14 BCA Newsletter August 2013 - British Community Association of
Transcription
14 BCA Newsletter August 2013 - British Community Association of
Our Chairman, Steve Read, about the Birth of the Royal Baby. Page 4 The Royal Baby Edition Volume 12 Issue 8 Serving the British Community in Vienna Business Name August 2013 The BCA News A RIGHT ROYAL BRUNCH! By Wolfgang Geissler Inside The BCA News Kathryn, Jennie and Graham Ratcliffe have done it again! With incredible effort and the great skills of UN-Chef Kathryn in a right royal setting in their gardens in Korneuburg we celebrated the birth of HRH. Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge. More in the Supplement PUB NIGHT By Wolfgang Geissler Graham, Steve Read, Kathryn and Jennie Ratcliffe (from left to right) Section 1 3-23 Calendar & Programme Section 2 24-33 Classified Theatre News Important Information Rainer’s Walking Tour in July Contact Details Announcements By Wolfgang Geissler Supplement The BCA News NEW Our Chairman, Steve Read and Vice Chairman. J uly’s Pub night, hosted by Christine Kaslatter, was well attended and as always attracted newcomers to our gathering A lively “performance” in front of the Karlskirche! Entertainment, Spirituality and History: Rainer’s Walking Tour includes all these components and more! July saw us at the Karlskirche and for a late, late Lunch at the nearby Gastwirtschaft Herlitschka. More in the Supplement 3rd Joint Heurigen Evening A great evening at the “Buschenschank Wolff” saw familiar faces! More in the Supplement More in the Supplement Alex Highton in Concert At Schloss Orth am Traunsee. Alex with a fan! More in the Supplement Consular Corner We are pleased to announce that as from August the British Consulate in Vienna will be writing a monthly column in this Newsletter called “Consular Corner”, selecting a different theme every month starting with “Life Certificates”. More in the Supplement www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News IMPRESSUM The BCA News Newsletter and Programme for The British Community Association of Vienna Serving the British Community in Vienna since 2001 www.bca-vienna.com _________________________________________ Chairman: Steve Read [email protected] Editor: Wolfgang Geissler BCA Publicity (Editorial, Programme, Public Relations & Advertising) [email protected] BCA Event Coordinator If you wish to organise an event or regular activity or inform us of an English language/British event that may be of interest to the membership please contact Maureen (Mo) Haigh: [email protected] BCA Publicity If you have items to sell, are in search of information, wish to publish an article or photographs please contact Wolfgang Geissler: [email protected] BCA Membership For questions relating to membership fees, directory entries or to introduce a new member please contact Jennie Ratcliffe: [email protected] If paying for your Membership by Netbanking please put your Full Name in Purpose Column. Unicredit Bank Austria: Account Number 01364707800 BLZ 12000 IBAN: AT31 1100 0013 6470 7800 BIC: BKAUATWW. The fees are as follows: Single €10 / Couple/Family € 20 Circulation: 150 copies (July 2013) Editor’s Note We welcome contributions to The BCA News. If you want to publish an article or a photo report please send them to me at [email protected]. Please send Photographs as jpgs. The copy deadline for contributions as well as programme events for the September edition is Wednesday, 28th August. Volume 12 Issue 8 2 August 2013 The BCA News www.bca-vienna.com August 2013 MONDAY 29 July TUESDAY 30 July Walking Group 5 Walking Group 6 Pub Night 12 Walking Group 13 WEDNESDAY 31 July Walking Group 7 Walking Group 14 Walking Group. THURSDAY 1 August FRIDAY SATURDAY 2 3 4 Concert by the Pleyel Museum 9 10 11 Rainer’s Walking Tour 16 17 18 23 24 25 30 31 1 September Sailing on the Alte Donau 8 Sailing on the Alte Donau 15 Mariä Himmelfahrt SUNDAY Sailing on the Alte Donau 19 20 21 Walking Group Walking Group 22 Sailing on the Alte Donau Men’s Beisl Tour 26 Walking Group 27 28 Walking Group 29 Sailing on the Alter Donau If the weather on St. Lawrence Day (10th) and St. Bartholomew Day (24th) is nice and pleasant then there will be a beautiful autumn. Ist es zu Laurenzi (10.) und Bartholomäi (24.) schön und heiter, folgt ein schöner Herbst. Volume 12 Issue 8 3 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Steve Read; CHAIRMAN BCA-VIENNA The Royal Baby: On behalf of the BCA - It with great pleasure that we announce, and welcome the arrival of Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge the new-born son to William and Katherine, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. May he live a long and healthy life. In honour of Prince George, the BCA enjoyed a wonderful day of Celebration on Saturday 27th at the home of Jennie, Graham, and Kathryn Ratcliffe. Around 40 BCA Members were treated to a wonderful Coffee Morning start to the day followed by a 'Right-Royal- Lunch' of home-cooking master-class by the two ladies-of-the-house; and as always an extraordinary show of hospitality and thoughtfulness by them all. Thank you also of course to Graham for his extensive behind-the-scenes work and unending efforts to ensure everyone was made welcome and with their glasses always filled! Without doubt an amazing effort by 'Team Ratcliffe', to whom we extend out enormous gratitude. Steve Reid Volume 12 Issue 8 4 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News HOLIDAYS PUBLIC HO LIDAYS AUGUST THURSDAY, 15TH AUGUST (THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR LADY) What’s on in August? Pub Night Tuesday, 6th August 7 pm at Flanagan’s Irish Pub FIRST TUESDAY EVERY MONTH!!! New Members Welcome! Flanagan’s Irish Pub Schwarzenbergstra sse 1-3 Vienna, 1st district Tram D, 2 to Schwarzenbergerpl atz, U1, U2, U4 Karlsplatz This is the BCA 's Shop Window! A chance for members to bring along friends and for new arrivals to try out the BCA. If you are able to attend it is a great way to catch up with old friends and to greet new friends. Meet in the “Post Office”, to the left as you enter. This month’s hosts: Jennie & Graham Ratcliffe . Please note that ALL the following events are ALWAYS for BCA members and their guests unless otherwise indicated! Volume 12 Issue 8 5 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Concert by the Pleyel Museum in RuppersthalGrossweikersdorf Sunday, 4th August 7 pm For those not basking on beaches in early August this would be a special opportunity to visit the birthplace of Ignaz Pleyel at Ruppersthal near Grossweikersdorf (about 16km beyond Stockerau) on the evening of Sunday August 4th. There will be an outdoor concert in the in the Pfarrgarten alongside the church starting at 7 pm. including music by Haydn and Beethoven, as well as by Pleyel himself. Refreshments will be served before and after the concert as well as in the interval. The cost will be modest – around 18 Euros and cheaper with a NÖ card (but not including refreshments). It would be helpful to have an advance indication of how many people might be interested in attending, but concert tickets should be ordered (for payment by 6pm on the day) from [email protected]. The ABICS organizer, David Kyd, will have a few spare seats from Tullnerfeld station via the 16.56 ex Westbahnhof, so anyone requiring a lift should contact him, on [email protected] or handy 0676/6367241. There is also a train from Franz Josef’s Bahnhof at 17.11, but the latest return on this route is 21.04. Last train back leaves Tullnerfeld at 22.03. In case of inclement weather the concert will be held in the church. For more details of the concert programme, and also on how to drive there see:www.pleyel.at/pleyel/index.php?spr=de. Not organised by the BCA IPG Pleyel-Museum – Getting there By automobile from Vienna: Take the A22 motorway to Stockerau (North off-ramp), then the B4 highway to Horn; at the 1st traffic light in Grossweikersdorf, turn left (follow brown Museum sign) past the railway station toward Ruppersthal By automobile from St. Pölten: Take the S33 motorway to Krems, then the S5 motorway to Kirchberg or Königsbrunn (follow brown Museum signs at the off-ramp) By rail: From the Franz-Josephs-Bahnhof (railway terminus) in Vienna with regional line R42 or from St. Pölten via Tulln to Grossweikersdorf, or from Krems to Kirchberg am Wagram (regional line R40). Pick-up at the railway stations can be made by prior arrangement! Volume 12 Issue 8 6 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News 188. Konzert Wie ein Kirtag vor 200 Jahren Date/Time: 4.8.2013, 19:00 City: Pfarrgarten Ruppersthal Artists: AUSFÜHRENDE KÜNSTLER: " Pleyel Harmonie" Historische Klarinetten: Peter Rabl, Christian Köll Naturhörner: Hermann Ebner, Peter Heckl Fagotte: Klaus Hubmann, Thomas Kiefer Kontrabass: Walter Bachkönig Volume 12 Issue 8 7 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Program: Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Marcia Es-Dur, Hob.:VII:6 Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (1757 Ruppersthal-1831 Paris): Partita, Es-Dur; Jubel Marsch- Polonese e Trio Georg Druschetzky(1745-1819): Variationen über den Chor: "Die Himmel erzählen" aus dem Oratorium "Die Schöpfung" von J.Haydn Georg Druschetzky / J.Haydn: Variationen über das Andante aus der Symphonie G-Dur, Hob I:81 Ignaz Joseph Pleyel Sextett für 2 Klarinetten, 2 Hörner und 2 Fagotte, Ben219 Volume 12 Issue 8 8 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Poco Adagio - Allegro moderato - Andante Siciliano - Rondo Pause mit Buffet (Schmankerl und Weine aus dem Geburtsort von Ignaz Joseph Pleyel) Ignaz Joseph Pleyel: Parthia F -Dur für 2 Klarinetten, 2 Hörner und 2 Fagotte Allegro - Menuetto e Trio - Polonaise - Finale Ludwig van Beethoven(1770-1827): Sextett op.71, Es - Dur Adagio/Allegro - Adagio - Menuetto - Rondo Joseph Haydn/ Ignaz Joseph Pleyel: Divertimento B - Dur Hob.:II:46 Chorale St. Antonie Allegro - Chorale St.Antonie - Menuetto - Rondo Subject to change! Not organised by the BCA Volume 12 Issue 8 9 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Rainer’s Walking Tour in August Sunday 11 August 2 pm – 4.15 pm th Visit to Otto-Wagner Church (Jugendstilkirche) Am Steinhof and Lunch. Start will be at exactly 2:00 p.m. in the courtyard of the VCC/Reformi erte Stadtkirche (Dorotheergas se 16, 1010 Vienna). U3, U1 Stephansplatz. On foot along the Graben, then third street on the leftDorotheergasse. This invite Guided tour in English. Otto Wagner created this masterpiece of Viennese is open sacral architecture at the turn of the 20th century and by especially that set new standards for architecture. to Start will be at exactly 2:00 p.m. in the courtyard of the VCC/Reformierte Stadtkirche (Dorotheergasse 16, 1010 Vienna). Late lunch at about 4.15 p.m. at the friendly restaurant with reasonable prices “Alm” (Baumgartner Hoehe 282, tel 01/416 35 71). I am looking forward to seeing you, Dr. Rainer Zimmermann Tel 0699 1 777 00 39 Volume 12 Issue 8 10 Members of ABICS and BCA. Not organised by BCA August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com Thursday, 22nd August 7pm Men’s Beisl Tour This month’s Men’s Beisl Tour will be organised by Ian Glendinning Roter Hiasl Biberhaufenweg 228 1220 Wien The BCA News 92B bus to Raffineriestr./ Biberhaufenweg and a 2 minute walk, or 93A bus to Naufahrtbrücke and a ten minute walk. Both buses connect to the U2 at Donaustadtbrücke, where there is also a connection to the 92A bus, which goes to/from Kaisermühlen VIC. The 93A goes to/from Kagran. This month's Beisl Tour will take us into deepest Transdanubia, in Vienna's 22nd district. At first sight it might appear to be quite an expedition to get there from western parts of the city, but the public transport connections are pretty good, and the intrepid among you will be rewarded with a visit to a legendary Viennese restaurant dating back to 1862. The Roter Hiasl is named after its founder, Matthias Turnowsky, who came to Vienna from Galicia as a worker. He had red hair, and "Hiasl" is a diminuitive of Matthias. The restaurant boasts an extensive menu of tranditional Austrian food, and a good selection of draught beers, including Hiaslbräu, which is brewed on the premises. Let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather, so we'll be able to take advantage of their amply sized beer garden. For more information see: http://www.roterhiasl.at/ If you would like to come, please email Ian Glendinning <[email protected]> or phone him on 01 231 0992. Volume 12 Issue 8 11 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Roter Hiasl, Biberhaufenweg 228 Volume 12 Issue 8 12 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com Book Group The BCA News If you would like to attend, please contact We are reading "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova in Susan on 01 87 777 87 June (meeting at the end of the month ) and the book for September (to be read in July/August) is "Nicholas and Alexandra" by Robert K Massie. Email Susan on [email protected] for details Any new people interested in joining please contact me about date and venue! Volume 12 Issue 8 13 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Forward Diary Volume 12 Issue 8 14 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News KEEP THIS DATE FREE SATURDAY, 7TH SEPTEMBER 2013 AT 14.35 OBERSDORF SSBAHN BAHN STATION Open cellar doors in one of the largest continuous Kellergasse in Central Europe: FREE ADMISSION. At the bottom of the Kellergasse you can buy a tasting glass, which, if you have the stamina, you can also use on Sunday (!) because this glass is the key to all the wines you can taste free of charge offered in every cellar! I would like to invite you, as a group, to join me on Saturday, 7th September 2013 to meet at 14.35 at Obersdorf S-Bahn Station, (see time table) where we will then proceed by Shuttlebus to Pillichsdorf. You are of course free to explore the cellars in the Kellergasse and taste their wines at your leisure until we settle at Stefan Schmid, the vintner you already know from last year, with whom I have negotiated a special deal so that we ultimately can sit together and enjoy the Food and Wine: His offer consists of: 1. Reservation of Tables for our Group 2. A FREE Welcome Drink (Wine or Soft Drink) 3. A Voucher of 10% Discount per Box of 6 with free Delivery 4. 