🦉 In brief: Schlaraffia is a worldwide community of men who meet regularly to laugh together, experience art and cultivate genuine friendships. It can hardly be explained – but it can be experienced.
A World Apart from Everyday Life
Imagine: An evening where the stress of professional life stays outside. Where titles and professional status play no role. Where a doctor, a craftsman, a teacher and an artist laugh together, play and become friends. That is Schlaraffia.
The name derives from the Low German word 'Sluraffe', a medieval term for 'quiet connoisseur'. Schlaraffia is a place where friendship is cultivated and the seriousness of life may be forgotten for an evening. No wonder the motto is: "In arte voluptas" – In play lies joy.
How Does the Schlaraffen Game Work?
The members of a Schlaraffia – called Schlaraffen – meet regularly for a Sippung. The meeting room is called the Castle, the local club is called the Reych.
Each Sippung follows a set, playful sequence: greeting by the Fungierende (a kind of game master), speeches, singing, humorous acts, verbal jousting and finally the communal winding down of the evening. Everything is play – and everything is taken with a wink.
What is a 'Pilgrim'? That is what first-time visitors are called. Anyone who comes more than three times can be accepted as a Prüfling (candidate) and thus express their interest in membership. Full admission follows after further visits.
Who is Schlaraffia For?
Schlaraffia is for men who have remained curious. Who don't need to explain everything. Who understand humour – and can laugh at themselves. Who value genuine conversations over superficial networking. Who enjoy art and have something to contribute – be it a poem, a song, a speech or simply heartfelt laughter.
Schlaraffen are individualists. Academics and craftsmen. Young and old. What unites them: a sense of humour, the joy of play and the longing for genuine human encounters – away from smartphones and time pressure.
🌍 At Home Worldwide
What began in 1859 as a small circle of artists in Prague is today a worldwide community: over 200 realms on all continents. From Europe to the Americas to Australia. What connects them all: the German language as a common bond and the Schlaraffen game as a shared home.
In practical terms: travel to Philadelphia, Vienna, São Paulo or Sydney – and visit a Sippung there. Within minutes you are no longer a stranger but a guest among friends. Schlaraffia makes the world smaller and warmer.
🗣 Why German? Schlaraffia was founded in Prague in 1859 – by German-speaking artists and intellectuals. German has remained the connecting language of all Schlaraffen worldwide, regardless of the members' nationality.
How Do I Become a Member?
Quite simply: come by. A guest visit is free, non-binding and commits you to nothing at all. You sit in, experience a Sippung and decide afterwards at your leisure whether Schlaraffia is for you. Interested visitors are warmly welcome – prior registration and contact is advisable.
We are happy to show you our game – because Schlaraffia can hardly be explained, it must be experienced. And you learn the Schlaraffen game from the ground up over time.