Burschenschaft Hannovera

Burschenschaft Hannovera is the oldest Burschenschaft, a traditional liberal German Student fraternity or student corporation (Studentenverbindung), incorporated in Göttingen in the Revolution year 1848 (May) at the Georg August University of Göttingen. The founding group was a circle of graduates of the lyceum in Hanover who were studying at Göttingen. Hannovera was chosen as name because the founders where citizens of the Kingdom of Hanover. Hannovera is a lifelong bond (Lebensbund), which brings together students and alumni of Göttingen University. It is the only one of the classic German fraternities ever to include a woman: the Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind.^[1]

^ Holland, Henry Scott; Rockstro, William Smith: Memoir of madame Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt. Her early art-life and dramatic career 1820-1851. From Original Documents, Letters, Ms. Diaries & C., Collected By Mr. Otto Goldschmidt. London 1891. Page 412/413: ... no wonder that the Goettingen students lost their heads that evening. She was elected, by the enthusiastic students, a member of a famous guild of theirs, known as the "Burschenschaft Hannovera" which, at that particular date, was enjoying a period of special success. She became a "Sister-Associate" and was presented with the red, white, and green ribbon of the guild. Her portrait was hung up in their Assembly Room. ... She wrote, on 13 February, the following reply "Gentlemen, I accept, with sincere gratitude, the ribbon which you have sent me and shall preserve it faithfully to my dying day. Even without this outward token, the 5th of February 1850, would have remained engraven on my memory with indelible letters of gold but, nevertheless, I regard the ribbon with pride and joy, well aware of the honour thereby conferred upon me. ..." She was faithful to her word: for the ribbon was found, preserved among her memorials, after her death.

[1] Holland, Henry Scott; Rockstro, William Smith: Memoir of madame Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt. Her early art-life and dramatic career 1820-1851. From Original Documents, Letters, Ms. Diaries & C., Collected By Mr. Otto Goldschmidt. London 1891. Page 412/413: ... no wonder that the Goettingen students lost their heads that evening. She was elected, by the enthusiastic students, a member of a famous guild of theirs, known as the "Burschenschaft Hannovera" which, at that particular date, was enjoying a period of special success. She became a "Sister-Associate" and was presented with the red, white, and green ribbon of the guild. Her portrait was hung up in their Assembly Room. ... She wrote, on 13 February, the following reply "Gentlemen, I accept, with sincere gratitude, the ribbon which you have sent me and shall preserve it faithfully to my dying day. Even without this outward token, the 5th of February 1850, would have remained engraven on my memory with indelible letters of gold but, nevertheless, I regard the ribbon with pride and joy, well aware of the honour thereby conferred upon me. ..." She was faithful to her word: for the ribbon was found, preserved among her memorials, after her death.

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