10 Minute tour of Kellergasse in English. At this stage I would like to test the interest so that we can get a feel about the possible numbers. Please reply as soon as possible. [email protected] Volume 12 Issue 8 15 August 2013 The BCA News www.bca-vienna.com Station Datum Zeit Prognose Steig Verkehrsmittel Wien Meidling 07.09.2013 ab 13:50 3 Wien Matzleinsdorfer Platz (ÖBB) ab 13:53 Wien Hbf (Bahnsteige 1-2) ab 13:56 Wien Quartier Belvedere ab 13:57 Wien Rennweg ab 14:01 Wien Mitte-Landstraße ab 14:04 Wien Praterstern ab 14:08 Wien Traisengasse ab 14:10 S2 Wien Handelskai (Bahnsteige 1-2) ab 14:13 Wien Floridsdorf ab 14:16 Wien Siemensstraße ab 14:19 Wien Leopoldau ab 14:22 Gerasdorf b.Wien ab 14:26 Kapellerfeld ab 14:29 Seyring ab 14:32 Obersdorf NÖ (Bahnsteige 1-2) an 14:35 2 Bemerkungen: S-Bahn Richtung: Wolkersdorf im Weinviertel Fahrradmitnahme: Begrenzt möglich; nur 2. Klasse; Zustieg im Nahverkehr (REX, R, S-Bahn) nur mit gültiger Fahrkarte Dauer: 0:45; fährt nicht täglich, 12. Aug bis 14. Dez 2013 29 Tarif km Volume 12 Issue 8 16 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com Tuesday 10th September 3 pm – 6 pm The BCA News Rainer’s Walking Tour in September Visit to the “Lion of Aspern“, the “Napoleon“ Museum and the St. Martin’s Church and Supper. Guided tour in English to Aspern, a historically very important place on the northeast outskirts of Vienna. The French emperor Napoleon was defeated there for the first time in 1809: A magnificent monumental lion sculpted by Fernkorn reminds visitors at it. We will also see the small but excellent “Napoleon” Museum which is well stocked with original pieces. Very interesting. Last but not least visit of the St. Martin’s church which has been enlarged recently; the new design combines the old and new elements. Start will be at exactly 3 p.m. at the station of the bus 92A at “Platz der Vereinten Nationen“ next to the U1 station Kaisermuehle n/VIC. Please be there at 2:45 pm. This event has been especially planned for ABICS and BCA members. Not organised by the BCA Start will be at exactly 3:00 p.m. at the station of the bus 92A at “Platz der Vereinten Nationen“ next to the U1 station Kaisermuehlen/VIC. Please be there at 2:45 pm. Supper at about 5:15 p.m. in the garden of the nice restaurant Hollmann (Zachgasse 2, tel. 01/282 52 18). Contribution: 5 €. I am looking forward to seeing you, Dr. Rainer Zimmermann Tel 0699 1 777 00 39 Volume 12 Issue 8 17 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Friday 20 SEPTEMBER 2013 17:00hrs Onwards Come in your lederhosen to the best Wiesenfest on the Donau http://www.aspern-essling.at/ Live music – Food – Beer Entrance €10 (Includes first drink) I have reserved a table for the BCA for this event. (The event is extremely popular and Saturday night is already fully sold out) Places are limited (First come first served) therefore you need to confirm early. If you are interested in joining for this event please contact Bob Haigh ASAP (first come first served) e.mail : [email protected] Mobile : 0664 88390513 Location : Opelwerk Aspern – Directions from City: U2 to Aspernstrasse then 26 Bus to Saltenstrasse (Bus stops directly outside fest site) Volume 12 Issue 8 18 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Hedy Lamarr Lecture Tuesday 24th September 6.15 pm Advance Notice! Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Research, I want to draw your attention to the continuation of the "Hedy Lamarr Lectures", jointly organized with the Medienhaus Wien, and cordially invite you to this next event. The lectures start after the summer break with a lecture by neuroscientist and Nobel Laureate Prof. Eric Kandel, Columbia University, New York, on "The Biology of Memory Storage". One way to get there is: U3 Stubentor, then walk up Wollzeile, first street to the right is Postgasse, then first left into Bäckerstraße . The lecture will take place on Tuesday, 24 September 2013, at 6.15 pm in the Hall of the Academy of Sciences 1010 Vienna, Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2. Please note that the presentation is not, as usual, on a Monday but this time will take place on a Tuesday instead, so please put this date in your diary! We look forward to seeing you and wish you a relaxing summer! Sincerely yours Ingrid Serini Austrian Academy of Sciences Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Research Postgasse 7/4/1 1010 Wien Tel: +43-1-51581-3110 Fax: +43-1-51581-3120 mailto: [email protected] http://www.oeaw.ac.at/cmc Open to all. Not organised by the BCA Volume 12 Issue 8 19 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com Volume 12 Issue 8 20 The BCA News August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com Friday 27th September The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning The BCA News . Valerie Juge wants to tell you the following: It will be under the name of "The World's Biggest Coffee Morning" for the Macmillan nurses in the UK who care for cancer victims. I did this last year (without broadcasting it over the BCA network) and everyone was very enthusiastic.....I collected 320 Euros during that morning and afterwards too, from neighbours and those who could not attend and sent this money to the Macmillan nurses cancer support charity in the UK. The Macmillan nurses’ charity chairman received this money and has thanked the British ladies in Vienna.....so I would like to do this again. Details to follow next month! Volume 12 Issue 8 21 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Arts and Crafts Club Amateur artist and craftsperson, Sue Cornish-Hughes, is offering BC BCA members the opportunity to form an informal Arts and Crafts Club from her home in the 9th District. Her initial idea is that the club will be held once a month between September and May, during the hours 10-14.00 with no costs other than for any materials we might buy, and for a coffee fund. The types of art and craft will be open ended but drawing, painting, handcrafts, sewing, cooking, etc could be included. ! Recommences September 2013 – May 2014 ! You only have to drop in and bring your project, soup and bread lunch is provided. Email or phone for directions and confirmation of date and time. Sue Cornish-Hughes [email protected] 06765504331 Volume 12 Issue 8 22 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Activities & Notices Scottish Country Dancing Classes There will be no more Scottish Country dancing until mid-September. More information can be found on their website: www.rscdsvienna.org Weekday Walks Walks take place Mondays and Wednesdays come rain or shine and always start at the same place – 38a bus stop Armbrustergasse at 9.30am. The Monday walk is traditionally longer and tougher but both walks do require stamina! The walks end in a café for a well deserved drink. All welcome. Contacts Valerie 3709324, Sandra 3288452 or Gaye (Wednesday’s only) 3288167. Sailing on the Alte Donau The Vienna International Sailing Club invites BCA members to a joint evening of social sailing on Thursday evenings from 5:45 pm, at Segelschule Hofbauer near the UN on An der oberen Alten Donau (weather permitting). Come along and enjoy the sunsets over the Vienna Woods, and maybe even do a little sailing. The Club will pair up newcomers with more experienced sailors for an informal introduction to dinghy sailing.The cost is only 5€ pp (reduction for children). Good food, wine and beer are available from the Ufertavern overlooking the water before or after sailing. For further information, visit the VISC web site www.visc.at, which includes a map of the location, or contact Andrew Parker [email protected] Please note that these sessions are organized by the VISC, not the BCA! Book Group We meet every month. Anyone keen to join us please get in touch with Susan Dennis-Gabriel Email Susan on [email protected] for details or phone 01 87 777 87 Volume 12 Issue 8 23 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Classified The BCA News has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information provided. However, the information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. The BCA News does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained within these pages. Caveat Emptor always applies! The BCA News does not endorse, sponsor or guarantee any such listing or any of the information, advice, goods, services or other resources that may be mentioned or made accessible through these listings. No warranty of any kind is made as to the accuracy of such listings, the suitability of such goods and services or the qualifications of the companies or individuals who may have submitted such material. The BCA News does not endorse or sponsor, and is not affiliated with, the advertisers or providers of such information, advice, goods, services or other resources. WG The British Corner Shop http://www.BritishCornerShop.co.uk is an online supermarket for expats. All BCA members can now shop online for over 8,000 branded British food, drink, toiletries and household products, all of which can be delivered to your doorstep. How? - Every time you place an online order you simply use the exclusive BCA 10% 'Discount Code’: NEW CODE Code: BCAVIENNA0613 ST USE AS OF 1 2013 JULY Happy Shopping! 22/11//12 Volume 12 Issue 8 24 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Mary Poppins required! Perfect job for a native English speaking student – who wants to be part of a family. We are looking for a native English speaker to work part time with the option of living in, ideally for a number of years. We can provide a private bedroom with en-suite facilities plus a separate kitchenette in our large historic house in Baden – WLAN, TV and laundry are available. The work involves looking after our 3 girls aged 14 months, 4 and 6 years, Monday to Friday from 1 to 6 pm. Most importantly, we want the children to improve their English skills whilst playing and having fun in the afternoon! Some household chores (e.g. ironing) may be requested, but minimal. This position would suit a student studying here since we are flexible with regard to hours. Salary and conditions negotiable. For further details, please contact Barbara Reisch at: [email protected] requested by BCA member Rosanna Romano 26.06.13 Dear Members, For anyone living outside the UK but renting cars in Europe (including UK), it is a great way to save a huge amount on car insurance EXCESS COVER. As you may know, Car Rental companies quote all inclusive car hire but then tell you the first 500-800 pounds (excess) is not covered and you would have to pay that if you have as much as a scratch!! They offer you Excess Cover insurance that can be as much as the actual daily rental cost! I always said no to excess cover and took the risk. TWICE I had a problem costing me 500 pounds each time - true! Last year I was told about this company based in London and used it. Basically, you can Insure against the Excess costs for as little as around 50 euros a YEAR! So as many rentals through the year inside all of Europe! Great Value and peace of mind. www.insurance4carhire.com I think it is worth that you should know of it if you are renting cars! SteveRead Volume 12 Issue 8 28.05.2013 25 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News PROPERTY FOR SALE This deceptively spacious, well presented and bright 3rd Floor Apartment without lift, located in residential Baden only ten minutes walk to the S-Bahn Station, town buses and Badner Bahn and some 28 km from Vienna City Centre is for sale. The accommodation comprises: Hallway, Bedroom, Bathroom/Toilet, Lounge/Dining Area, Kitchen and a covered Loggia, spanning the length of the Apartment with an uninterrupted view of the Vienna Woods. The property enjoys the benefits of gas fired central heating, is double glazed throughout and protected with security locks. Parking is available. All white goods are to remain with all blinds, light fitments, carpets/floor coverings and all furnishings at no extra cost, making this an excellent purchase for the discerning buyer. VIEWING IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO VIEW CONTACT ALICE RUTHERFORD 06643756355 24.07.2013 Volume 12 Issue 8 26 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Theatre –News The theatre is closed for the summer. The box office will re-open as of 19 August 2013. Our next production commences 9 September 2013. We wish you a pleasant summer holiday and look forward to welcoming you back for our 2013/2014 season Vienna‘s English Theatre | Josefsgasse 12 | A-1080 Wien | Tel +43-1-402 12 60-0 | Fax +43-1-405 41 21 121 (+43-1-402 12 60-40) E-Mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.englishtheatre.at Volume 12 Issue 8 27 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News Welcome to Open House Theatre Company, Vienna's new English-speaking theatre! Alan Burgon, Eric Lomas and Paul Elsbacher: Founders of Open House Theatre Company. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare Ticket sale starts 1st June 2013 July 11 - August 11, 2013 Shakespeare in the Park - in Vienna! Join us as we embark on an open-air adventure with the Bard's best-known comedy. Become part of a unique theatrical experience in one of Vienna's beautiful parks. And you can choose if you want to see the show in English, German or both ( the cast is the same). Bring along your friends, a picnic and enjoy! Traditionally seen as one of Shakespeare's more romantic and enchanting plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream has more recently been seen as a darker and more sinister play than Volume 12 Issue 8 28 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News generations of schoolchildren have ever imagined. The play has usually been seen as a comical tale with confused identities and the fickleness of youthful love, as the young lovers, Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena escape parental control and the "sharp Athenian law" of their elders by eloping into the forest outside the city. Unfortunately they stumble into civil war in fairyland, where King Oberon and Queen Titania fight over possession of a beautiful young Indian "changeling" boy. The appearance of the "rude mechanicals", a group of Athenian workers, including the weaver Nick Bottom, compounds the confusion. Chaos, confusion and "shaping fantasies" reign before the final settlement of the play, but underneath all the hilarity many critics have discerned more ambivalent attitudes towards parental control and the destructive power of desire. These approaches in no way detract from the exquisite lyricism of many sections of the play, but make it a more complex and effective comedy than has often been appreciated. Production Details: Performances Thursday - Sunday from July 11 - August 11, 2013 In both English and German on alternating evenings (schedule to be announced) Indoors in case of bad weather Curtain: 8.00 pm Venue: Gardens of Schloss Pötzleinsdorf Geymüllergasse 1 1180 Wien Public Transport: Tram 41 stop "Pötzleinsdorf". Volume 12 Issue 8 29 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens December 1 - December 23, 2013 Ticket Sale starts October 7, 2013 Creative Team Pictures The timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, each showing him the wrongs of his ways and warning him to take Christmas into his heart. We bring this classic story to life in a vibrant new adaptation by Alan Burgon (who also directs) and West-end legend John Harwood returns to Vienna to portray Scrooge. Join us to celebrate the festive season, Dickens-style! Continuing the International Theatre's tradition of staging this Christmas classic, this years' production will mark the 30 year anniversary of A Christmas Carol in Vienna, after it was first produced in the winter of 1983 at the old theatre in Porzellangasse. Tickets Production Details: Performances daily from December 1 December 23, 2013 Curtain: 7.30 pm Additional matinees on December 14 & 21 at 4.00 pm No performances on December 5 & 8 Location: KIP - Theater im Cafè Prückel Biberstraße 2 1010 Wien Public Transport: U3 Stubentor S-Bahn Wien Mitte Trams 1 & 2 Buses 1A & 74A Volume 12 Issue 8 30 August 2013 www.bca-vienna.com The BCA News IMPORTANT INFORMATION ALL BRITISH CITIZENS WHO ARE NEWCOMERS TO AUSTRIA PLEASE