Constituted 13 September 1740 Coordinates 52.5091N 13.2623E Founded 13 September 1740 | Location Berlin
Germany Phone +49 30 3042806 Jurisdiction Germany | |
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Website Große National-Mutterloge„Zu den drei Weltkugeln” Address Heerstraße 28, 14052 Berlin, Germany Similar Ristorante Il Passetto, Berliner Freimaur Drei Licht, Restaurant Rasas, Johannisl "Zur Treue", Drei Lichter im Felde | ||
The Grand National Mother Lodge "The Three Globes" (Große National-Mutterloge „Zu den drei Weltkugeln“) is the oldest among the eight recognized Masonic Grand Lodges, which existed in Germany until their abolition in 1935 by the German Reich. It was founded in 1740 in Berlin, and suppressed in 1935. In 1933, as a national organisation, they had 22,700 members in 177 lodges. It was reactivated in 1946 and is currently a member of the umbrella organization United Grand Lodges of Germany.
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History
On the night of 14/15 August 1738, the future Frederick the Great, then Crown Prince, was initiated as a Freemason in Brunswick, being quickly passed to fellowcraft and raised to Master, all without the knowledge of his father. He invited Baron von Oberg and the writer Jakob Friedrich von Bielfeld, who were instrumental to his candidature, to form La loge première/La loge du Roi notre grand maître at Rheinsberg Castle, with Oberg as Master. After his accession to the Crown he led the lodge himself from 20 June 1740. The foundation of the Grand Lodge is taken as 13 September 1740, when, with the King's permission, the lodge Aux Trois Globes was formed under the auspices of the privy council and Charles-Étienne Jordan. It was modelled on the Premier Grand Lodge of England, although it received no charter from it.
When the King departed in the same year for the first Silesian War, La loge première was dissolved and its members joined the new lodge. This new lodge created according to the custom of their time in the coming years lodges in Meiningen, Frankfurt an der Oder, Wrocław, Dresden and Neuchâtel. On 24 June 1744 they therefore took the name Great Royal Mother Lodge of the Three Globes, and finally changed this on 5 July 1772 to Grand National Mother Lodge of the Prussian-States.
On 5 March 1767 the Mother Lodge "The Three Globes" became submerged in the Rite of Strict Observance as L'union, but withdrew in 1778. After the Williamsbad Congress of 1782/3, which ended Strict Observance, they declared independence and adopted the "Rectified System".
To escape the Masonic hostility of the Third Reich, they turned to the "National Christian Order Frederick the Great" to, but this had no effect, because in 1935 they had to dissolve.
After the Second World War, the Great National Mother Lodge was reactivated in 1946, but their effect area was initially limited to the American Sector in Berlin. A total of 42 lodges of GNML "3WK" joined the United Grand Lodge, founded in 1949, only five lodges in the Federal Republic remained faithful to their Grand Lodge, waiting for the local approval.
The United Grand Lodges of Germany - Brotherhood of Freemasons was founded in 1958 as a national communicator with foreign grand lodges . To avoid name confusion, the United Grand Lodge of Germany changed its name to Grand Land AFAM from Germany and later to Grand Lodge AFAM of Germany. At the founding of VGLvD there were initially only two founding members. The Grand National Mother Lodge only joined in 1970 as an independent partner.
Structure
The Grand National Mother Lodge became a legal entity by royal charter on 9 November 1796. It is now a registered association. It is headed by the National Grand Master, supported since 1797 by the Federal Board of brothers with the highest degree. Similar to the Grand Landlodge of Freemasons of Germany, the GNML has separate bodies for the "higher degrees". In addition to the St. Johns lodges, administering the first three degrees of "apprentice," "journeyman" and "Master", there is the 'General Old Scottish Lodge' for the 4th grade ("Scots Master") and the inner Orient 'for grade 5-7 ("Elect brothers", "Elect of the inner temple", "Intimate of perfection").