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/)

Dr Elisabeth Wolff organised a visit to this unique repository of the Arnold Schoenberg archival legacy, which belongs to the UNESCO Memory of the World. It offers insight into Arnold Schönberg´s significance as composer, painter, teacher and theoretician. In music history, his name is associated with the epoch-making innovation of “Zwölftonmusik”. The exhibition of photographs recalls various periods of Schönberg´s life from his birth in Vienna in 1874, to his death in 1951 in Los Angeles which has been moved to Vienna in 1998.

Dr Wolff expressed WA’s gratitude to the director of the ASC, Mag Angelika Möser, who guided its members through this internationally renowned Archive.

Antique advertisement conserved in the archives of the ASC

Joyce Tessa Freissmuth surrounded by members

WA members studying documents in the ASC

Modern technical equipment admired by WA members

(For further information click here: http://www.schoenberg.at)

Advent Concert in French Embassy

This year’s invitation – once again – came from Ambassador Pascal Teixeira da Silva and his charming wife Pascale into the French residence. Vienna based Nicolai Quartett entertained with Josepf Haydn and Johannes Brahms, with the unique sound of the Vienna Philharmonics: all four quartett members are part of the string crew in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra!

NICOLAI QUARTETT (© B. Dinkhauser)

Come and see,

Be a member of Welcome to Austria!

(more photos to come)

WA Jeunes Familles: Vintage Train Tour

Vintage Steam Engine from 1928

WA Jeunes Familles Tour Sept2016

“Das Heizhaus”, Starsshof, Driving on a Steam Engines Model

Children entering a maintenance car in Vintage Train Museum HEIZHAUS

General Assembly 2016

General Assembly 2016, Alois-Mock-Saal, BMEiA

Welcome to Austria 2016: Gabrielle Schallenberg, Hon. Vice President & Angelika Saupe-Berchtold, vice president

Aglaë Hagg, 2nd vice president & Elisabeth Wolff, many years of coordinator for music programs

from left: Gundega Miluts, Dagny Herheim, Joyce Freismuth, Rosanna Berti

Cuisine: Lunch at Elisabeth Sunley’s house

Elisaeth Sunley explaining her home cooked lunch with Austrian specialties

Invited at Elisabeth Sunley’s Haus for Austrian specialties homemade such as Tafelspitz, Wiener Schnitzel and Sachertorte

Funkhaus visit to FM4

Funhaus ORF, WA member Jeoffrey Skipper registering radio comment

Anna Skipper registering her poetry in ORF Funkhaus Erlebnisstudio

(Expect Radio comments to be published here)