What German name is given to the Vienna Stock Exchange crash of May 1873?

The German name for the Vienna Stock Exchange crash of May 1873 is Gründerkrach.

The Gründerkrach struck Vienna after a speculative boom in companies, property and railway projects. The Vienna Stock Exchange collapsed on May 9, 1873, a day remembered as Black Friday in Austria. Many newly formed enterprises had been financed during a period of rapid expansion following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867.

The crash spread financial distress through Central Europe and is commonly regarded as the opening shock of the Long Depression. Failures among banks and businesses reduced investment and weakened confidence. The downturn affected several countries, although its severity and timing differed from place to place.

“Gründer” refers to founders or company promoters, while “Krach” means crash or collapse. The word is therefore specific to the Vienna episode and should not be treated as another name for every event called the Panic of 1873. The United States experienced its own major panic later that year.