Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and the federal government commemorated the dead soldiers and victims of the resistance at the Outer Castle Gate. The extensive holiday program around Heldenplatz began at the same time in the foggy autumn weather. The official celebration began with the federal national anthem and the parade of the guard company of honor by Commander Van der Bellen and the Minister of Defense Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP).
Then they laid wreaths in the hallowed chamber at the outer gate of the castle. The procedure was repeated a little later with the outgoing turquoise-green federal government led by Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and Werner Kogler (Greens). The next item on the agenda this morning was the swearing in ceremony of over a thousand recruits, including 27 women.
Series of photos with 10 pictures
Speeches on display and neutrality
In the speeches, Nehammer called for the protection of “defensive democracy” and again strongly condemned a demonstration planned for November 9 by opponents of a coalition government without the FPÖ. Van der Bellen joined the criticism. The mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) emphasized the “great importance” of neutrality, especially in times of crisis like this. Defense Minister Tanner emphasized that people have sometimes forgotten in recent years that it is also about being able to protect neutrality using all possible means.
National holiday between Hofburg and MAK
As well as the Armed Forces exhibition, culture and politics opened their doors on the national holiday, 26 October. Entrance to many museums was free, as were visits to the offices of heads of state. The national holiday began with the laying of wreaths.
Many museums open with free admission
Many museums welcomed their visitors with a special program on the national holiday. The best buildings in Europe in the Vienna Architecture Center, a children’s program in the state hall of the National Library, a “deep dive” in Austrian product design at the MAK are just three examples of this.
The Austrian History House (hdgö), which is part of the National Library, is dedicated to Austrian multilingualism. A video installation makes the languages of the six recognized ethnic groups audible and visible and presents the Bosnian and Yenish communities fighting for official state recognition. There were also short tours of the exhibition “New Times: Austria since 1918″ and a workshop to design postcards and short tours.
Letter artists and underwater life
The Museum of Literature not only offered short tours of the permanent exhibition “On the Trail of Austrian Literature” and the special exhibition on Friederike Mayröcker, but also a children’s program called “The ABC for Letter Artists” and theater productions of ” The Cricket and the Ant” by Tip Tap Theatre.
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“Make the world as you like it” is the motto at the Papyrus Museum, where children could make their own underwater world and guided tours of the permanent exhibition were offered. Among other things, the Esperanto Museum provided a “crash course in Esperanto”, the state hall of the National Library could be visited on guided tours through the current exhibition on Anton Bruckner, and the children could explore the show with a crowd of puzzles. .
Architectural projects made of Lego
The MAK uses 100 objects to display Austrian product designs from the year 2000 onwards In addition to two guided tours, there was a family program called “Kings of Things”, where things brought from home can be redesigned. The MAK Geymüllerschlössel in Vienna-Pötzleinsdorf was also accessible for free. As part of the “(Con)temporary Fashion Showcase” series, it features futuristic fashion by Florentina Leitner.
The Architekturzentrum Wien (AzW) invited people to the opening day and offered tours not only through the exhibition collection (“Hot Questions – Cold Storage”), but also through the recently opened special show “Europe’s Best Buildings”, which inspired the younger people. Guests will then implement their own Lego projects and build a city together.
Politics presents itself to the people
As usual on the national holiday, politics also presented itself to the people. The office of the president, the chancellor and the parliament opened their doors. The president’s office opened its doors to visitors at 10 a.m. Van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer welcomed the guests in front of the Hofburg on Ballhausplatz. Accompanied by the music of the prison guard, they waved at the crowd and shook a few hands.
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There were guided tours and employees answered questions about the house. Guests were able to visit the official and representative premises and learn about the duties of the president. In the evening the President gives a speech on ORF. The Federal Chancellery was open to visitors between 12 pm and 5 pm
Parliament also invited people to an open day on the national holiday. One-off tours were offered between 10am and 4pm. These guided, for example, the meeting rooms of the National and Federal Councils and the “plearium” under the newly built glass dome. What was new was the offer for children with a sticker pass, quizzes and a painting station.