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Korporatsioon Vironia

Coordinates: 58°23′1.12″N 26°43′9.76″E / 58.3836444°N 26.7193778°E / 58.3836444; 26.7193778
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Korporatsioon Vironia
Founded(O.S.) November 26, 1900; 123 years ago (1900-11-26)
Riga Polytechnical Institute
TypeStudentenverbindung
AffiliationEKL
StatusActive
ScopeInternational
MottoÜhisus, kindlus, ausus
("Unity, fortitude, honesty")
Colors  Violet   Black   White
Flag
PublicationÕllevikk
Chapters3
Colonies1
Members600 lifetime
Headquarters
Estonia
Websitewww.vironia.ee

Korporatsioon Vironia (abbreviated korp! Vironia or C!V!) is an Estonian fraternal student society and the oldest student corps in Estonia. The organization is named after the Latin name for the ancient Estonian county of Virumaa. A full member of the organization is called a "vironus" (abbr. "vir!"), while every member can also be called a "Vironian" (viroonlane).

History

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Vironia was officially founded at the Riga Polytechnical Institute on 9 December [O.S. 26 November] 1900 as the very first ethnic Estonian student corps. It remained the only Estonian student corps in Riga and became also the only Estonian member of the two Baltic German corps federations (Chargierten-Convent) in the Baltic governorates. Vironia was also the initiator and the co-founder of the League of Estonian Corporations (EKL) in 1915.

After a brief evacuation to Moscow during World War I in 1915 and a short return to Riga in 1918, Vironia entered the Estonian War of Independence in corpore. 6 of its members died in the war and one died of war injuries after the war. It was reactivated in Tartu, Estonia in 1920 and opened a second chapter in Tallinn in 1936.

After being banned following the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states in 1940, it opened 8 colonies abroad in 6 Western countries and there was also unofficial activity in Venezuela. Underground activity in occupied Estonia was restored in the 1960s and the chapters in Tallinn and Tartu were legally restored in 1989.

Today, Vironia has more than 550 members worldwide, being among the biggest Estonian student organizations. Active chapters are in Tallinn and Tartu in Estonia, Toronto, and the US West Coast.

Foreign relations

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Vironia retains good relations with all non-Baltic German members of the former Riga Chargierten-Convent:

Of these, Vironia also has cartel agreements with Welecja (signed 1936) and Fraternitas Arctica (signed 2010). Vironia has also signed cartel agreements with the Karjalainen Osakunta in Helsinki (1930) and is currently an active member of the League of Estonian Corporations, having also signed a cartel agreement with Fraternitas Estica (2009). Unofficial relations since the exile period are retained with the Västmanlands-Dala Nation in Uppsala, Sweden, and since the 2010s with Neo-Lithuania [lt] in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Chapters

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Notable members

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Academia

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Art and architecture

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Business

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Military

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Politics

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See also

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References

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  • Richard Kleis (ed.): Eesti entsüklopeedia , Vol. 4, Loodus, Tartu 1932, p. 1085.
  • Raimo Pullat, Tõnis Liibek: In search of one's own alma mater. Engineers and architects from Estonia who studied at technical universities in Europe before the Second World War. KIT Scientific Publishing, Karlsruhe 2022. p. 109.
  • Anton-Heinz Schmidt: The educational expansion in the countries and territories of the former Danube Monarchy that no longer belong to Austria. Aigen-Voglhub 1996, p. 258.
  • Ajalugu (history). Retrieved 24 January 2024 (Estonian).
  • Linda Raun: The Estonians . Human Relations Area Files, New Haven 1955. P. 151.
  • Tiina Metso: German Influence on Estonian and Baltic German Corps Traditions in Tartu , in: Acta Historica Tallinensia 8, Teaduste Akadeemia Kirjastus, Tallinn 2004. pp. 20-36, here: pp. 29-31.
  • Michael Doeberl et al. (eds.): Academic Germany. Volume 2: The German Universities and their Academic Citizens . CA Weller, Berlin 1931. P. 201.
  • Tobias Mayr: Student fraternities: studies, honor, beer drinking for the Baltic States . In: Der Standard , 28 April 2016.
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58°23′1.12″N 26°43′9.76″E / 58.3836444°N 26.7193778°E / 58.3836444; 26.7193778