READ Citizens of the European Union and Switzerland have the right to take residence in Austria, if they • • • work as employed or self-employed persons or have a sufficient health-insurance and sufficient financial means or are students or pupils at a university or school (and have a sufficient health insurance and sufficient means). Before January 1, 2006 they only had to register (with the Meldezettel). Citizens of the EU and Switzerland who come to Austria after January 1, 2006 and intend to stay longer than three months, have to apply at the Municipal Department for Immigration, Citizenship and Registry Offices (MD 35) for a document called "Anmeldebescheinigung". This is a documentation for their right of residence. If they came before January 1, 2006 and registered, they do not need this paper. For their spouses, civil partners, children, parents and parents in law, who are not EU-citizens or Swiss, they have to apply for a document called "Aufenthaltskarte", which is issued for 10 years. Where to get the „Anmeldebescheinigung“? Magistratsabteilung 35 (MA 35) Einwanderung, Staatsbürgerschaft, Standesamt - Dienststellenleitung the Municipal Department for Immigration, Citizenship and Registry Offices (MD 35) Address and contact 1200 Wien, Dresdner Straße 93, Block C Homepage http://www.wien.gv.at/verwaltung/personenwesen/ E-Mail [email protected] Servicenummer +43 1 4000 3535 Fax +43 1 4000 99350 Volume 12 Issue 8 31 August 2013 The BCA News www.bca-vienna.com Contact Details British Embassy Vienna The UK diplomatic presence in Austria consists of three missions - the British Embassy, the UK Mission to the United Nations and the UK Delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The missions are co-located in Vienna. Please visit the individual web pages for information. See full profile and all contact details British Embassy Telephone +43 (1) 716130 Jauresgasse 12 1030 Vienna Austria Fax (Chancery) +(43) (1) 71613 2999 Email [email protected] Fax (Management) +(43) (1) 71613 2900 Email (Consular) Fax (Consular) +(43) (1) 71613 5900 [email protected] Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm Fax (Commercial) +(43) (1) 71613 6900 Emergency Telephone Numbers European Emergency Number 112 Fire (Feuerwehr) 122 Police (Polizei) 133 Ambulance (Rettung) 144 Poison Antidote Service 01 406 4343 Medical Emergency / Foreign Service Board 01 310 24 63 Doctor’s Telephone Service Monday – Friday (7am – 7pm) 1771 After hours. Sat. Sun. (Notarzt) 141 Pharmacy Service (Apotheken-Bereitschaft) 550 Volume 12 Issue 8 32 August 2013 The BCA News www.bca-vienna.com Announcements to Members Sign-up List for Regular BCA Events, 2013 If you are willing to volunteer for one of these events during 2013 please contact [email protected] Pub Night Coffee Morning Restaurant Evening August 2013 Jennie & Graham Ratcliffe ? ? September 2013 Monika Waddell Valerie Juge ? October 2013 Nadine Glaser Cath Kinney & Susan Melton-Hill ? November 2013 Mo & Bob Haigh Alice Rutherford & Mary Geissler Kate Connolly & Irene Schlegelmilch December 2013 Ursula Perry Sue Cornish-Hughes BCA Christmas Dinner & Party January 2014 ? ? ? Volume 12 Issue 8 33 August 2013 SUPPLEMENT The Royal Baby Edition The BCA News No. 14 August 2013 A Right Royal Brunch and Other Celebrations for Baby Cambridge! By Wolfgang Geissler Prince George of Cambridge (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is the only child of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. He is the only grandchild of Charles, Prince of Wales, and is third in line to succeed his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after his grandfather and father. The popularity of the British Monarchy was once more demonstrated here in Vienna in so many celebrations on the occasion of the birth of the young prince. The BCA has arranged as a celebration a Coffee Morning and Brunch at the Ratcliffe’s residence in Korneuburg. Rainer’s Walking Tour in July By Wolfgang Geissler We are already used to it! Rainer’s Walking Tours, specialising in ecclesiastical objects like Churches within the Archdiocese, combine in a subtle but intelligent way History paired with Spirituality, Entertainment with Hospitality. That churches, especially in Austria, are not only in a cultural sense architectural museums but also living and breathing places of prayer and worship should be apparent to any visitor and does therefore warrant a certain amount of respect and restraint. The visit to the Karlskirche had all the hallmarks of Rainer’s brilliant guidance, sometimes playful but also very informative in all aspects. After the visit 24 hungry “walkers” settled at the excellent Gastwirtschaft “Herlitschka” in nearby Traungasse. Duchess of Cambridge Read all about this and other events on page 8 The BCA News 2 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 PAUL HOLLINGDALE AND VIENNA INTERNATIONAL RADIO BLUE DANUBE RADIO closed down in January 2000, when the ORF decided to merge the 'english' language service with their recently opened 'alternative' music channel FM4. Many people regretted this closure, none more so than PAUL HOLLINGDALE, who felt that Vienna was being deprived of its unique international station. PAUL HOLLINGDALE has a dream - that one day he will bring English Radio back to Vienna. A big task! And not without its problems. Many hours have been devoted to planning and scheming and forming a professional team to bring together a service which everyone can enjoy. And V I R is looking locally for more broadcasters to join its team. The BIG question is - Is there an audience for an English language Station in the City today? Consular Corner Life certificates If you have received a life certificate from the UK Pension Service it is important that you reply as quickly as possible otherwise your benefit may be stopped. Call the IPC on 0044 191 218 7777 with any queries. These are the options available for signing the certificate: • Paul and his group of volunteers carried out research visiting all sorts of institutions including places where members of the International community meet during their leisure time. Many of those interviewed indicated that they spoke little German and therefore had only a limited idea of what Vienna offered to enhance their lifestyle. An English station would satisfy that need. Communication using radio would bring the International community closer together. • It was decided to call the company VIENNA INTERNATIONAL RADIO ' English Radio for the City.' • It will eventually be run as a commercial concern. During the Summer of 2012, the VIR team began work on a projected programme schedule that would include news – views – and entertainment. It would be a ' mix of adult contemporary music, International News from such organisations as BBC WORLD, NPR and CBS. Local content would include features and interviews coverage of the entertainment and leisure scene, tourist information and much more. VIR would also broadcast specialist shows produced locally and aired within the ACCESS hours between 20.00-22.00 each evening. Continued on page 3 a list has now been compiled with persons able to witness your signature and the comprehensive list of such persons can be found on: https://www.gov.uk/living-inaustria (scroll down until you find life certificates) a solicitor or notary can witness the declaration, but they may charge you for this service Please note that this witness service is no longer offered by the British Consulate in Vienna General information on Consular services can be found on the Embassy’s website: https://www.gov.uk/government/world/au stria Next month we will have another topic with information and news from the British Consulate in Vienna. Your Consular Team The BCA News 3 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 PAUL HOLLINGDALE AND VIENNA INTERNATIONAL RADIO continued In October 2012, PAUL HOLLINGDALE reached an agreement with local 'soul music' station SUPERFLY 98.3, to broadcast on their frequency on Sunday mornings. The Paul Hollingdale Story This experiment lasted for two months, creating favourable reaction. In 2013, the real business of creating VIENNA INTERNATIONAL RADIO began with building an Internet Station. With grateful support from a local businessman, a search was made to find suitable accomodation. PAUL remembered that in the 20'and 30's when radio was being established in the US, a number of those early stations were opening up in Hotels. So why not move into a ' posh ' place here. It would certainly be the first time that a radio station had ever operated from a hotel in Austria! He talked with Markus Prem Sales Executive of the Radisson Blu Palais who was astonished and amused by the idea. After much thought an agreement was made and accomodation was arranged to house the studio and office facilities. Work began on acquiring the technical equipment for the commercial venture. Installation was completed and the business of assembling a programme package began. VIENNA INTERNATIONAL RADIO went ' on air ' in June 2013. Its purpose is to offer a sample of what the station is capable of offering. We are currently broadcasting 24 hours a day. We offer a package of news, views, interviews and features covering Vienna's life-style backed by a daily 'mix' of adult contemporary music, a great deal of which is rarely heard on other Austrian radio stations. Hourly News is aired from CBS in New York. On 15th July 2013 VIR BREAKFAST was launched running from 0.6.00 – 09.00. This show includes local news – travel and weather which is updated daily. Night-time presentations include two U S syndicated retro- shows, TAKIN' YA' BACK and DATE WITH DIANE. The locally produced KEEP IT COUNTRY, featuring the latest Hits from Nashville. DISCO DAYS is broadcast three times a week. VIR JAZZ HOUR plays favourite tracks old and new and covers news on the latest performers appearing at Vienna's noted jazz clubs Continued on page 4 PAUL HOLLINGDALE RADIO AND TV BROADCASTER personal website: www.paulhollingdale.at Radio Legend PAUL HOLLINGDALE has spent a lifetime in broadcasting, and now during a period when he should be in retirement he is full of energy and enthusiasm for his latest venture, the return of English Radio to Vienna. Paul's Radio and TV career was mostly centred in London. In his early years he worked for the BBC launching RADIO 2 in September 1967. Before that he was a DJ on the famous RADIO LUXEMBOURG (RTL) living in the Grand Duchy. With the beginning of Commercial Radio in the mid-seventies Paul joined RADIO 210, a station west of London as the Breakfast Show Presenter, and had the honour of meeting the Queen and Prince Philip, who visited the studios. Continued on page 4 The BCA News 4 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 PAUL HOLLINGDALE AND VIENNA INTERNATIONAL RADIO The Paul Hollingdale Story continued continued THE GROOVE LINE is a two hour soul music show presented ‘live‘ from London every Sunday at 22.03. We also air the weekly produced hourly feature WARM UP FOR THE WEEKEND, which offers an up-to-date guide as to what's happening on the local music scene. VIR is currently negotiating to enter the cable network operated by UPC/Telekabel so that the Station's 'reach ' can be extended. Upon our acceptance on the cable network we will begin broadcasting regular' live shows from our studio centre in Vienna. It is intended to apply for an FM frequency. PAUL HOLLINGDALE and his team are excited about the project but to realise their ambition, the need for local support, in all areas, is vital. You can contact VIR by email - [email protected] VIENNA INTERNATIONAL RADIO “English Radio for the City.” RADISSON BLU PALAIS HOTEL 1st Floor PARK RING 1010 VIENNA Tel: +43 515 17 3210 Mob: 0664 8605265 INTERNET JULY 2013 In the Summer of 1979, whilst on a visit to London, RUDI KLAUSNITZER, then Head of Ö3 met with Paul and invited him to come to Vienna and launch a new station designed for the growing number of International residents living in the city. rd On 23 August 1979, on the opening day of the United Nations building Paul was the first 'voice' heard on BDR (Blue Danube Radio) broadcasting from the ORF studios in Argentinierstrasse. From then on PAUL HOLLINGDALE'S association with Vienna has continued until this day. During the 80's and 90's he continued to broadcast on Blue Danube Radio, whilst at the same time managing a varied career hosting shows for a number of UK commercial stations, as well as working for the movie industry as a broadcaster. He produced TV documentaries for Actor/Director Lord Richard Attenborough and the late American screen legend Anthony Quinn, whom he met in Vienna in the early nineties. Paul also presented his own weekly long running film series MOVIETIME on SKY. His regular movie shows were heard on LBC, and on other stations around the country. He was also a Director of a studio facility in London's Soho – Inflight Productions, which still produces Audio and Visual programmes for some of the world's biggest airlines. In early 2009, PAUL HOLLINGDALE decided that he would return to Vienna to spend sometime ‘chilling out' and taking things easy. It didn't last too long. Almost immediately Paul was contacted by one of the city's renowned TV Production companies to work as a Film Commentator. And thus began a schedule that has included a number of documentaries for the ORF. To date Paul has been involved in over 30 productions. Join us now on www.viennaradio.at The BCA News Since 2009 Paul has acted as the English Moderator for the annual SPRACHMANIA an International Language Competition involving schools from all over Austria. The event is organized by WIFI der Wirtschaftskammer, Österreich. The BCA News The BCA News 5 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Joint BCA & ABICS Restaurant Night By Bob Haigh A wonderful fare was had by 14 members of the joint ABICS & BCA restaurant night held at Restaurant Lahodny, Aspern. The variety of food was excellent covering many cuisines. Although the fresh wild salmon served on a bed of Tagliatelle was a particular favourite of the group it was impressive to see one hearty soul trying the "snails in Garlic butter" whilst one member accepted the challenge of the XXXL spare ribs and rising to the task. The evening was completed by a toast of Jägermeister rounding off an excellent evening. Heurigen with Scottish Ladies By Wolfgang Geissler You may not have to be Scottish or even a lady to join this annual Heurigen Party, but it helps if your are a BCA member, which this year was arranged at the Buschenschank Gleichweit in wonderful Baden. Don’t be fooled: the waitress may be pretty but she forgot my order, which was not so pretty! The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 6 ALEX HIGHTON IN CONCERT AT SCHLOSS ORTH AM TRAUNSEE By Wolfgang Geissler Sponsored by the DOPPLER Group we went by bus, care of Susanna Bus, to Traunkirchen, Upper Austria, where we enjoyed an Aperitive or several! This was followed by a lavish Lunch in the prestigious “Boothaus” (Restaurant Seehotel Das Traunsee), a 2 Hauben two chef’s hats Restaurant (the equivalent of 2 Rosettes). A boattrip with the MS Hochlecken across the Traunsee in glorious weather to Schloss Orth. There we were welcomed with Afternoon Tea followed by the Concert of Alex Highton. After