The Ludlamshöhle was a

literary society A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newslet ...

founded by the Austrian playwright

Ignaz Franz Castelli Ignaz Franz Castelli (6 March 1781 – 5 February 1862) was an Austrian dramatist born in Vienna. He studied law at university, and then entered government service. During the Napoleonic invasions his patriotism inspired him to write stirri ...

together with August von Gymnich in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, in 1819, which existed until 18 April 1826. The society was named after the theatre play ''Ludlam's Höhle'' by

Adam Oehlenschläger Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (; 14 November 177920 January 1850) was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the song ''Der er et yndigt land'', which is one of the national anthe ...

. After the first performance on December 15, 1817, a group of "literati" (already existing since 1816) met in the "Haidvogels Gasthaus" (Schlossergäßchen, Vienna) to discuss the performance. As this play had failed with the audience that evening, Castelli suggested giving the group the name "Ludlamshöhle" as a consolation for the Danish writer. The adjoining room in "Haidvogel's Gasthaus", where the daily meeting at the regulars' table took place, was declared a clubhouse. The Ludlamshöhle did not pursue any political or artistic goals; the regulars' table every evening served without exception for social gatherings. From today's point of view, the Ludlamshöhle is a prime example of the

Biedermeier The Biedermeier period was an era in Central European art and culture between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle classes grew in number and artists began producing works appealing to their sensibilities. The period began with the end of th ...

sociability. During the night of 18–19 April 1826, this society was suspected (unjustified by anything) of "endangering the state" and was banned. By order of the Viennese police chief Alois von Persa, more than 30 policemen occupied the inn, arrested those present and confiscated all manuscripts found. The private flats of the arrested "Ludlamites" were also searched until the early hours of the morning. Some of their members continued to suffer years of spying and other harassment. It was precisely this excessive action by the authorities that led to the mythification of the group and its members in the following years.Ludlamshöhle
on Aeiou A new member had to prove to the amusement of all that he was capable of increasing the pleasure of the society by joining. He was then examined in the subjects ''Ludlam History'', ''Ludlam Finance'' and ''Frivolity Science'', with several whispering seconds being given to the subject. After passing the exam, the new member was given a "Ludlam name" and the "recording song" was sung together. Various songs for the society have been preserved by

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian composer and teacher of the classical period (music), classical period. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subje ...

, including the texts ''Es lebe Ludlam'' and ''O Gott, o Gott! d´Ludlam ist todt''. After 1848, an attempt was made to revive the Ludlamshöhle, but it was a failure. In 1949, the writers , , Theodor Mayer, and joined in Vienna to form a society called "Neue Ludlamshöhle" which lasted until 1972.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ludlamshohle 1819 establishments in the Austrian Empire 1826 disestablishments in the Austrian Empire 19th century in Vienna Arts organizations established in 1819 Arts organizations disestablished in 1826 Literary circles Organisations based in Vienna Culture in Vienna

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