“Les gens du Nord ont dans le coeur le soleil qu’ils n’ont pas dehors”
(“People from the North have the sun in their hearts which they don’t have outside”)
were the words of the greeting of H.E. Ghislain D’hoop at this year’s traditional Advent Concert of Welcome to Austria. Mrs. Catharine D’hoop Freeman-Thomas, the ambassador’s wife, in cooperation with board member Dr. Elisabeth Wolff, graciously invited WA members to a Jolly Pre-Christmas Musical Tea at the Belgian Embassy. Members first warmed up with a drink in their hands while listening to a transporting piano recital by Fateme Beytollahi.
Under the joyful and experienced guidance of our hostess, all joined in exuberant carol singing that didn’t want to seem to end. To make matters complete, a traditional Christmas Cake was cut and warm wishes were made.
Interesting and hidden places
were discovered by members of Welcome to Austria in Rasha Corti’s tour organised by Clarissa Mayer-Heinisch which concluded with Schnitzel, Spritzer and animated discussions at Figlmüller’s.
Guide Rasha Corti and WA members
Beating the seasonal rush
Villa Wartholz (1870) near Reichenau a.d. Rax
Members and their families took to the enchanting Christmas market set in the lush outreaches of the Vienna Woods at Reichenau an der Rax. The current mistress of the castle welcomed the group for a private tour held at the palatial Villa Wartholz. It was designed in 1870 by Heinrich von Ferstel in the Historical Revival style for Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria as a recreational and hunting retreat with a splendid view over the valley (and also where Empress Zita gave birth to Otto von Habsburg in 1912).
We left Vienna under a grey sky. But having reached Gloggnitz not a cloud was to be seen and the day at Villa Wartholz ended under splendid sunshine.
tells coordinator Stefanie Winkelbauer who organised the excursion together with Véronique Dorda.
Lunch at the Schlossgärtnerei Café
Hall ceiling
Guided tour at Schloss Wartholz
(For further information click here: http://www.schloss-wartholz.at)
“If It’s Too Long – Make It Longer”
Members and Anne Thun-Hohenstein were received by Gen. Dir. DDr. Christoph Thun-Hohenstein and guided through the MAK’s most interesting exhibition of the well-known artist Thomas Bayrle who combines artisan techniques with computer-generated art from the information Age.
“iPhone meets Japan” (2017) in the Main Hall
“$” (1980)
Artwork by Bayrle
(For further Information click here: http://www.mak.at/e/thomas_bayrle)
Human Grandeur and Harmony of Form at the Albertina
Coordinator Martha Hanreich and members of Welcome to Austria received a guided visit at the Albertina through the first exhibition in Austria presenting works solely by Raphael.
Raphael’s portrait of Bindo Altoviti
Members at the Albertina
Disputa del Sacramento
Raphael’s thought processes and modes of work, from design to final composition, are illustrated not only by masterful drawings but also by around 20 paintings that simultaneously serve as an overview of the artist’s painted oeuvre. The exhibition draws on the rich collections of the Albertina and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
(For further information click here: http://www.albertina.at/en/raphael)
Two days, four Castles and a glass of Uhudler
Statue at Burg Lockenhaus
On the second weekend of June, coordinator Anne Thun-Hohenstein took members of Welcome to Austria on a tour to Burgenland, Austria’s eaternmost region.
On day one, members enjoyed a guided tour at Burg Lockenhaus (1242) and the atmosphere of a medieval “knights’ festival”. A visit of Rudolf Kedl’s scultpure garden at Markt Neuhodis propelled them into the contemporary.
Along the Hungarian border with its lovely vineyards we went south to discover “Uhudler”, a local wine specialty. We tasted it in the unique Kellerviertel of Heiligenbrunn where the hotel owner gave his personal comments on the regional architecture and habits.
Rudolf Kedl
Kedl’s sculpture garden
A glass of Uhudler
On Sunday morning, the group went to the medieval town of Güssing with its majestic castle (1157) of the Hungarian Batthyány family. Heading North again, they passed by Schloss Rotenturm.
Batthyány Castle
Schloss Rotenturm
Lunch at a Restaurant on the border of a hidden lake was followed by the grand finale, a guided tour in Burg Schlaining (1271), also known as Friedensburg (“peace castle”) for its being the location of the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
Lunch at the fish restaurant
Burg Schlaining aka Friedensburg
First Vice president Angelika Saupe-Berchtold and Coordinator Anne Thun-Hohenstein with members of WA
(For further information click here: http://www.ritterburg.at, http://www.skulpturen-park.at, http://www.batthyany.at/burg_guessing.o.html , http://www.friedensburg.at, http://www.aspr.peacecastle.eu)
WA members after their visit of the Lehár-Schlössl
In May, Anne Thun-Hohenstein and WA members were received at the Lehár-Schikaneder-Schlössl for a memorable tour given by its owner, Mrs. Kreuzer. The famous composer of the silver age of operettas, Franz Léhar (e.g. “The Merry Widow”), lived and worked for many years in this charming jewel of architecture. The visit was followed by a stroll in the romantic Biedermeier garden.
Mrs. Kreuzer and member Dagny Herheim listening to Cloyd Beasley’s playing
Goddess Fortuna watches over the stairway hall
A hidden jewel of Biedermeier architecture…
… lies on the outskirts of Vienna. Members enjoyed a guided tour of the Geymüllerschlössel, co-organised by Aglaë Hagg (2nd Vice President) and Alexander Gonzalez-Hernandez (member Jeunesse WA), followed by a picnic in the park.
Picnic against the backdrop of a lovely 700m2 park
Members and their families discovering the wonderful interiors
Younger members enjoyed the tour too
The Geymüllerschlössel hosts a collection of antique furniture and clocks
(For further information click here: http://www.mak.at/geymuellerschloessel)
An oeuvre at odds with fin-de-siècle society
Club members were introduced to the radical oeuvre of Egon Schiele (1890-1918) which is currently being exhibited at the Albertina.
Schiele’s works – juxtapposed to photographs of his time – gave us a glimpse of the epochal schism between the modernist and the traditional. With only a few lines he produced drawings of precision and astounding beauty,
tells coordinator Martha Hanreich.
Exhibition poster at the Albertina
WA members and Martha Hanreich were offered an insightful tour
One of 160 paintings and drawings that are currently exposed
(For further information click here: http://albertina.at/schiele)
May 13th, 2017 marks the 300 anniversary of Maria Theresa’s birth. Coordinator Martha Hanreich invited members to join a guided visit of the exhibition “Maria Theresa. The Habsburg‘s most powerful woman”. Maria Theresa was the eldest daughter of Emperor Karl VI and became the first and only woman to rule in the entire history of the archduchy of Austria. She was crowned Queen of Bohemia and of Hungary and was married to the Holy Roman Emperor Franz Stephan von Lothringen. Maria Theresa initiated numerous reforms in public administration. The armed forces, the economy, and the education system were all modernized during her reign and traces of her rule can be found all over Vienna.
The State Hall and Karl VI as a backdrop to the exhibition
Members of WA and coordinator Martha Hanreich were offered a very insightful guided tour
(For more information click here: https://www.onb.ac.at/en/museums/state-hall/current-exhibition/maria-theresa-the-habsburgs-most-powerful-woman/)