growing up in Liverpool, and then ten years or so in London, Alex decamped with his family to rural Cambridgeshire. What he found was an England he didn't know existed and a life he didn't know he was looking for. With no expectations at all he wrote and recorded a bunch of songs that chronicled his journey from the city to the country. Just stuff about what was going on around him, his wife, his kids, breathing in the fresh air and staring into the abyss… „Frankly it's a real boost to discover a genuine world class practitioner who restores your faith in the genre..." - Tom Robinson BBC6Music. The BCA News The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 ALEX HIGHTON IN CONCERT AT SCHLOSS ORTH AM TRAUNSEE 7 3rd Joint Heurigen Evening By Wolfgang Geissler “Buschenschank Wolff” in Neustift am Walde is a very well known location and once again, ABS & ABC* rd invited to their 3 Joint Evening, which was actually sponsored by Wolff! This evening was also open to BCAmembers and a few faces could be recognised. Alex Highton: www.alexhighton.com Pub Night By Wolfgang Geissler It seems that the Pub Nights have a growing appeal. July’s saw a few new faces, which was nice since Christine Kaslatter was the charming hostess! The BCA News The BCA News *Austro- British Society & Austro – British Chamber The BCA News 8 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 ROYAL SUMMER PARTY _____ A Right Royal Brunch By Wolfgang Geissler C offee, ice cold drinks, wine, beer, a wide and seemingly never ending selection of appetizers, mouthwatering choice of hot dishes and a magnificent spread of cold meats and salads, finally followed by an array of dessert. The Creation of the PRINCE GEORGE ALEXANDER LOUIS OF CAMBRIDGE CUVEE You may be forgiven to think that this was an official gardenparty at Buckingham Palacebut no: the place was Korneuburg at Jennie and Graham Ratcliffe’s residence, who with the help of UN-Chef, Kathryn, produced this culinary delight in the most beautiful setting in their garden on Saturday, 27th July to celebrate with members of the BCA the birth of HRH. Prince George. And what a celebration that was. Around forty members joined this Right Royal Brunch. And three cheers to the prince and to the Ratcliffes! ______ By Wolfgang Geissler It Kathryn Ratcliffe does not happen often that five great events occur at the same place: We had the ORF-“Seitenblicke”, were wined (Champagne) and dined at “Kattus” Sektkellerei, listened to the “Gordon Highlanders” from Donnerskirchen (Burgenland) and met Willi Opitz, Starvintner from Illmitz (Burgenland) and under his guidance we produced a special cuvee, the Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge Cuvee. And this is what actually happened: Relaxing in the shade Hello, can you see us? On Friday, 26th July we gathered at 4pm in the Sektkellerei of “Kattus” cooling down with cold sekt and building up strength for the tasks ahead with a “flying” buffet. Each participant received from Willi Opitz three different red wines to taste: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zweigelt. On a chart one records in percentage one’s personal preference, i.e. 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 30% Zweigelt. All compositions are recorded, summarised and then divided by the number of participants, providing an average. According to theses calculation a Cuvee is being blended in front of us and then passed around for tasting and delectation. The result was really fascinating! There is always someone standing out This Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge Cuvee is unique and is being bottled and labelled with a specially designed label. A carton with this wine together with an appropriate note of wellwishes is being sent to H.E. Dr. Emil Brix Austrian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, who The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 A Right Royal Brunch 9 ROYAL SUMMER PARTY will present it to Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, with the hope that in 16 years’ time Prince George will enjoy a glass or two OF HIS OWN Cuvee. The Chairman has arrived: let the party begin! I wonder what they are talking about. Paul Hollingdale with Oliver Making a point. Making a point II Paul with Dr. James Wilkie Kathryn takes the bow! Evelyn Schellenberg being interviewed The boss with Bob (left picture) and Monica (right picture) It’s Hello from them and it’s Hello from him! The BCA News Willi Opitz with the yet still empty bottle The BCA News 10 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 ROYAL SUMMER PARTY Willi Opitz with Dr. Kurt Tiroch of the ABS Here it is!!! The Scottish National Anthem, "Flower of Scotland" stirres Scottish Blood The Gordon Highlanders are coming Paul in his element The Wine with the Gordon Highlanders The ORF is also here The Gordon Highlanders Keeping the rythm. Broadcasters in action! Let me in! I'm Scottish not you! Working hard The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 11 ROYAL SUMMER PARTY Well? Shall we let her in? Oh, come on then! Amongst the boys Pipe Major Willi, the Wine and the Bottle Ronnie Bradford, new member Johanna Fuchs with niece The BCA News 12 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 ROYAL SUMMER PARTY In the Cellars It's cooler down here! Hello! The Ressels Willi (at the right edge of the picture) explains the mathematics with a calculator. The BCA News The BCA News 13 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Travel News Flights The following items are with kind permission from ABICS NEWSLETTER July 2013 Air Berlin have reinstated their high summer, Saturdays only, flights from Vienna to Edinburgh from July 27th until August 17th. Prices are around 220€ single, so not very attractive, but at least it’s only a one flight journey direct from Schwechat. The BCA News Ryanair will reduce the frequency of Bratislava to Edinburgh and to Liverpool flights to twice per week from early November. They have also increased their 15kg check-in baggage fee from £15 to £25 for the summer season, as from 1st June. The BCA News Easyjet. From 2nd July Easyjet (our sole carrier from Vienna to London Gatwick) reduced the size of hand luggage that will be guaranteed a spot in the cabin by 37%, to slightly below that allowed even by Ryanair. The new ruling however has several exceptions, and it may still be possible to take a larger size bag on board, so if you are concerned as to whether your . bag will be accepted, then it would be wise to check the small print on their website:www.easyjet.com/en/planning/cabinbaggage. They are also offering a refund if you find the fare you paid has been reduced – but you need to request this before the flight departure The BCA News Virgin Atlantic (with Aer Lingus) are now offering 5 and 6 flights per day from Heathrow to Edinburgh with full baggage allowances. Cost is variable, but single flights start at £44 each, rising to £160. The BCA News Luggage carriage by airlines is becoming more and more an add-on charge. One UK company trying to take advantage of the high charges for Hold luggage is www.sendmybag.com/ who offer up to 30Kg from your door in the UK to any door in Austria for £30. Ryanair charge £35 for 20Kg, or £25 for 15kg – summer season and Christmas rates – and it is prohibitive to take more than 20kg. With this Sendmybag courier you can therefore take more luggage for less cost, and you also gain by not having to carry the luggage to and from the airport. They will also handle rather longer items for no extra charge. Sendmybag do however charge a lot more from Austria (£100) so that is not an economic option. The BCA News 14 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Trains & Trams Britain. Scottish Rail’s “Club 55” has now ceased their offer for rail travel anywhere in Scotland (and Carlisle) for £19 monthly return. Hopefully they will again restart after the summer holidays. The BCA News Steam. On July 3rd 1938 streamlined A4 class locomotive Mallard broke (and still holds) the speed record for a steam engine, at 126mph. To celebrate this all six surviving locos of the A4 class are being displayed in the National Railway Museum in York, and it is the first time that all six have been seen together. One of these, Bittern, actually pulled a train from Kings Cross to York at 90mph last week to get to the exhibition site. The BCA News Austria. The 760mm narrow gauge Mariazellerbahn is currently undergoing a significant upgrade, after ownership was transferred from ÖBB to the Niederöstereich operator NÖVG in 2010. The route was in danger of closure, but such was the outcry about losing this historic line that money was made available for new rolling stock and a general overhaul of the neglected facilities. Nine Electric Multiple Units (EMUs, rather like Vienna’s newest Schnellbahn trains) were ordered from Stadler and several of these have now been delivered, though they do not have the old-world charm of the original electric engines with separate carriages, a couple of which remain in service. There is still the occasional steam engine in use on special days. The whole line is a great tourist attraction and well worth taking the train from Westbahnhof to St Pölten for the Mariazell service. There are currently four through narrow gauge trains per day, taking 3 ¼ hours from Vienna, so a return day trip is quite possible. The BCA News Westbahn are offering young people an Anywhere-Anytime ticket for travel on Westbahn for the whole summer from 22nd June to 8th September. For under 20s this costs 29.90€, while for under 26s it is 49.90€. They are also offering special fares all along the route between Vienna and Salzburg on Mondays through Thursdays eg Vienna to Linz or Wels for 11.90€ annd Vienna to Salzburg for 17.90€. The BCA News Planning has been announced for double-tracking and electrification of the northern route from Hauptbahnhof to Bratislava Main station. In particular, this will remove the many level crossings on the route via Erzherzog Karl -Strasse and Marchegg. The BCA News 15 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Austrian Items The Vienna University (Universität Wien) is offering English language Masters Courses in International Legal Studies which might be suitable for sons and daughters of ABICS members. These Masters courses are for 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, and are targeted for those who already have a relevant degree (in English) from a foreign university. See http://international-legal-studies.univie.ac.at/ for more details. The BCA News Wiener Linien individual transport tickets rose by a small amount on the first of this month (June), but the old tickets are still valid until the end of 2013. It is no longer possible to purchase half-price tickets for very short journeys, but presumably these are also valid until the year end. UK Items M&S are offering free delivery to Austria (and elsewhere) if you spend over 99€, and they currently have a 40% off sale. See www.marksandspencer.eu/en_AT A new Whisky Distillery has been opened in, of all places, the English Lake District, close to Bassenthwaite Lake and in the shadow of Skiddaw Mountain. The owners say the water quality is perfect for whisky production and they are hopeful of producing a quality product, once the minimum aging time has been achieved in their bourbon and sherry barrels.. We note that “The Lakes Distillery” is using the traditionally Scottish spelling whisky, rather than “whiskey” but they excuse this on the grounds that Cumbria was once part of Scotland (the Kingdom of Strathclyde). See www.lakesdistillery.com for more details. David Hope The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 16 Joke of the Month No. 12 A few days ago I was having some work done at my local garage. A blonde came in and asked for a seven-hundred- ten. We all looked at each other and another customer asked, 'What is a seven-hundred- ten?' She replied, 'you know, the little piece in the middle of the engine, I have lost it and need a new one....’ She replied that she did not know exactly what it was, but this piece had always been there. The mechanic gave her a piece of paper and a pen and asked her to draw what the piece looked like. She drew a circle and in the middle of it wrote 710. He then took her over to a car just like hers which had its hood up and asked 'is there a 710 on this car?’ She pointed and said, 'Of course, it’s right there.' The mechanic fainted. If you're not sure what a 710 is then go to Page 40 The BCA News 17 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Until December 2013 I intend to provide our British (and maybe also Austrian?) members of the BCA with a selection of, so I hope, interesting historical information, relevant to the appropriate month, about their host country Austria. I call it: This Month in Austrian History. Wolfgang Geissler THIS MONTH IN AUSTRIAN AUSTRIAN HISTORY AUGUST 26th August 1648 People's uprising against Anna of Austria & Cardinal Mazarin Fronde (frôNd), 1648–53, series of outbreaks during the minority of King Louis XIV, caused by the efforts of the Parlement of Paris (the chief judiciary body) to limit the growing authority of the crown; by the personal ambitions of discontented nobles; and by the grievances of the people against the financial burdens suffered under cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin. The Fronde of the Parliament This period (1648–49) began when the parlement rejected a new plan for raising money, proposed by Anne of Austria, mother of and regent for Louis XIV, and her adviser, Cardinal Mazarin. The scheme would have required that the magistrates of the high courts (except the parlement) give up four years' salary. The high courts, including the parlement, opposed the proposal and drafted a reform document limiting the royal prerogative. The government, in retaliation, arrested several members of the parlement, notably Pierre Broussel his opposition to the tax program proposed by Cardinal Mazarin made him popular., but the Parisian populace rose in protest and barricaded the streets (Aug., 1648). Anne and Mazarin were forced to yield and Broussel was released. Meanwhile, the Peace of Westphalia (Oct., 1648), which ended the Thirty Years War, freed the royal army to take action against the Fronde. Anne, the king, and Mazarin secretly left Paris (Jan., 1649), and the city was blockaded by royal troops under Louis II, prince de Condé and his sister Mme de were among the leaders of the Fronde. Other leaders were Frédéric Maurice de Bouillon and Paul de Gondi (later Cardinal de A compromise peace was arranged between the parliament and the regent at Rueil in March, 1649. The Fronde of the Princes The prince de Condé, having aided Cardinal Mazarin and Louis XIV's Regent Anne, expected to control them. His overbearing attitude and intrigues caused his arrest in Jan., 1650, and precipitated a second outbreak, the Fronde of the Princes, or the New Fronde. Mme de Longueville called on Marshal Turenne for aid in releasing her brother. Government troops defeated Turenne and his Spanish allies at Rethel (1650), but Mazarin was forced to yield when Retz, Mme de Chevreuse, Gaston d'Orléans, and François de Beaufort all united in demanding Condé's release. The BCA News 18 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Mazarin fled to Germany in February, 1651, but the victorious nobles soon quarrelled among themselves, and Condé left Paris to take up open warfare against the government. Although joined by Gaston d'Orléans, Beaufort, Conti, and the provincial parlements of S France, Condé lost the principal support of Turenne, who went over to the government's side after Louis XIV reached his majority. In Dec., 1651, Mazarin was recalled. Condé concluded an alliance with Spain, but was defeated by Turenne at the Faubourg Saint-Antoine beneath the walls of Paris; he was saved by Mlle de Montpensier, who admitted him and his army into Paris. His arrogant conduct there alienated the people. As the Fronde disintegrated, Mazarin once more left France to clear the air for a reconciliation. In October the king returned to Paris; Mazarin followed in February, 1653. The princes soon made peace with the government, except for Condé, who commanded the Spanish forces against France until the Peace of the Pyrenees (1659; see Pyrenees, Peace of the). The Fronde was the last attempt of the nobility to resist the king by arms. It resulted in the humiliation of the nobles, the strengthening of royal authority, and the further disruption of the French economy. 