The German Freemason settlers and the development of Freemasonry in Banat in the 18th and 19th centuries

This study underlines the fact that Freemasonry, brought to Banat by the Austrian settlers, did not leave this area as an isolated provincialism. It was in direct contact with the Central European elite, exchanging ideas and experiences. At that time, Freemasonry facilitated the access of representa...

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Main Author: Attila Carol Varga
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University 2025-05-01
Series:Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lub.lu.se/sjrs/article/view/27406
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author Attila Carol Varga
author_facet Attila Carol Varga
author_sort Attila Carol Varga
collection DOAJ
description This study underlines the fact that Freemasonry, brought to Banat by the Austrian settlers, did not leave this area as an isolated provincialism. It was in direct contact with the Central European elite, exchanging ideas and experiences. At that time, Freemasonry facilitated the access of representatives of the small and middle bourgeoisie, merchants, entrepreneurs, military and civil servants, creating a real community outside the traditional structures. This was also the case in Banat in the 19th century. The Masonic lodges of this period continued the inherited Masonic tradition, carrying on the elitist spirit brought by the Austrian colonists in the previous period. In the 19th century, two lodges in the Mountains Banat, continued this Austrian Masonic tradition. These were the Lodge ‘Glück auf’ in Oraviţa and the Lodge ‘Licht und Wahrheit’ in Reşiţa. Both contributed significantly to the complex process of modernisation of Banat society, but also to the success of the Romanian national movement during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
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spelling doaj-art-5b495e3fd333484baf55ef2210a82fdf2025-08-20T03:09:42ZengCentre for Languages and Literature, Lund UniversitySwedish Journal of Romanian Studies2003-09242025-05-0182207216https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v8i2.27406The German Freemason settlers and the development of Freemasonry in Banat in the 18th and 19th centuriesAttila Carol Varga0https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5334-4741The Romanian Academy, "George Barițiu" Institute of History, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaThis study underlines the fact that Freemasonry, brought to Banat by the Austrian settlers, did not leave this area as an isolated provincialism. It was in direct contact with the Central European elite, exchanging ideas and experiences. At that time, Freemasonry facilitated the access of representatives of the small and middle bourgeoisie, merchants, entrepreneurs, military and civil servants, creating a real community outside the traditional structures. This was also the case in Banat in the 19th century. The Masonic lodges of this period continued the inherited Masonic tradition, carrying on the elitist spirit brought by the Austrian colonists in the previous period. In the 19th century, two lodges in the Mountains Banat, continued this Austrian Masonic tradition. These were the Lodge ‘Glück auf’ in Oraviţa and the Lodge ‘Licht und Wahrheit’ in Reşiţa. Both contributed significantly to the complex process of modernisation of Banat society, but also to the success of the Romanian national movement during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.https://journals.lub.lu.se/sjrs/article/view/27406banatfreemasonryelitescolonistslodgesmodernisation
spellingShingle Attila Carol Varga
The German Freemason settlers and the development of Freemasonry in Banat in the 18th and 19th centuries
Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies
banat
freemasonry
elites
colonists
lodges
modernisation
title The German Freemason settlers and the development of Freemasonry in Banat in the 18th and 19th centuries
title_full The German Freemason settlers and the development of Freemasonry in Banat in the 18th and 19th centuries
title_fullStr The German Freemason settlers and the development of Freemasonry in Banat in the 18th and 19th centuries
title_full_unstemmed The German Freemason settlers and the development of Freemasonry in Banat in the 18th and 19th centuries
title_short The German Freemason settlers and the development of Freemasonry in Banat in the 18th and 19th centuries
title_sort german freemason settlers and the development of freemasonry in banat in the 18th and 19th centuries
topic banat
freemasonry
elites
colonists
lodges
modernisation
url https://journals.lub.lu.se/sjrs/article/view/27406
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