Broken water pipe leads to discovery of rusty saber

Legends of the Sword: Satan fights a Mensur

The German novelist and poet Wilhelm Hauff (1802—1827) is more famous for his fairy tales than for his novels. Unreasonably so, because his Memoiren des Satan alone are better written and more enjoyable than all the semi-competent writage they throw at German literature students in college these days.

Hauff studied philosophy and theology at Tübingen. In 1826, he wrote Mitteilungen aus den Memoiren des Satan (Memoirs of Beelzebub), in which he works in some of the fencing activities of his brother, a member of the Tübinger Burschenschaft.

For the connoisseur of Gedecktes Hiebfechten, this is a rare monument of armament and strategy of the early Mensur…

Mensur; Germany, 1882

All those long and lonely summer nights…

(Click to enlarge!)

Schläger Mensur; Heidelberg, Germany, 19th ct.

A biedermeier meeting of the minds

Thanks to Mark Twain and Jerome K. Jerome, Anglo-Saxons on both sides of the Atlantic consider the Mensur — a pan-German ritual of passage practised wherever quality German is spoken Heidelberg Mensur — synonymous with Heidelberg.

Fencing sabers; Germany or Austria, c. 1910

 

Straight-bladed fencing sabers

A little bit of help from the Tramizu Community would be appreciated to identify both weapons and origin…

Schläger Mensur; Germany, c. 1910-30

 

 

Rare snapshot of a Schläger Mensur

 

 

Most 19th- and early 20th-century photographs of Mensuren are staged. This one isn’t…

Bellguard Schläger Fencing; Germany, c. 1910

A practice bout with seconds

Posing for a souvenir photograph…

Mensur fencers; Germany, c. 1900

 

Statuettes of Mensur fencers

You can never have enough of those….

Fencing Loft; Germany, c. 1820

 

University Fencing Loft

Scene from a German fencing loft in the 19th century…

 

“Turner” with Schläger; Germany, c. 1900

Pumping Iron

 

 

 

 

After the Napoleonic Wars, the “Gymnasts Movement” tried to turn soft Germans into men of steel…