1st August 1664 - Battle of Saint Gotthard (1664) Saint Gotthard Part of the Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) Battle of Saint Gotthard Date Location Result August 1, 1664 Szentgotthárd, Vas County, along the present-day Austro-Hungarian border Decisive League victory Belligerents League of the Rhine: France Holy Roman Empire • • • Saxony BrandenburgPrussia Bavaria • Baden-Baden • Swabia Piedmont-Savoy Ottoman Empire • • • Crimean Khanate (Ottoman protectorate) Moldavia Wallachia The BCA News 19 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 et al. Commanders and leaders Raimondo Montecuccoli Margrave von Baden Comte de Coligny Prince Waldeck Ahmed Köprülü Strength [1] ~26-28,000, or 40,000[2] ~ 50,000-60,000 (30,000 remained unengaged[3]), or ~60,000 janissaries, and sipahi 60-90,000 irregular[1] Casualties and losses 2-6,000 16-22,000[1] The Battle of Saint Gotthard (Hungarian: Szentgotthárd) was fought on August 1, 1664 as part of the AustroTurkish War (1663-1664), between an Habsburg army led by Raimondo Montecuccoli, Jean de Coligny-Saligny, Wolfgang Julius von Hohenlohe, Prince Leopold of Baden, Georg Friedrich of Waldeck and an Ottoman army under the command of Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed. The battle took place near Szentgotthárd and Mogersdorf in Western Hungary, near the present-day AustroHungarian border and is known as the Battle of Mogersdorf in Austria. The Turks were militarily defeated but were able to negotiate the Peace of Vasvár, which was highly favorable to them. Preparations Ottoman dominance in Hungary began with the Battle of Mohács in 1526, which resulted in the conquest of most of Hungary by Suleiman the Magnificent. Meanwhile, the parts of Hungary that remained under Austrian control became known as Royal Hungary. Although the Ottomans had been in relative decline since the death of Suleiman I, Ottoman power saw resurgence under the extremely capable Köprülü family who sought to destroy the Austrian Habsburgs once and for all. They found their casus belli when the Habsburgs supported a Transylvanian rebellion against Ottoman rule. Transylvania had escaped Ottoman conquest during the invasion of Hungary and retained its independence by playing off of their powerful neighbors: Poland, Austria and the Ottomans. They recognized Ottoman suzerainty and paid a tribute to the Porte but were given political and religious autonomy in return. In 1658, seeking new land for his principality, Prince George Rákóczy II invaded Poland with his Swedish allies in the Second Northern War. After initial success, he was defeated by the Poles and fled back to Transylvania. On hearing about Rákóczy's unauthorized war, the Ottomans declared war on their vassal. It was not long before Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha (Vizier 1656-1661) defeated Rákóczy and conquered Transylvania. The new Transylvanian prince, János Kemény, fled to Vienna, seeking Austrian support. Emperor Leopold I, not wishing to see Transylvania fall under direct Ottoman control, sent Montecuccoli into Hungary with his small army. Montecuccoli gave no direct support as he was severely outnumbered by the Ottomans. The Ottomans, meanwhile, completed the conquest of Transylvania and built up their forces in Ottoman Hungary. Leopold I, not wishing to face the Turks alone, summoned the Imperial Diet in January 1663. The Turks failed to conquer the fortress of Nové Zámky six times, but managed to do so in 1663. It was made the center of an Ottoman province, the Uyvar eyalet in present-day southern Slovakia. Turks and Tatars crossed the Danube in strength in 1663, ravaging Slovakia, Moravia, and Silesia. They took 12,000 slaves in Moravia. Several Turkish divisions reached as far as Olomouc. The BCA News 20 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Diplomatic efforts The Austrian victory was achieved more due to diplomatic efforts than military power. Although Leopold personally objected to Protestantism, he had to rely on his Protestant German princes to provide military aid. Even worse was the military aid from France, which was (and continued to be until the Diplomatic Revolution of 1756) Austria's arch-nemesis. Despite numerous objections from some Protestant princes, help was not withheld. The League of the Rhine - a French dominated group of German princes - agreed to send a corps of 6,000 men independently commanded by Count Coligny of France and Prince Johann Philipp of Mainz. By September 1663, Brandenburg and Saxony had also agreed to contingents of their own. In January 1664, the Imperial Diet agreed to raise 21,000 men, although this army did not yet exist other than on paper. The Turks had declared war in April 1663, but were slow in executing their invasion plans. 19th August 1691 - Battle of Szlankamen Battle of Slankamen Part of Great Turkish War Date Location Result 19 August 1691 Slankamen (40 miles north of Belgrade), Sanjak of Syrmia, Ottoman Empire (today Serbia) Decisive Imperial victory Belligerents Holy Roman Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders and leaders Margrave of Baden Jovan Monasterlija Köprülü Fazıl Mustafa Pasha † Strength [1] 50,000 80,000 • including 10,000 Serbian Militia • 154 guns Casualties and losses 8,000 The Battle of Slankamen (also Battle of Szlankamen in some sources) was fought near 20,000 Slankamen in the Ottoman Sanjak of Syrmia (modern-day Vojvodina region, Serbia) on August The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 19, 1691, between the Ottoman Empire, and the forces of Austria and states of the Holy Roman Empire as part of the Great Turkish War. The Ottomans had suffered partial military collapse against the Austrians in the 1680s, most notably at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, and the loss of Belgrade to Maximilian II of Bavaria in 1688 and Bosnia in 1689. However, with the beginning of the Nine Years War in the west, the early 1690s were to see an end to Habsburg conquests in the Balkans and a partial Ottoman recovery. Many German troops were withdrawn from the east to fight King Louis' French forces on the Rhine, encouraging the Ottomans, led by the Grand Vizier Köprülü Fazıl Mustafa Pasha, to continue the war. The Ottomans managed to retake Belgrade and most of presentday Serbia. In August 1691, Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden had been able to gather an army of 50,000 and marched south to provoke the Ottomans into another major battle, similar to the Battle of Mohács (1687), after which all the lost territory could be retaken. The clash between the two forces took place on the west side of the Danube, opposite the outlet of the Tisa. Both armies deployed near Zemun, but the superior Ottoman army at first didn't attack for two days. Then Baden-Baden tried to provoke the 21 attack, by withdrawing slowly to a fortified position near Slankamen. The Ottomans followed and surrounded the Austrian army. By August 19, the heat, disease and desertion had reduced both armies to 33,000 and 50,000 able men. On that day the Ottoman cavalry finally attacked. But these were unorganized charges; despite huge but poorly armed forces the Ottomans were no match for the firepower of Louis of Baden's German and Austrian infantry and field guns. Additionally, the Ottoman's supply system was incapable of waging a long war on the empty expanses of the Pannonian plain.[2] Louis of Baden broke out of his position, besieged by the Ottomans, and turned their flanks with his cavalry, inflicting fearful carnage.[3] After a hard battle, the 20,000-man Austrian army with 10,000 Serbian Militia led by Jovan Monasterlija was victorious over the larger Ottoman force. Amongst the Ottoman forces killed in battle was the Grand Vizier Köprülü Fazıl Mustafa Pasha. The Battle of Slankamen was the last battle in the Great Turkish War (1683–1697) that could have turned the war in favour of the Ottomans. Austrian victory was now inevitable. The Ottoman defeat at Slankamen eventually led to the signing of the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699. A 16-metre-tall obelisk (52 ft) was built in Slankamen to commemorate the Austrian victory. 8th August 1703 – The First Issue of the Wiener Zeitung Wiener Zeitung is an Austrian newspaper. It is one of the most famous newspapers in Europe and the oldest, still published newspapers in the world. It is the official publication used by the Government of the Republic of Austria for its formal announcements. It was founded in 1703 under the name Wiennerisches Diarium. The first The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 22 issue appeared on 8 August 1703. On 1st January 1780 the name was changed to „Wiener Zeitung“ and under this name it is still published today: this makes the paper the oldest newspaper in the world! Wiennerisches Diarium, like many papers at the time, started out by reporting regional and international news. In addition it published birth and wedding announcements as well as obituaries of the aristocracy and provided coverage of the imperial court. Purely local news were announced by a public announcer or drummer. The current premises, in the centre of Vienna Since 1780, the paper was known as Wiener Zeitung (Viennese newspaper) and in 1812 it became the official government newspaper. In 1857 the government acquired the paper and it was printed until 1997 by the Austrian State Printing Office. The first edition after World War II appeared on 21 September 1945. The number of copies sold has grown from 4,500 in 1855 to an estimated 24,000 today. In 1998, the paper was privatized, and is now owned by a GmbH (Limited Liability Company), although the Government is still the publisher. Wiener Zeitung is also the official publication used by the Government of the Republic of Austria for formal announcements. Such announcements, for example, civil service vacancies and changes in the commercial register, are printed in the Official Journal insert of Wiener Zeitung. Until 2004 it also used to publish the official version of newly passed Austrian laws. Today the governmental version of newly passed statutes and treaties are officially published in the Internet, the law gazette thus is not available in a printed version anymore. Wiennerisches Diarium A.D. 1776 Until 2009 Wierner Zeitung's Editor-in-Chief was Andreas Unterberger, before being replaced by Reinhard Göweil. Wiener Zeitung is among the four Austrian quality-newspapers beside the right-liberal Die Presse, the left-liberal Der Standard and the catholic Salzburger Nachrichten. While Unterberger hired mostly outspoken conservative columnists, the paper returned to its liberal position under Reinhard Göweil. The Austrian government is widely criticized among entrepreneurs because they are legally required to publish certain legal announcements, such as shareholder meeting conventions and changes of the commercial register in the Wiener Zeitung and therefore have to pay certain fees, although publications are also done through the The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 23 Internet. Entrepreneurs and private newspapers argue, alleging anti-competitive measures, that the newspaper is financed through these mandatory fees. The Austrian Supreme Court dismissed claims on this matter. A decision of the European Court of Justice is pending. The issue is even more controversial since today the only authentic source of Austrian statutory law is the Internet, whereas business publications also have to be announced through Wiener Zeitung. 3rd August 1708 -Battle of Trencsén of Trencsén Part of the Francis II Rákoczi Kuruc uprisings Memorial of the Battle of Trencsén Date Location Result 3 August 1708 near the villages of Trenčianska Turná, Soblahov, Mníchova Lehota, present-day Slovakia Habsburg victory Belligerents Kuruc Army of Francis II Habsburg Imperial Army Rakoczi Serbs from Vojvodina Commanders and leaders Francis II Rakoczi de la Motte Laurinc Pekri Sigbert Heister John Pálfi Strength 15,000 infantry and cavalrymen, 12 cannons around 5,000 infantry and cavalrymen, 3,000 Serbian valiant Casualties and losses 3,000 dead or wounded, 500 POW 12 cannons captured 200 dead or wounded The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 24 Background In the year 1708, Francis II Rákóczi decided to march his troops into Silesia, to pave the way for the plans of Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia to take the Hungarian crown, thus reinforcing the Silesian Protestants as well. His army started to march down the Váh river, and planned to pass by the town of Trencsén on their way to Moravia. However, Trencsén was in the hands of a reinforced Habsburg garrison. At first, Rákóczi had no intention to besiege Trencsén, as to not weaken his army, but under pressure of other Kuruc commanders, he decided to do so. The commander of the garrison, Sigbert Heister, found out about the moves of the Kuruc army, and started preparing his soldiers for the attack. Battle At the morning of 3 August 1708, 8,000 HabsburgSerbian soldiers faced 15,000 Kuruc soldiers, with 12 cannons. The right wing of the Hungarian Kuruc army was composed of light cavalry and part of the infantry under command of Lőrinc Pekri. The middle was composed by the artillery, protected by the German cavalry, as well as with the Polish and German carabiniers under command of colonel de la Motte. The left wing was made out of the rest of the infantry. The terrain ahead of them, however, was unclear, with moats going through it. When Sigbert Heister saw the number of Kuruc troops, and their advantageous standing, he decided to retreat into Trencsén Castle. At the moment of giving this order, the Kuruc artillery started firing, with Pekri's wing advancing to attack the Habsburg soldiers while they were still organising. But the terrain was unsuitable for attack. The terrain was rugged, with two man-made ponds being next to each other, with an embankment between them. Pekri's cavalry started to go through the embankment at the trot. Meanwhile, Pekri was