History of Schlaraffia

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.

The Idea Spreads

Word traveled fast. Soon new chapters – called Reyche – emerged across German-speaking cities: Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich. With the great waves of German emigration in the 19th and early 20th century, Schlaraffia crossed the Atlantic.

New York, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Washington – wherever German-speaking immigrants sought a new home, they also founded a Schlaraffen chapter. The bond of a shared language and a shared game held them together across oceans and continents.

Surviving the Storms of History

Two world wars, political upheaval, government bans – Schlaraffia has weathered them all. In Germany and Austria, chapter activities were restricted or shut down during wartime. But as soon as peace returned, the Reyche came back to life. This resilience is no accident: where genuine friendship exists, it always finds a way.

Remarkably, while some European chapters had to pause, Schlaraffia in the Americas continued unbroken. The Allschlaraffia – the worldwide governing body – maintained cohesion and continuity.

Allschlaraffia – A Worldwide Union

All Schlaraffia chapters around the world are united under Allschlaraffia. This governing body maintains the common rules of the game, assigns chapter numbers, and ensures that a Schlaraffe from Tokyo feels immediately at home at a meeting in Frankfurt or Washington.

Allschlaraffia upholds something rare in the modern world: a community built on values – not profit or networking. Humor, friendship, and art are not empty words, but lived practice at every gathering.