scots and Science
In 1973 the two old Scots Konrad Lorenz and Karl von Frisch received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (together with Nikolaas Tinbergen ) for their work in the field of comparative behavioral research .
As early as 1927, the former Schotten high school student Julius Wagner-Jauregg had also received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for the development of malaria therapy .
literature
- Johannes Jung, Gerhard Schlass, Friedrich Wally, Edgar Weiland: The Schottengymnasium in Vienna. Tradition and Commitment . Böhlau, Vienna-Cologne-Weimar 1997, ISBN 3-205-98683-0 .
- Gudula Walterskirchen , Bernhard Baumgartner: The Viennese carnival. The time of balls and waltzes . Holzhausen, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-85493-039-9 (chapter A class reunion with dance: The Ball of the Old Scots , pp. 88-93).