warned that the narrow passage might cause difficulties; he therefore decided to retreat from those positions. While his cavalry started to turn back, it became disorganized, of which the troops of Imperial commander János Pálffy - a loyalist Hungarian - took advantage; they counter-attacked, and caused the disorganized horsemen to flee. The middle and left wing meanwhile fought off Imperial mercenaries, but the flight of the right wing brought about uncertainty among the troops. Rákóczi tried to impress his soldiers and personally entered the fight. When jumping one of the moats, however, he fell from his horse and lost consciousness. Rumours about his death started to spread between his soldiers, and even the fighting troops started to flee. Heister's cavalry broke the originally three times bigger Kuruc army during the next three hours. As a result, around 3,000 Kuruc soldiers died or were wounded, 500 were captured, along with all of their 12 cannons; Habsburg royalist losses were small in comparison. Aftermath The Kuruc troops were heavily defeated in the Battle of Trencsén, revealing that they had smaller fighting capability than their foes. Heister's troops chased the remainder of Rákóczi's soldiers, captured North-Hungarian mining towns, took Nyitra, and started to besiege Érsekújvár. By the end of the year 1708, the Kuruc rebels had lost all of North-western Hungary and part of the Kuruc soldiers joined the Habsburgs army. Soon, the rebels lost Bars, Hont, the town of Zólyom and at the beginning of 1709, had to retreat from Liptó. In December 1708, Rákóczi tried to save the situation of his declining army by promising freedom and land grants to the peasants who fought by his side. However, this failed to have any notable effect, as peasants, and, even more notably, compromising nobles continued deserting from his army. The growing defeatism and moral decline provoked by the defeat at Trencsén therefore marked the beginning of the ultimate defeat of Rákóczi's War for Independence and the perpetuation of the Kingdom of Hungary remaining subjugated to Austrian rule. 2nd August 1718- Austria joins Triple Alliance Quadruple Alliance, alliance formed Aug. 2, 1718, when Austria joined the Triple Alliance of Britain, the Dutch Republic (United Provinces), and France to prevent Spain from altering the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). Philip V of Spain, influenced by his wife, Elizabeth Farnese of Parma, and her adviser Giulio Alberoni, seized control of Sardinia and Sicily (assigned to Austria and Savoy, respectively, by the Utrecht treaty). With The BCA News 25 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 the backing of the Quadruple Alliance, the British fleet brought Austrian troops to Sicily, and the French sent troops to occupy northern Spain. 12th August 1759 - Battle of Kunersdorf Kunersdorf Part of the Seven Years' War Painting by Alexander Kotzebue, 1848 12 August 1759 Kunersdorf, Neumark Margraviate of Brandenburg Russo-Austrian victory Date Location Result Belligerents Russia Austria Prussia Commanders and leaders Frederick the Great Pyotr Saltykov Ernst Gideon von Laudon Strength 59,500: 41,000 Russian soldiers, including 5,200 Cossack and Kalmyk Cavalry 18,500 Austrian soldiers 250 guns 50,900 Soldiers 230 guns Casualties and losses 25,623 (540 officers, 25,083 soldiers): 6,271 killed 11,342 wounded 1,356 missing 4,599 captured 2,055 deserted 172 guns (146 Russian guns that Prussians captured at the beginning of the campaign and 8 Prussian guns) 28,512 (7,060 killed, 1,150 missing, 15,302 wounded and 5,000 captured at the battle start): Russian: 20,181 (19,615 soldiers and 566 officers) 5,614 killed 12,864 wounded 703 missing Austrian: 8,331 (8,115 soldiers and 216 The BCA News 26 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 27 banners 2 standards officers): 1,446 killed 2,438 wounded 447 missing The Battle of Kunersdorf, fought in the Seven Years' War, was Frederick II of Prussia most devastating defeat. On August 12, 1759, near Kunersdorf (Kunowice), east of Frankfurt (Oder), 50,900 Prussians were defeated by a combined allied army 59,500 strong consisting of 41,000 Russians and 18,500 Austrians under Pyotr Saltykov. Only 3,000 soldiers from original 50,900 Prussian army returned to Berlin after the battle, though many more had only scattered. The battle Russian and Austrian forces had united in the Prussian heartland of Brandenburg after the Russian victory at the Battle of Kay on 23 July. King Frederick rushed from Saxony, took over the remaining contingent of Lieutenant General Carl Heinrich von Wedel at Müllrose and moved across the Oder River urging for a battle of decision. It started with a Prussian attack on the flank of the Russian positions. This attack was successful and if Frederick had stopped there (as his brother Henry demanded), Kunersdorf would have been a Prussian victory. But the Prussian leader wanted to press his initial success and decided to continue the fight. While the Prussian oblique order attack faded, the Austrian cavalry (so far kept in reserve) entered the battle. However, King Frederick II was able to regroup and kept pressure on the allies. Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz upon the Russian center and artillery positions. The Prussian cavalry suffered heavy losses and retreated in complete disorder. Seydlitz himself was gravely wounded. The allied cavalry, which included heavy Russian horse, Croats and Kalmyks, counterattacked and scattered what was left of the Prussian Army. King Frederick II himself barely escaped capture, and was wounded by gunfire, but was saved by the tobacco tin in his pocket according to legend. He stood alone on a small hill with his rapier sticking in the ground before him - determined to either hold the line against the whole enemy army alone or die. Cavalry Captain Ernst Sylvius von Prittwitz came to the king's rescue with his 200 strong squadron and convinced Frederick to leave. Major Ewald Christian von Kleist was severely injured and succumbed to his wounds twelve days later. The battle culminated in the early evening hours with a massive Prussian cavalry charge under Aftermath Battle of Kunersdorf The Russians and Austrians lost fewer than 15,000 men (approx. 5,000 killed). The Prussians suffered a severe defeat losing 172 cannons, 6,000 killed, 13,000 wounded and 26,000 men that were scattered. Four days after the battle however, most of the 26,000 scattered men turned up at the The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 headquarters on the Oder River and Frederick's army recovered to a strength of 32,000 men and 50 cannon. The crushing defeat remained without consequences as the victors omitted the opportunity to march against Berlin and retired to Saxony instead. Frederick wrote of the "Miracle of the House of Brandenburg" in a letter to his brother Henry on 1 September. 27 The Battle of Kunersdorf was the first battle where regular units of horse artillery were deployed. It was essentially a hybrid of cavalry and artillery where the entire crew rode horses into battle. The unit had been formed only recently and fought on the Prussian side. Despite being wiped out during the battle, the batteries were reorganized the same year and participated in the Battle of Maxen. 15th August 1760 -Battle of Liegnitz Battle of Liegnitz on 15 August 1760 saw Frederick II Prussian Army defeat the Austrian army under Ernst von Laudon. The armies collided around the Prussian Silesian city of Liegnitz (Legnica). Frederick split his army in two, one part commanded by Field Marshal Zieten. Frederick heard the sound of skirmishing and thought Zieten was already fighting. He sent ten grenadiers' battalions out of the woods to assist an attack that wasn't happening. 5,000 were cut down in 30 minutes. Laudon's Austrian cavalry attacked the Prussian position in the early morning but were beaten back by General Zieten's Hussars. An artillery duel emerged which was eventually won for the Prussians when a grenade hit an Austrian powder wagon. The Austrian infantry then proceeded to attack the Prussian line, but was met with concentrated artillery fire. A Prussian infantry counter-attack led by the Regiment AnhaltBernburg on the left forced the Austrians into retreat. Shortly after dawn the major action was over but Prussian artillery fire continued to harass the Austrians. General Leopold von Daun arrived and, learning of Laudon's defeat, decided not to attack despite his soldiers being fresh. 5th August 1772 -Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were a series of three partitions which took place in the second half of the 18th century and ultimately ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów; Lithuanian: Abiejų Tautų Respublika), resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland, and Lithuania, its partner in the Commonwealth, for 123 years. The partitions were conducted by the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and Habsburg Austria, which divided up the Commonwealth lands among themselves progressively in the process of territorial seizures. The First Partition of Poland was decided on August 5, 1772. Two decades later, Russian and Prussian troops entered the Commonwealth again and the Second Partition was signed on January 23, 1793. Austria did not participate in the Second Partition. for the two meanings. The consecutive acts of dividing and annexation of Poland are referred to as rozbiór (plural: rozbiory), while the term zabór (pl. zabory) means each part of the Commonwealth annexed in 1772–1795 becoming part of either Imperial Russia, Prussia or Austria. The Third Partition of Poland took place on October 24, 1795, in reaction to the unsuccessful Polish Kościuszko Uprising the previous year. With this partition, the Commonwealth ceased to exist. In Polish historiography, the term "Fourth Partition of Poland" has also been used, in reference to any subsequent annexation of Polish lands by foreign invaders. Depending on source and historical period, this could mean the events of 1815, or 1832 and 1846, or 1939 (see below), bringing the total number of Poland's names for acts of enslavement to neighboring empires up to seven. The term "Fourth Partition" in a temporal sense can also mean the diaspora communities that played In English, the term "Partitions of Poland" is sometimes used geographically as toponymy, to mean the three parts that the partitioning powers divided the Commonwealth into, the Austrian Partition, the Prussian Partition and the Russian Partition. In Polish, there are two separate words The BCA News 28 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 important political role in reestablishing the Polish sovereign state after 1918. Prelude The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772 During the reign of Władysław IV (1632–48), the liberum veto had evolved. This policy of parliamentary procedure was based on the assumption of the political equality of every "gentleman", with the corollary that unanimous consent was needed for all measures. A single member of parliament's belief that a measure was injurious to his own constituency (usually simply his own estate), even after the act had already been approved, became enough to strike the act. It became increasingly difficult to get action taken. The liberum veto also provided openings for foreign diplomats to get their ways, through bribing nobles to exercise it. Thus, one could characterise Poland–Lithuania in its final period (mid-18th century) before the partitions as already in a state of disorder and not a completely sovereign state. Alternatively, one might be tempted to visualize it almost as a vassal state,[6] or in modern terms, a Russian satellite state, with Russian tsars effectively choosing Polish kings. This applies particularly to the last Commonwealth King Stanisław August Poniatowski, who for some time had been a lover of Russian Empress Catherine the Great. In 1730 the neighbours of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita), namely Prussia, Austria and Russia, signed a secret agreement to maintain the status quo: specifically, to ensure that the Commonwealth laws would not change. Their alliance later became known in Poland as the "Alliance of the Three Black Eagles" (or Löwenwolde's Treaty), because all three states used a black eagle as a state symbol (in contrast to the white eagle, a symbol of Poland). The Commonwealth had been forced to rely on Russia for protection against the rising Kingdom of Prussia, while Prussia was demanding a slice of the northwest in order to unite its Western and Eastern portions, although this would leave the Commonwealth with a Baltic coast only in Latvia and Lithuania. The Commonwealth could never be liquidated unless its longtime ally, Austria, allowed it,[citation needed] and first Catherine had to use diplomacy to win Austria to her side. The Commonwealth had remained neutral in the Seven Years' War, though sympathizing with the alliance of France, Austria, and Russia, and allowing Russian troops access to its western lands as bases against Prussia. Frederick II of Prussia retaliated by ordering enough Polish currency counterfeited to severely affect the Polish economy. Through the Polish nobles whom Russia controlled and the Russian Minister to Warsaw, ambassador and Prince Nicholas Repnin, Empress Catherine the Great forced a constitution on the Commonwealth at the so-called Repnin Sejm of 1767, named after ambassador Repnin, who de facto dictated the terms of that Sejm (and who ordered the capture and exile of some vocal opponents of his policies to Kaluga in Russian Empire, including bishop Józef Andrzej Załuski and others). This new constitution undid the reforms made in 1764 under Stanisław II. The liberum veto and all the old abuses of the last one and a half centuries were guaranteed as unalterable parts of this new constitution (in the so-called cardinal laws). Repnin also demanded religious freedom for the Protestant and Orthodox Christians, and the resulting reaction among some of Poland's Roman Catholics, as well as the deep resentment of Russian intervention in the Commonwealth's domestic affairs, led to the War of the Confederation of Bar from 1768–1772, where the Poles tried to expel Russian forces from Commonwealth territory. The irregular and poorly commanded Polish forces had little chance in the face of the regular Russian army and suffered a major defeat. Adding to the chaos was a Ukrainian Cossack and peasant rebellion, the Koliyivschyna, which erupted in 1768 and resulted in massacres of noblemen (szlachta), Jews, Uniates, and Catholic The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 29 priests before it was put down by Polish and Russian troops. In 1769 Austria annexed a small territory of Spisz and in 1770 - Nowy Sącz and Nowy Targ. These territories had been a bone of contention between Poland and Hungary, which was a part of the Austrian crown lands. First Partition Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth after the First Partition as a protectorate of Russian Empire 1773–1789 In February, 1772, the agreement of partition was signed in Vienna. Early in August the Russian, Prussian and Austrian troops simultaneously entered the Commonwealth and occupied the