On November 16, 1889, the fraternity was founded as an academic cycling club (
Academischer Radfahrer-Verein) and was approved by the directory of the Technische Universität Darmstadt on January 9, 1890. In its beginning, Wilhelm von Opel filled the position of the vice president and as a passionate racing driver, he won a lot of races and prizes in the name of the Corps. As the reputation of cycling clubs sunk, the club was converted to the voluntarily fencing fraternity
Franconia. Just a few months later, in March 1893, Franconia was authorized by the TU Darmstadt. On June 26 of 1893, the brotherhood converted to the Corps Franconia. In comparison to other university cities, the relationship between the Corps in Darmstadt and the students was regarded as "convenient" In 1920/1921 the members of the Corps erected a memorial to their remembrance. In the winter semester of 1918/1919 the corps activities could be continued. Already before the first World War the desire for their own corps house arose. For this purpose, the club
Verein Alter Darmstädter Franken (VADaF) was founded on July 15, 1919. Wilhelm von Opel led the club as chairman and 1920, he was elected as the first
Ehrenbursch of the corps, a very honorary member. The Opel family (and later Klaus Mahn as well) raised further voluntary donations, whose amounts exceeded the average payments many times, Wilhelm von Opel signed a duty to assure lifelong financial support to the corps, which even moved on to his children.
From National Socialism to today In 1933, members of fencing fraternities were requested to join the
SA and the
SS. Like all other corps, Franconia was forced to dismiss their
not-aryan corps brothers, when the WSC joined the
Allgemeinen Deutschen Waffenring. Although the affected members wanted to leave the corps voluntarily, their corps brothers did not accept this and tried to get special regulation for them - without success. The democratic principle of the corps was inconsistent with the
Führerprinzip, which endangered the existence of the fraternities and the corps. Franconia was lively keen for a working relationship between the fraternities and their political environment. The
NSDStB drew on more and more fraternity traditions. A lot of resistance was raised against this adsorption: For example, in May 1930 the German corps magazine printed an explicit warning about political engagement in general and within the NSDAP especially. In a meeting the corps unanimously denied to provide themselves as a
Kameradschaft. Under pressure of the national socialist student leadership, the corps suspended on October 19, 1935, and the WSC ended with its voluntary disbanding, the only alternative to escape the NSDStB. Despite the disbanding of the corps, the participating VADaF club kept up under provisional leadership through
Arthur Tix, as it did not stand in contrast to any party authorities". and university regularly visit the Corps to tell their congratulations. Both in 1970/71 and in 2016/17 the Corps Franconia led the
Weinheimer Senioren-Convent for each one year. Through the Corps' endeavours, the WSC was opened first for Corps in non-German speaking countries. The opening of the WSC was recorded as
decision of fundamental importance. The newspapers quoted chairman
Jonathan Hildebrand, saying
"The opening for other associations and for the public is one of the most important topic at the conference. (transl.)" On the basis of historically grown relations, there is an exchange program with the
American fraternity
Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Timothy J. Murphy, executive vice president of TKE 1996–2000 is a member of the Corps. Since 1972 there is also a friendship relation to the Corps Normannia Vandalia
Munich. == Symbols ==