„Blau-Gelb unter dem Hakenkreuz“ – First Vienna FC 1894 Presents New Study
Last evening, the presentation of the new study "Blue-Yellow Under the Swastika" took place, written by the Viennese historian Alexander Juraske on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of First Vienna FC 1894. The event was held at the Vienna Museum, the First Vienna History Club, alongside the author Dr. Juraske, and attracted a large audience. Many visitors came to learn more about the exploration of the club's history during the Nazi era.
After the historical reviews of SK Rapid in 2011 and Austria Vienna in 2018, First Vienna FC is now also systematically addressing its history during the Nazi period. With his new book, Juraske presents the first comprehensive study of the club's history during this dark chapter.
The research, made possible through public funding and with the support of the club, began in the spring of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic initially brought significant restrictions: archives remained closed, and research had to be postponed. Nevertheless, Juraske was able to create a 254-page work over five years, which intensively addresses the history of the club during the Nazi regime. Topics such as the role of Jewish members, changes in football after the "Anschluss" in 1938, and the development of the club before, during, and after the Nazi period are the focus of the study.
First Vienna FC, the oldest football club in Austria, was founded in 1894 in the Viennese district of Döbling. A group of sports-enthusiastic young men of different nationalities and faiths, supported by the Jewish patronage family Rothschild, laid the foundation for the club.
In his presentation, Juraske discussed key questions from his study: How did Viennese football change after the "Anschluss"? What ideological and political pressures influenced sport during the Nazi era? How was the club able to achieve sporting success despite the repressive conditions? It is noteworthy that First Vienna FC, despite the exclusion of many Jewish players and officials during the Nazi regime, achieved an unparalleled sporting success. Between 1942 and 1944, the club won its Gauliga (regional league) three times, reached the final of the German football championship in 1942, and secured the Tschammer Cup in 1943.
The book analyzes the key factors of this sporting peak, examines breaks and continuities, and describes the mechanisms of adaptation to the political framework. Juraske also dedicates significant attention to the fate of the Jewish members who were excluded and persecuted, shedding light on the strategies of the Nazi persecution machinery.
Another central theme is the development of the club in the immediate post-war period. The study questions personnel continuities and addresses the lack of engagement with the Nazi era in the decades following the war.
The book is now available in the Vienna Fanshop at Hohe Warte as well as in bookstores, and will soon be available in the Vienna Online Shop.
Further links:
Website of Dr. Alexander Juraske: https://www.juraske.at/
Standard article: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000261904/wie-die-vienna-unter-dem-hakenkreuz-zweifelhafte-erfolge-feierte
