Johann Gottfried Piefke (pronounced "peefke") (September 9, 1815 - January 25, 1884) was a German conductor, Kapellmeister and composer of military music. His famous marches include "Preußens Gloria" ("Prussia's Glory") and the "Königgrätzer Marsch" (composed after the Battle of Königgratz, 1866, the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War).
Reportedly, during a parade near Vienna on July 31, 1866 held by the victorious Prussians, Piefke and his brother Rudolf were conducting a marching band, to which the defeated Austrians responded by shouting, "The Piefkes are coming!" Subsequently, the word Piefke became a synonym for a German (excluding German citizens of the Southern Bundesländer such as Bavaria).
The term is still widely used by Austrians to express their love-hate relationship with the Germans, who are an important factor in tourism. In 1990, Austrian playwright Felix Mitterer wrote and co-directed a TV mini-series, Die Piefke-Saga, about Germans on holiday in Tirol.
JohannGottfriedPiefke (pronounced "peefke") (September 9, 1815 - January 25, 1884) was a German conductor, Kapellmeister and composer of military music.
In 1990, Austrian playwright Felix Mitterer wrote and co-directed a TV mini-series, Die Piefke-Saga, about Germans on holiday in Tirol.
Note: Piefke's "Königgrätzer Marsch" can be heard playing during the book burning scene in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
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