provinces agreed upon among themselves. On August 5, 1772, the occupation manifesto was issued, much to the consternation of a country too exhausted by the endeavors of the Confederation of Bar to offer successful resistance; nonetheless several battles and sieges took place, as Commonwealth troops refused to lay down their arms (most notably, in Tyniec, Częstochowa and Kraków). The partition treaty was ratified by its signatories on September 22, 1772. Frederick II of Prussia was elated with his success; Prussia took most of the Polish Royal Prussia that stood between its possessions in the Kingdom of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg, taking Ermland (Warmia), Royal Prussia without the city of Danzig (Gdańsk) (which in 1773 became a new province called West Prussia), northern areas of Greater Poland along the Noteć River (the Netze District), and parts of Kuyavia, (also the Prussian city of Thorn [Toruń]). Despite criticism of the partition from Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, Austrian statesman Wenzel Anton Graf Kaunitz was proud of wresting as large a share as he did, with the rich salt mines of Bochnia and Wieliczka. To Austria fell Zator and Auschwitz (Oświęcim), part of Lesser Poland embracing parts of the counties of Kraków and Sandomir and the whole of Galicia, less the City of Kraków. (In the conflict between her sense <Maria Theresa> of what was morally just and her sense of duty to the state she laid herself open to the scoffing taunt of Frederick of Prussia, who said that in the first partition of Poland elle pleurait et prenait toujours-she cried and always took. But the king of Prussia's taunt is deprived of its sting by the almost incredible candour of her own words to Kaunitz, that if she was to lose her reputation before God and man for respecting the rights of others it must not be for a small advantage -- if, in fact, Austria was to share in the plunder of Poland, she was to be consoled for the distress caused to her feelings by the magnitude of her share of the booty. There was no hypocrisy in the tears of the empress. Her intellectual honesty was as perfect as Frederick's own, and she was as incapable as he was of endeavouring to blind herself to the quality of her own acts. No ruler was ever more loyal to a conception of duty. Maria Theresa considered herself first and foremost as the heiress of the rights of the House of Austria.) Catherine of Russia was also very satisfied. By this "diplomatic document" Russia came into possession of that section of Livonia that had remained in Commonwealth control, and of Belarus embracing the counties of Vitebsk, Polotsk and Mstislavl. The BCA News 30 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Rejtan - The Fall of Poland, oil on canvas by Jan Matejko, 1866, 282 cm × 487 cm (111 in × 192 in), Royal Castle in Warsaw. Polish–Lithuanian By this partition the Commonwealth lost about 30% of its territory and half of its population, (four million people), of which a large portion had not been ethnically Polish. By seizing northwestern Poland, Prussia instantly gained control over 80% of the Commonwealth's total foreign trade. Through levying enormous customs duties, Prussia accelerated the collapse of the Commonwealth. After having occupied their respective territories, the three partitioning powers demanded that King Stanisław and the Sejm approve their action. When no help was forthcoming and the armies of the combined nations occupied Warsaw to compel by force of arms the calling of the assembly, no alternative could be chosen save passive submission to their will. The so-called Partition Sejm, with Russian military forces threatening the opposition, on September 18, 1773, signed the treaty of cession, renouncing all claims of the Commonwealth to the occupied territories. 11th August 1804 -Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes Francis I, Emperor of Austria: The Birth of the Austrian Empire! Francis II & I Francis II, in 1816. King of Hungary and Croatia 1 March 1792 – 2 March 1835 Reign Coronation 6 June 1792, Buda The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Predecessor Successor Reign Coronation Predecessor Successor Reign Coronation Predecessor Reign Successor Spouse 31 Leopold II Ferdinand V King of Bohemia 1 March 1792 – 2 March 1835 9 August 1792, Prague Leopold II Ferdinand V Holy Roman Emperor King in Germany 5 July 1792 – 6 August 1806 14 July 1792, Frankfurt Leopold II Emperor of Austria 11 August 1804 – 2 March 1835 Ferdinand I Elisabeth of Württemberg Maria Theresa of Naples Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este Caroline Augusta of Bavaria Full name Franz Joseph Karl House of Habsburg-Lorraine House Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor Father Maria Luisa of Spain Mother 12 February 1768 Born Florence 2 March 1835 (aged 67) Died Vienna Roman Catholicism Religion The Emperor of Austria (German: Kaiser von Österreich) was a hereditary imperial title and position proclaimed in 1804 by the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and continually held by him and his heirs until the last emperor relinquished power in 1918. The emperors retained the title of archduke of Austria. The wives of the emperors bore the title of empress, while other members of the family the title archduke or archduchess. Members of the House of Austria, the Habsburg dynasty, for centuries have been elected Holy Roman Emperors and mostly resided in Vienna. That's why the term "Austrian emperor" may occur in texts dealing with the time before 1804, when no Austrian Empire existed. In these cases the word Austria always means the dynasty, not the country. A special case was Empress Maria Theresa; she bore the imperial title as the wife of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, but she herself was the monarch of the Austrian Hereditary Lands including Bohemia and Hungary. The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 32 The Emperor In the face of aggressions by Napoleon, who had promoted himself to Emperéur des Francais on May 18, 1804, Francis feared for the future of the Holy Roman Empire and wished to maintain his and his family's Imperial status in the event that the Holy Roman Empire should be dissolved. Therefore on August 11, 1804 he created the new title Emperor of Austria for himself and his successors as heads of the Habsburg Lothringen dynasty. For two years, Francis now carried two imperial titles, being Holy Roman Emperor Francis II and "by the grace of God" (Von Gottes Gnaden) Emperor Francis I of Austria. In 1805, an Austrian-led army suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz and the victorious Napoleon proceeded to dismantle the old Reich (which at this time was only a powerless confederation) by motivating or pressing several German dukes and grand-dukes to enter the separate Confederation of the Rhine with their lands in July. This led Francis I / II on August 6, 1806 to declare the Reich extinct and to lay down the crown of the Holy Roman Empire created in the second half of the 10th century (today displayed at the Treasury of Hofburg Palace in Vienna). From 1806 onwards, Francis was Emperor of Austria only. He had three successors - Ferdinand I, Francis Joseph I and Charles I - before the Empire broke apart in 1918. A coronation ceremony was never established; the successor to the throne became emperor in the moment the emperor died or resigned. The symbol of the Austrian Emperor was the dynasty's private crown dating back to Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (called Rudolfinische Hauskrone by the experts), which should convey the dignity and myth of the Habsburgs. Titles of the Emperor The Austrian Emperors had an extensive list of titles and claims that reflected the geographic expanse and diversity of the lands ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs. The official title of the ruler of Austrian Empire and later Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy had been changed several times: by a patent of August 1, 1804, by a court office decree from August 22, 1836, by an imperial court ministry decree of January 6, 1867 and finally by a letter of December 12, 1867. Shorter versions were recommended for official documents and international treaties: "Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia etc. and Apostolic King of Hungary", "Emperor of Austria and Apostolic King of Hungary", "His Majesty The Emperor and King" and "His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty". The full list (after the loss of the Lombardy in 1859 and Venetia in 1866): Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, of Dalmatia, of Croatia, of Slavonia, of Galicia, of Lodomeria, and of Illyria, King of Jerusalem, and so forth, The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 33 Archduke of Austria, Grand Duke of Tuscany and of Cracow, Duke of Lorraine, of Salzburg, of Styria, of Carinthia, of Carniola and of the Bukovina, Grand Prince of Transylvania, Margrave in Moravia, Duke of Upper and Lower Silesia, of Modena, Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla, of Auschwitz and Zator, of Teschen, Friuli, Ragusa and Zara, Princely Count of Habsburg and Tyrol, of Kyburg, Gorizia and Gradisca, Prince of Trent and Brixen, Margrave of Upper and Lower Lusatia and in Istria, Count of Hohenems, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg, and so forth, Lord of Trieste, of Cattaro and of the Wendish Mark, Grand Voivode of the Voivodship of Serbia, and so forth, Sovereign of the Order of the Golden Fleece. House and court The function of the emperor was styled like a secular popedom. Therefore it was the overall goal to demonstrate the highest (allerhöchste) majesty and dignity of the monarch to his subjects and to other monarchs and countries. His and his entourage's life was governed by very strict rules all the time. The Imperial House Whoever wanted to marry an archduchess or an archduke of the Habsburg dynasty had to originate from a ruling or formerly ruling house, as was stipulated by the Familienstatut des Allerhöchsten Herrscherhauses, the Family Statute of the Highest Monarch's House, issued by Ferdinand I in 1839. Otherwise the marriage would be one "to the left hand", called a morganatic marriage, excluding the offspring of the couple from any right the House of Habsburg possessed. (The problems of such a situation were encountered when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the throne, dared to marry a "simple" countess in 1900.) To manage the political implications of the Imperial house since 1867 the Emperor and King appointed the k.u.k. Minister des kaiserlichen und königlichen Hauses und des Äußeren, the I.&R. Minister of the Imperial and Royal House and of the Exterior, one of the three ministers common to Austria and Hungary. Under Francis I, Metternich had covered these and many other agenda, bearing the title Haus-, Hof- und Staatskanzler (Chancellor of the House, the Court and the State). The members of the Habsburg family were ranked as Imperial princes and princesses with the honorary title Erzherzog or Erzherzogin (archduke or archduchess). Their permanent address and their travels abroad had to be agreed to by the Emperor. The Imperial Court The Emperor's household, his personal officers and the premises where they worked were called "Hof" (court). The highest officials managing the Court were the Grand Master of the Court, the Grand Marshal of the Court,, taken from the high aristocracy. Whoever wanted to meet the Emperor himself had to apply to the Obersthofmeisteramt. Francis I used to wear civilian clothes of the Biedermeier era. Francis Joseph I and Charles I mostly were seen in the uniform of an Austrian field marshal, to underline the importance of the army to the throne. Francis Joseph I expected soldiers to appear in uniform at his court and civilians to appear in tails. He never shook hands with visitors; in letters he never addressed his subjects as "Sir" or "Mr. (Herr). The emperor's court managed e. g. the following institutions: the Imperial Palace in Vienna (Hofburg); each of the four Emperors of Austria chose his living and working rooms in another part of this huge palace; the Imperial Treasury at Hofburg, where the Habsburgs' crown insignia were kept; the Imperial Court Library, today Austrian National Library Imperial residences outside Vienna, like Schönbrunn Palace (the area was included into the Vienna city area in 1892) and Laxenburg Palace; the court's collection of carriages (today Wagenburg at Schönbrunn Palace Gardens); The BCA News 34 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 the I.R. Hofburgtheater and the I.R. Hofoperntheater; the Imperial Crypt below the Capuchin Church and Monastery in Vienna, where three of the four Emperors of Austria have been buried (Charles I. was buried on Madeira, his last exile). The Austrian Empire The Empire of Austria (Kaisertum Österreich) from 1804 to 1867 consisted of the Habsburg lands as a whole, leaving each land its special definition as kingdom (e.g. Bohemia, Hungary), archduchy (Lower and Upper Austria), duchy (e.g. Carniola) or princely county (e.g. Tyrol). Kaisertum might literally be translated as "emperordom" on analogy with "kingdom" or "emperor-ship"; the term denotes specifically "the territory ruled by an emperor". Austria proper (as opposed to the complex of Habsburg lands as a whole) had been an Archduchy since the 15th century, and most of the other territories of the Empire had their own institutions and territorial history, although there were some attempts at centralization, especially between 1848 and 1859. In 1866, Austria lost the war with Prussia and Italy. Francis Joseph I was urged to solve the internal problems of his realm and was well advised to provide a substantial rise to the Hungarian nobility, which had stayed in passive resistance to him after the crushed Hungarian revolution of 1848 and 1849. In the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (Ausgleich) Hungary was recognized as a self-governing kingdom outside of the Empire of Austria. The Habsburg lands were restructured into a real union which shared a monarch and a common army, navy and foreign policy. Transylvania, Croatia and Slavonia were acknowledged as lands of the Hungarian crown, which were called Transleithania by government officials to distinct them from Cisleithania, the lands remaining in the Austrian Empire from 1867 onwards. These were officially known only as the "Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council" (Die im Reichsrat vertretenen Königreiche und Länder). Unofficially ever since, these territories officially were called Austria from 1915 to 1918 only, despite the fact that all the citizens held the common Austrian citizenship since 1867. The Empire of Austria broke apart at the end of the First World War in 1918, when the Austrian lands established their independence (Bohemia and Moravia in newly created Czechoslovakia, Galicia in newly created Poland) or adhesion to other states (Bukovina to Romania, Carniola and Dalmatia to Yugoslavia) or were annexed by the victors of war (South Tyrol, Trieste and Istria by Italy). Yet the last Emperor, Charles I, used his imperial title until the end of his life. The Kingdom of Hungary, having terminated the 1867 compromise by October 31, 1918, broke apart similarly. Abbreviations of common and not common institutions The term Kaiserlich und königlich (k.u.k., spoken /ka ʔʊnt ka/, meaning I. & R.) was decreed in a letter of October 17, 1889 for the army, the navy and the institutions shared by both parts of the monarchy.