The Theresian Military Academy (german: Theresianische Militärakademie, TherMilAk) is a
military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...
, where the
Austrian Armed Forces
The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria.
The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of natio ...
train their
officers. Founded in 1751, the academy is located in the castle of
Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...
in
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P� ...
.
History
The Theresian Military Academy (known as the Theresianum) is one of the oldest military academies in the world (the oldest is the
Military Academy of Modena
The Military Academy of Modena ( it, Accademia militare di Modena) is a military university in Modena, northern Italy. Located in the Palazzo Ducale in the historic center of the city, it was the first such military institution to be created in ...
). It was founded on 14 December 1751 by
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
, who gave the first commander of the Academy,
Field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
Leopold Joseph von Daun
Count Leopold Joseph von Daun (german: Leopold Joseph Maria, Reichsgraf von und zu Daun; 24 September 17055 February 1766), later Prince of Thiano, was an Austrian field marshal of the Imperial Army in the War of the Austrian Succession and S ...
(Count Daun), the order ''Mach er mir tüchtige Officier und rechtschaffene Männer daraus'' ("Make me hard working officers and honest men").
Per year, the Academy accepted 100 noblemen and 100 commoners to start their education there. In 1771, Fieldmarshal Lieutenant Hannig published the official studying plan, and in 1775, Maria Theresa published the Academy Rules. At this time, it took 11 years to complete the Academy, but step by step, it was shortened to 3 years.
The
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
n Prince
Erzherzog Johann (Archduke John) was the principal headmaster of the academy for 44 years (1805–1849).
During the
First Republic (1918–1938), the academy was located in
Enns until 1934, and then again in the castle of Wiener Neustadt. A very remarkable event occurred in the time between
Austrofascism
The Fatherland Front ( de-AT, Vaterländische Front, ''VF'') was the right-wing conservative, nationalist and corporatist ruling political organisation of the Federal State of Austria. It claimed to be a nonpartisan movement, and aimed to unite ...
and the
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the Nazi Germany, German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "Ger ...
(Occupation of Austria by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
) when
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Rudolf Towarek was Commander of the TherMilAk (between 1933 and 1938). He had the guard deployed with the bayonet attached and thus denied the Wehrmacht access to the castle for several days. This was the only military resistance made by Austrians against the occupation by Nazi Germany. GenLt Towarek was not punished for this action; however, he was retired while retaining the right to wear the Austrian uniform after his retirement, which was highly unusual in those days.
After the Anschluss, the Wehrmacht installed a war school for
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
s at the castle of Wiener Neustadt. The first commander of this school was
Erwin Rommel
Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the '' Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as serv ...
. At this time, the Germans erected a new building next to the castle, which is now known as Fort Daun, in which the Military High School of Austria is located.
After
World War II and the
Austrian State Treaty
The Austrian State Treaty (german: Österreichischer Staatsvertrag ) or Austrian Independence Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on 15 May 1955 in Vienna, at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allied occupying p ...
which was signed in 1955, the demolished castle was rebuilt. In 1958, the military academy was again located in Wiener Neustadt after a short intermezzo (1955–1958) in Enns.
On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the death of the
Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself Ele ...
, the direct ancestor of Maria Theresa, the so-called "last knight" and founder of a modern war system, a big celebration took place in the church of the military academy in 2019.
Karl von Habsburg
Karl von Habsburg (given names: ''Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam''; born 11 January 1961) is an Austrian politician and the head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, therefore being a claimant to the defunct Austro-Hungarian t ...
, the current head of the House of Habsburg, represented the imperial dynasty.
Within the precincts of the Theresian Military Academy is the ''Theresian Military Academy Cemetery'' where many students, former teachers and distinguished graduates are buried. Officers interred there include
Count Kinsky,
Oskar Potiorek
Oskar Potiorek (20 November 1853 – 17 December 1933) was an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army, who served as Governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1911 to 1914. He was a passenger in the car carrying Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria ...
and
Emil Spannocchi, as well as
Thérèse de Dillmont whose father taught at the Academy.
The TherMilAk today
The current ''Commanding Officer - CO'' (german: Kommandant - Kdt) of the TherMilAk is Generalmajor Mag. Karl Pronhagl.
From 1997–2008, the TherMilAk was a 4-year college which could also be attended by civilian students and finished with a master's degree in military leadership. In 2008, it was changed into a 3-year curriculum, graduating with a bachelor's degree. In 2003, the first four women completed the academy. Since 1959, more than 3,600 young officers have been educated at the Theresian Military Academy.
[http://www.tr-wiking.at/haupt.php?seite=geschichte_milak.htm Feb.2009] The cadet class graduating in 2004 was given the title of ''
Kaiserjäger
The ''Kaiserjäger'' (officially designated by the Imperial and Royal (''k.u.k.'') military administration as the ''Tiroler Jäger-Regimenter'' or "Tyrolean Rifle Regiments"), were formed in 1895 as four normal infantry regiments within the Commo ...
'' (''Imperial Rifles''), to honor the memory of the brave national light infantrymen who served Austria with distinction during the Imperial period.
TherMilAk commanders (selection)
Below there is a selection of the commanders of the TherMilAk.
Second Republic
See also
*
Notes and references
External links
*
Austrian Armed Forces – Officer Training
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Wiener Neustadt
Military academies of Austria
1751 establishments in Austria
Buildings and structures in Lower Austria
Education in Lower Austria
Universities of Applied Sciences in Austria
Military history of Austria-Hungary
Educational institutions established in 1751
*