Estonian Students' Society

Estonian Students' Society
EÜS
Coat of Arms of the Estonian Students' Society
Founded7 April 1870; 154 years ago (1870-04-07)
University of Tartu
TypeStudent society
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
ScopeInternational
MottoFortiter in re suaviter in modo ("Gentle in manner, resolute in execution")
Colors  Blue,   Black and   White
Flag
PublicationEÜSi Album
PhilanthropyArtur Puksov Foundation
Chapters8 (active)
HeadquartersTõnissoni 1
Tartu, Tartumaa
Estonia
Websitewww.eys.ee

The Estonian Students' Society (Estonian: Eesti Üliõpilaste Selts;[1] commonly used acronym: EÜS) is the largest and oldest all-male academical student society in Estonia, and is similar to the Baltic German student organizations known as corporations (Corps) (not to be confused with US college fraternities). It was founded in 1870 at Tartu. It has over 900 members in Estonia and abroad.

In 1881 the Society adopted blue, black and white as its colours. Its first flag was made in 1884 and this tricolour was later (1918) accepted as the National Flag of Estonia. The original flag is still in existence.

In the wake of the Estonian national awakening, many young Estonian intellectuals had ties to the EÜS, and the organization had impact beyond its borders. It was instrumental in the founding of the Estonian National Museum in 1909, and the EÜS library was donated to the museum.[2] The Museum was later split into two, and its Archive Library formed the basis of the Estonian Literary Museum.

The building of the Estonian Students' Society in Tartu has been considered to be one of the first examples of Estonian national architecture.[3] The Treaty of Tartu between Finland and Soviet Russia was signed in the building in 1920.

Former members of the EÜS founded the academic corporations Fraternitas Estica (1907), Sakala (1909) and the association Veljesto.

  1. ^ The German name for the Estonian Students Society is Verein Studierender Esten while the Latin version is Societas Studiosorum Estonorum.
  2. ^ O. Kallas. Eesti Rahva Muuseumi asutamisprotokollid Archived 8 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Akadeemia. no 4, pp. 658–664
  3. ^ Eesti Üliõpilaste Seltsi maja Tartus — 100 aastat Estonian World Review, 16 October 2002