🦉 Schlaraffia in Numbers: Founded 1859 · Over 200 chapters worldwide · 5 continents · One language · One spirit: Humor, Friendship, and Art.
The Cradle: Prague, 1859
It all started with a handful of artists and intellectuals in Prague in 1859. Actors, poets, painters – people who wanted to set aside the weight of everyday life for a few hours to laugh, play, and nurture friendship together. They simply called their circle: Schlaraffia.
The name said it all: the mythical land of plenty and joy was to become real for a few hours. No social hierarchy, no workplace rank – just play, humor, and art. Their motto: "In arte voluptas" – In art lies joy.
Filadelfia: Since 1895
Around 1890, a few Schlaraffen met in Philadelphia and decided to build an "Uhunest" (owl's nest) here. These brave fellows founded a "Stammtisch" (regular table) and sought like-minded men – and found them. Over time, the Stammtisch grew into a "Feldlager" (field camp).
Soon there were enough participants to found a "Colonie" – the preliminary stage before becoming a full chapter. The Colonie was approved by the Allschlaraffia organization, and on November 7, 1895, the Colonie Filadelfia was founded. Just over a year later, on March 18, 1897, the Colonie was sanctioned as the full Reych Schlaraffia Filadelfia.
From then on, the Schlaraffen met regularly once per week from October to April in the Pennburg, named after William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.
During World War II, a member known as Rt. Tex der Universale managed to convince a congressman representing the greater Philadelphia area that Schlaraffia was a harmless cultural game with no political agenda whatsoever. Thanks to his efforts, Schlaraffia was allowed to continue meeting in the USA.
After 1950, many individuals and entire families emigrated from Europe to the USA. Among them, interested men found their way to Schlaraffia, and Filadelfia grew to as many as forty members. Some were musicians of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra!
Since the year 2000, our home has been at the clubhouse of the Vereinigung Erzgebirge in Warminster, Pennsylvania. We meet every 1st and 3rd Friday evening at 8 PM.
The Coat of Arms
Upper left: the Liberty Bell and the year the USA was founded. Upper right: William Penn and the year Pennsylvania was founded. Lower left: a knight's helmet and laurel wreath as symbols of free knighthood, along with the day and month Schlaraffia Filadelfia was founded. Lower right: theater masks and a lyre as symbols of art, plus the founding year in the Schlaraffia calendar (actual founding date: November 7, 1895). In the center: the coat of arms of Schlaraffia Praga, the founding chapter of all Schlaraffia.