Harmony Society (Leipzig)

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The Harmonie e. V. is an association in Leipzig which, according to its statutes, serves sociability and intellectual exchange among members from culture and art, science and business, law and administration. It should be a place for a friendly exchange of life experiences between the members. The aim of the company is also to contribute to the good of the city of Leipzig and its citizens through charitable and non-profit donations.

history

1776 to 1948

The Harmonie Society was founded as a civil association in Leipzig by merchants, scholars, civil servants and artists on February 27, 1776. The reason for the establishment of this and other similar associations were the famine years in Leipzig at the beginning of the 1770s. That is why the society had set itself the first goal at that time to "contribute to the alleviation of through no fault of poverty". These were until 1830 u. a. so-called poor concerts carried out. In 1829 the sum distributed to the poor was 43,100 thalers. But the social life and Leipzig specialties should also be cultivated. In order to maintain the exclusivity of the society, the number of members was limited to one hundred. Sociable get-togethers with food, music, games and dance were held, with renting in various Leipzig houses and using the Leipzig gardens in summer.

The former Harmonie Society House between Café Bauer and the Panorama on Roßplatz (today the northeastern part of the Roßplatz open space next to Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz)

In 1887 it was merged with the Leipzig Society "Recreation" while retaining the name Harmonie. The membership limit had previously been increased to 300 in the Harmonie, and in 1925 the Society had 641 members.

The company recovery had already acquired the property Roßplatz 5b in 1884 , which they brought with. This could now be used in 1887 to build an exclusive society house on it. The Leipzig architect Arwed Roßbach provided the design . The house was used for meetings and social events. In the basement there were two bowling alleys in addition to technical facilities, the entrance hall with the office and the meeting room for the board of directors and special rooms for the ladies on the ground floor. The first floor contained reception and conversation rooms and the large dining room with a games room and the second floor two billiard rooms and various other games rooms. The building was destroyed in World War II.

In 1946 the association was expropriated by the Soviet military administration and in 1948 forcibly removed from the Leipzig register of associations against objection .

From 1994

After initial discussions in October 1993 between the presidents of the Chamber of Crafts and Industry and Commerce, Joachim Dirschka and Rudolf Sommerlatt, as well as Paul Kosin, the then head of the BMW branch in Leipzig, and the press spokesman for the Chamber of Crafts, Bernd Mühling as well as on Initiative of the District President Walter Christian Steinbach brought back to life in 1994. Hans-Achim Schubert, the senior of the “ Familiar Society ”, another traditional civil society in the city, had kept the old statutes of Harmony.

These old statutes have now become the basis for the new ones with a few current adjustments. One such adjustment was that now not only "innocent male persons" can become members, as was provided for in the old statutes, but natural persons, including women.

Since there were two old members, Horst Lieberoth-Leden and Walther Flemming, the company did not have to be re-established, but they were entitled to apply to have the deletion from the register of associations from 1948 revoked, which was the decision of the Leipzig District Court on May 20, 1996 happened.

In the monthly meetings of the society, lectures are given mainly on topics related to the city. There are also joint celebrations and excursions.

Donations from the society have so far benefited from the following objects and projects, among others: the Leipzig Zoo , St. Thomas Church , the Villa Auguste Leipzig hospice , the “Bärenherz” children's hospice in Leipzig, the democracy bell on Augustusplatz , the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, and the restoration of various art objects in Leipzig museums.

Known members

Source: including membership list Gesellschaft Harmonie

literature

  • Thomas Höpel , Steffen Collector: Cultural Policy and Urban Culture in Leipzig and Lyon (18th – 20th Century). (= Publications of the France Center , Volume 11.) Leipziger Universitätsverlag, Leipzig 2004, ISBN 3-937209-69-7 .
  • Ernst Kroker : The Harmonie Society in Leipzig from 1776 to 1926. For the 150th anniversary of the Society. BG Teubner, Leipzig 1926.
  • A record of the Harmonie Society, Leipzig for the period 1908–1923 is in the Saxon State Archives, Leipzig State Archives, inventory 21776 Harmonie Society, Leipzig.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Articles of Association of the Society
  2. ↑ The Harmony from 1994 to 2000
  3. ↑ Horst Riedel: Stadtlexikon Leipzig from A to Z . PRO LEIPZIG, Leipzig 2005, ISBN 3-936508-03-8 , p. 217
  4. ↑ Current members . harmonie-leipzig.de accessdate = 2019-12-19.
  5. ↑ 21776 Harmony Society, Leipzig. In: State Archives Leipzig. Retrieved March 27, 2020 . (Info text under "Introduction")