Viktor Geramb

Viktor Ritter von Geramb (born March 24, 1884 in Deutschlandsberg ; † January 8, 1958 in Graz ) was an Austrian university professor and an important folklorist in Styria .

Portrait of Viktor Gerambs in the courtyard of the Folklore Museum in Graz

Portrait of Viktor von Gerambs by Alfred Pirker, Graz

Life

After graduating from high school in 1902, Geramb studied German, geography and history and received his doctorate in Graz in 1906. From 1913 to 1949 he was head of the folklore department of the Landesmuseum Joanneum , which he founded himself in 1913. Under his leadership, this department was established as an independent institution in the Styrian Folklore Museum . He completed his habilitation in 1924 and in 1931 became (unpaid) associate professor for folklore at the University of Graz , this was the first folklore professorship in the entire German-speaking area. In 1934 he founded the Styrian Heimatwerk as the first such agency in Austria. In 1949 he became a full professor of folklore at the University of Graz.

Geramb was himself a German national , although he "with naive idealistic ambition longed for the German Confederation before the decision of Königgrätz in 1866 and actually the idea of the Holy Roman Empire, which ended in 1806 [...]", and not in the folkish sense of National Socialism acted. Although he was one of the “Ostmarker employees” of the University of Vienna who had been “liberated” by the Nazis, Geramb had already spoken out publicly against the Nazis' racial theories as early as 1931. He temporarily lost his professorship in October 1938 and finally lost his professorship in July 1939, as the Rosenberg office criticized his “lack of ideological clarity” . Geramb and his student Hanns Koren were particularly reproached for their strong attachment to Christian values. Geramb was able to nominally keep his position at the Folklore Museum, but only to a limited extent in practice. From 1945 to 1954 he was again professor of folklore.

Geramb was the first Austrian who scientifically dealt with folklore. His essay "Das Bauernhaus in der Steiermark", published in 1911 in the magazine of the Historisches Verein für Steiermark , is considered to be the real beginning of the scientific discipline of folklore. With his contributions he provided important fundamental work for the entire German-speaking folklore.

Geramb conducted extensive correspondence with, among others, Max Mell and Werner Bergengruen .

Viktor von Geramb was an honorary citizen of his hometown Graz from 1954. He was also a member of the Academic Choir Gothia zu Graz. He is buried in the St. Leonhard Cemetery in Graz .

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death, a scientific biography and a new edition of his book Kinder- und Hausmärchen der Steiermark were published .

Geramb symbol for good building

A denazified imperial eagle above the main entrance of the Dobl transmitter in Styria is now holding a Geramb thank you sign in its claws

In the Styrian commemorative year 1959 (100th anniversary of Archduke Johann's death ), the “Geramb Sign of Thanks for Good Building” was awarded for the first time for special construction work. The award was brought out again in 1981 by the “Heimatschutz in Steiermark” association; the association was renamed in 2002 to the association "BauKultur Steiermark - Heimatschutz in der Steiermark" and has been called the association "BauKultur Steiermark" since 2010, the award since 2007 "GerambRose". It is awarded as an appreciation for achievements that have been made in terms of maintaining or creating high-quality building culture.

Works

Of nationality and homeland. Thoughts on rebuilding , 1919
From rural popular education work , 1922
German customs in Austria , 1924
Folklore of Styria , 1926
Styrian costume book , 2 volumes, 1932/39 (with Konrad Mautner )
Children's and Household Tales from Styria , 1942, with illustrations by Emmy Hiesleitner-Singer
About Austria's folk culture , 1946
Eternal Companions , 1952
Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl , Life and Work , 1954.

literature

Otto Basler: Geramb, Viktor Ritter von. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1964, ISBN 3-428-00187-7 , p. 248 f. ( Digitized version ).
Michael J. Greger, Johann Verhovsek: Viktor Geramb 1884–1958. Life and work. Verlag des Verein für Volkskunde , Vienna 2007 ISBN 978-3-900358-27-3 (= book series of the Österreichische Zeitschrift für Volkskunde , vol. 22)
Wilhelm Heiner Herzog: Viktor von Geramb - pioneer of scientific folklore and keeper of the local folk culture. In: Karl Acham (ed.): Art and humanities from Graz. Works and work of nationally important artists and scholars from the 15th century to the turn of the millennium. Böhlau Verlag, Vienna-Cologne-Weimar 2009 ISBN 978-3-205-77706-9 pp. 577-592.
Wolfgang Jacobeit et al. (Hrsg.): Völkische Wissenschaft. Forms and tendencies of German and Austrian folklore in the first half of the 20th century. Böhlau, Vienna et al. 1994, ISBN 3-205-98208-8 .
Hanns Koren : Viktor von Geramb. A picture of life. Historischer Verein für Steiermark, Graz 1974 ( magazine of the Historischer Verein für Steiermark. Special volume 5, ISSN 1013-395X ).

Individual evidence

↑ Bockhorn, Olaf (2010). “'The matter of Dr. Wolfram, Vienna '. To fill the professorship for Germanic-German folklore at the University of Vienna ”. In: Ash, Mitchell G. & Niess, Wolfram & Pils, Ramon (Eds.). Humanities under National Socialism. The example of the University of Vienna . Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht unipress. P. 209 f.
↑ Michael J. Greger / Johann Verhovsek: Viktor Geramb 1884-1958. Life and work . Verlag des Verein für Volkskunde, Vienna 2007 ISBN 978-3-900358-27-3 p. 48 and p. 54
↑ James R. Dow, Olaf Bockkorn: The Study of European ethnology in Austria . Asghate, Aldershot 2004 ISBN 0-7546-1747-5 p. 110ff.
↑ GerambRose guidelines , BauKultur Steiermark Association, accessed on June 3, 2015

Web links

Commons : Viktor Geramb - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Literature by and about Viktor Geramb in the catalog of the German National Library
Entry on Viktor Geramb in the Austria Forum (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )
Literature for / about Viktor von Geramb (selection) on the website of the Historical Commission for Styria

personal data
SURNAME	Geramb, Viktor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Geramb, Viktor von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Austrian folklorist in Styria
DATE OF BIRTH	March 24, 1884
PLACE OF BIRTH	Deutschlandsberg
DATE OF DEATH	January 8, 1958
Place of death	Graz

[1] Bockhorn, Olaf (2010). “'The matter of Dr. Wolfram, Vienna '. To fill the professorship for Germanic-German folklore at the University of Vienna ”. In: Ash, Mitchell G. & Niess, Wolfram & Pils, Ramon (Eds.). Humanities under National Socialism. The example of the University of Vienna . Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht unipress. P. 209 f.

[2] Michael J. Greger / Johann Verhovsek: Viktor Geramb 1884-1958. Life and work . Verlag des Verein für Volkskunde, Vienna 2007 ISBN 978-3-900358-27-3 p. 48 and p. 54

[3] James R. Dow, Olaf Bockkorn: The Study of European ethnology in Austria . Asghate, Aldershot 2004 ISBN 0-7546-1747-5 p. 110ff.

[4] GerambRose guidelines , BauKultur Steiermark Association, accessed on June 3, 2015