Piefke is a rude and derogatory term for anyone from north Germany, a so-called Prussian. The idiom originated in 1864 in Vienna, Austria, and is still part of the German language. I grew up in Berlin, Germany, and used the term to describe a pompous a… or a schmock. At the time, I had no idea that Piefke applied, and still applies, to all north Germans, me included. At the root of the expression is Johann Gottfried Piefke (1871 to 1884), a Prussian bandmaster in the 8th Infantry Regiment in Berlin.
Johann Gottfried Piefke (1871 to 1884) was a bandmaster in the 8th Infantry Regiment, stationed in Berlin, Germany. “Piefke” became a derogatory term for north Germans. www.walled-in-berlin.com
The hilarious story of Piefke
In 1864, Austria and Prussia were allies and went to war with the Danes to snatch the German-speaking provinces of Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark. The Austrian Army performed impressively, but the Prussian troops were hopelessly stalled at the Danish fortifications by Dueppel. In disgust, Prussia’s KingWilhelm I sacked his army commander, replaced him with his nephew Prince Friedrich Karl, and tasked the prince with finally conquering Dueppel. To boost his chances of victory, the king also sent along Johann Gottfried Piefke, his favorite composer. At the critical moment, Piefke’s military band stormed Dueppel along with 10,000 Prussian soldiers. According to an Austrian observer, Piefke stood on a wooden platform directing the band when Danish sharpshooters fired at him and knocked the baton right out of his hand. Still, Piefke never missed a beat. He drew his dagger and continued to direct as the band played Piefke’s latest composition, the Dueppeler Schanzen-Sturmmarsch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE3Ak1av6_o
Why the term “Piefke” became so popular
Austrians considered Prussian military culture to be way too stern and humorless. While the Austrian officers read novels, their Prussian counterparts read military manuals. Austrian officers liked to play cards. The Prussians played war games. Austria allowed commoners in the cavalry. Prussians commissioned only aristocrats. At first, only the Austrian military used the term to refer to Prussian militarymen. But eventually, Viennese society began to call all north Germans Piefkes.
However, when German tourism in Austria soared in the 1980s, Johann Gottfried Piefke’s music became very popular in Vienna. He is known for his famous marches: Preussens Gloria (Prussia’s Glory), the Koeniggraetzer Marsch and the Dueppeler Schanzen-Sturmmarsch. But his name remains best-known as a put-down for north Germans.
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Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