[3] Institutions of Cisleithania used the term kaiserlich-königlich (k.k., meaning I. R., e.g. k.k. Eisenbahnministerium, I.R. Railway Ministry). Emperors of Austria (1804–1918) Name Francis I Ferdinand I the Benign Lifespan Reign start Reign end Notes Family (1768-0212)12 February 1768 – 2 11 August 2 March Son of Leopold II, Holy HabsburgMarch 1804 1835 Roman Emperor Lorraine 1835(183503-02) (aged 67) (1793-0419)19 2 April 1793 2 March December HabsburgSon of Francis I – 29 June 1835 Lorraine 1848 1875(1875(abdicated) 06-29) (aged 82) Image The BCA News 35 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 (1830-0818)18 August 2 21 Habsburg1830 – 21 December November Nephew of Ferdinand I Lorraine November 1848 1916 1916(191611-21) (aged 86) (1887-0817)17 August 11 21 1887 – 1 November Great-Nephew of Franz HabsburgNovember April Joseph I Lorraine 1918 1916 1922(1922(resigned) 04-01) (aged 34) Francis Joseph I Charles I the Blessed Crown princes and other successors to the throne The eldest son of the monarch bore the title Crown Prince (Kronprinz); other designated successors were called Thronfolger (in addition to their title of Archduke). Francis I was followed by Crown Prince Ferdinand. In the 1848 revolutions, the empire's existence was in danger. The Habsburg family tried a new start with a new emperor: Ferdinand I on December 2, 1848 was urged to hand over government. He moved to Hradcany Castle in Prague and, without laying down his imperial title, lived there privately until his death in 1875. As Ferdinand I had no son, his brother, Archduke Franz Karl, would have become emperor, but was asked by his wife, Archduchess Sophie Friederike of Bavaria, to pass over the right of succession to her and his son, Francis Joseph I. He accepted the duty of the Emperor of Austria without having been Crown Prince or Thronfolger before. Francis Joseph's only son Rudolf committed suicide in 1889, Francis Joseph's brother Karl Ludwig died in 1896. Karl Ludwig's son Franz Ferdinand became heir-presumptive to the throne. He was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914; due to his morganatic marriage, his son had no rights to the throne. At this time his younger brother Otto already had died, which made Otto's son Charles the new heir-presumptive to the throne, to which he acceded in 1916, upon the death of Emperor Francis Joseph I. In this moment Charles I's son, four years old Archduke Otto became the last Crown Prince of Austria(-Hungary). He declared himself a loyal citizen of the Republic of Austria in 1961. Heads of the Habsburg Family (since 1918) Charles I did not see himself as a pretender but as the monarch of Austria, while the Habsburg Law of the Republic of Austria of 1919 called him "the former bearer of the crown" (der ehemalige Träger der Krone). His son Otto Habsburg-Lothringen, who had used the title Archduke of Austria in his earlier life outside of Austria, in 1961 to be allowed to enter Austria declared himself a loyal citizen of the Republic of Austria; from this date onward he was not pretender anymore. Otto's son Karl Habsburg-Lothringen never has pretended to be the rightful monarch of Austria. Portrait Name Head of the Head of the Relationship family from family until predecessor(s) Charles I 11 November 1918 † 1 1922 with April • Great-Nephew of Franz Joseph I The BCA News 36 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 1 January • Son of Charles I 1 April 1922 2007 (resigned) Otto (Otto I) von Habsburg Karl (Karl II) von Habsburg 1 January Incumbent 2007 • Son of Otto HabsburgLothringen 26th–27th August 1813 -Battle of Dresden The Battle of Dresden was fought on 26–27 August 1813 around Dresden, Germany, resulting in a French victory under Napoleon against forces of the Sixth Coalition of Austrians, Russians and Prussians under Field Marshal Schwarzenberg. However, Napoleon's victory was not as complete as it could have been. Substantial pursuit was not undertaken after the battle, and the flanking corps was surrounded and forced to surrender a few days later at the Battle of Kulm. (30th August 1813). 9th August 1848 – Austria & Sardinia sign cease fire The First Italian War of Independence was fought in 1848 and 1849 between the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Austrian Empire. The war saw main battles at Custoza and Novara in which the Austrians under Radetzky managed to defeat the Piedmontese 22nd August 1849 - The first air raid in history. Austria launches pilotless balloons against the Italian city of Venice. The word drone means male honey bee but modern day the word drone has created its own meaning. Modern era defines drone as Unmanned aerial vehicle. The earliest recorded use of an unmanned aerial vehicle for warfighting occurred on August 22, 1849, when the Austrians attacked the Italian city of Venice with unmanned balloons loaded with explosives. At least some of the balloons were launched from the Austrian ship Vulcano. Although some of the balloons worked, others were caught in a change of wind and blown back over Austrian lines. The Austrians had been developing this system for months: “The Presse, of Vienna, Austria, has the following: ‘Venice is to be bombarded by balloons, as the lagunes prevent the approaching of artillery. Five balloons, each twenty-three feet in diameter, are in construction at Treviso. In a favorable wind the balloons will be launched and directed as near to Venice as possible, and on their being brought to vertical positions over the town, they will be fired by electro magnetism by means of a long isolated copper wire with a large galvanic battery placed on a building. The bomb falls perpendicularly, and explodes on reaching the ground. Although balloons do not generally meet today’s definition of a UAV, the concept was strong enough that once winged aircraft had been invented, the effort to fly them unmanned for military purposes was not far behind. The BCA News 37 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 28th August 1849 - Venice under Daniele Manin surrenders to Austrians under Radetzky. The Republic of San Marco (Venetian: Republica de San Marco, Italian: Repubblica di San Marco) was an Italian revolutionary state existing for 17 months in 1848–49. Based on the Venetian Lagoon, it extended into most of Venetia, or the Terraferma territory of the Venetian Republic, suppressed 51 years before in the French Revolutionary Wars. After declaring independence from the Habsburg Austrian Empire, the republic later joined the Kingdom of Sardinia, in an attempt, led by the latter, to unite northern Italy against foreign (mainly Austrian but also French) domination. After the failure of the war, the Republic was reconquered by Austrian troops on 28 August 1849 following a long siege. 30th August 1873 - Austrian explorers Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht discover the archipelago of Franz Joseph Land in the Arctic Sea. Franz Josef Land, Franz Joseph Land, or Francis Joseph's Land (Russian: Земля Франца-Иосифа, Zemlya FrantsaIosifa) is an archipelago located in the far north of Russia. It lies in the Arctic Ocean north of Novaya Zemlya and east of Svalbard, and is administered by Arkhangelsk Oblast. Franz Josef Land consists of 191 ice-covered islands with a total area of 16,134 km2 (6,229 sq mi). It is currently uninhabited. At latitudes between 80.0° and 81.9° north, it is the most northerly group of islands associated with Eurasia. The extreme northernmost point is Cape Fligely on Rudolf Island. The archipelago is only 900 to 1,110 km (560 to 690 miles) from the North Pole, and the northernmost islands are closer to the Pole than any other land except for Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland. The archipelago was possibly first discovered by the Norwegian sealers Nils Fredrik Rønnbeck and Johan Petter Aidijärvi aboard the schooner Spidsbergen in 1865 who, according to scarce reports, sailed eastward from Svalbard until they reached a new land, denoted NordøstSpitsbergen (Spitsbergen was the contemporary name of Svalbard). It is not known if they went ashore, and the new islands were soon forgotten. The officially recognized discovery took place in 1873 by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition led by polar explorers Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht. They named the archipelago in honour of the Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz Joseph I. Since the expedition was privately sponsored and not official, these islands have not been part of Austria. In 1926 the islands were taken over by the Soviet Union, and a few people were settled for research and military purposes. Access by ships is possible only for a few summer weeks and a special permit is required to visit the islands. 5th August 1914 - Montenegro declares war against Austria-Hungary in World War I 6th August 1914 - Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia & Serbia 11th August 1814 - France declares war on Austria-Hungary 12th August 1914 - Great Britain declares war on Austria-Hungary 13th August 1914 - France declares war on Austria-Hungary, leading to WW I 26th August 1914 - Russian army attacks Austrian army in Galicia The BCA News 38 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 The Battle of Galicia was a major battle between Russia and Austria-Hungary during the early stages of World War I in 1914. In the course of the battle, the Austro-Hungarian armies were severely defeated and forced out of Galicia, while the Russians captured Lemberg and, for approximately nine months, ruled Eastern Galicia. 2nd August 1916 - World War I: Austrian sabotage causes the sinking of the Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci in Taranto. Leonardo da Vinci was one of three Conte di Cavour-class dreadnoughts built for the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) in the early 1910s. Completed just before the beginning of World War I, the ship saw no action and was sunk by a magazine explosion in 1916 with the loss of 248 officers and enlisted men. The Italians blamed Austro-Hungarian saboteurs for her loss, but it may have been accidental. Leonardo da Vinci was refloated in 1919 and plans were made to repair her. Budgetary constraints did not permit this and her hulk was sold for scrap in 1923. 27th August 1916 - Romania declares war on Austria-Hungary 14th August 1917 - China declares war on Germany & Austria at start of WW I 28th August 1938 - Mauthausen concentration camp opens in Austria Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp Gate to the garage yard in the Mauthausen concentration camp Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp grew to become a large group of German concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of the city of Linz. Its history ran from the time of the Anschluss in 1938 to the last week of the Second World War. Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, Mauthausen In January 1945, the camps, directed from the central office in Mauthausen, contained roughly 85,000 inmates. The death toll remains unknown, although most sources place it between 122,766 had become one of the largest labour camp complexes in German-controlled Europe. Apart from the four main sub-camps at Mauthausen and nearby Gusen, more than 50 sub-camps, located throughout Austria and southern Germany, used the inmates as slave labour. Several subordinate camps of the KZ Mauthausen complex included quarries, munitions factories, mines, arms factories and Me 262 fighter-plane assembly plants. and 320,000 for the entire complex. The camps formed one of the first massive concentration camp complexes in Nazi Germany, and were the last ones to be liberated by the Allies. The two main camps, The BCA News 39 SUPPLEMENT August 2013 Mauthausen and Gusen I, were labelled as "Grade III" (Stufe III) camps, which meant that they were intended to be the toughest camps for the "Incorrigible Political Enemies of the Reich". Mauthausen never lost this Stufe III classification. In the offices of the RSHA (Reichssicherheitshauptamt) it was referred to by the nickname Knochenmühle—the bone-grinder. Unlike many other concentration camps, which were intended for all categories of prisoners, Mauthausen was mostly used for extermination through labour of the intelligentsia, who were educated people and members of the higher social classes in countries subjugated by the Nazi regime during World War II. KL Mauthausen Franz Ziereis, Commandant of Mauthausen, 1939-1945 On August 7, 1938 prisoners from Dachau concentration camp were sent to the town of Mauthausen near Linz, Austria, to begin the construction of a new camp. The site was chosen as a site for a slave labour camp because of the nearby granite quarry, and due to its proximity to Linz. Although the camp was, from the beginning of its existence, controlled by the German state, it was founded by a private company as an economic enterprise. The owner of the Wiener-Graben quarry (the Marbacher-Bruch and Bettelberg quarries) was a DEST Company: an acronym for Deutsche Erdund Steinwerke GmbH. The company, led by Oswald Pohl, who was also a high-ranking official of the SS, rented the quarries from the City of Vienna in 1938 and started the construction of the Mauthausen camp. A year later, the company ordered the construction of the first camp at Gusen. The granite mined in the quarries had previously been used to pave the streets of Vienna, but the Nazi authorities envisioned a complete reconstruction of major German towns in accordance with plans of Albert Speer and other architects of Nazi architecture, for which large quantities of granite were needed. The money needed for the construction of the Mauthausen camp was gathered from a variety of sources, including commercial loans from Dresdner Bank and Prague-based Escompte Bank, the so-called Reinhardt's fund (meaning money stolen from the inmates of the concentration camps themselves); and from the German Red Cross. Mauthausen initially served as a strictly-run prison camp for common criminals, prostitutes and other categories of "Incorrigible Law Offenders". On 8 May 1939 it was converted to a labour camp which was mainly used for the incarceration of political prisoners 9th August 1943 – Franz Jägerstätter executed Franz Jägerstätter (born Franz Huber, born 20 May 1907 in St. Radegund, Upper Austria, † August 9, 1943 in Brandenburg Penitentiary) was an Austrian farmer and a conscientious objector during World War II, who was sentenced to death for his objections and executed. 2007 Jägerstätter was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church (see article in The BCA News July 2013 edition) The BCA News The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 40 Joke of the Month from Page 16 No. 12 What is a 710? ANSWER Watching UK Television on your computer for FREE Yes, you can watch it for free: All UK TV Channels! No registration, no special software needed! About a year ago I circulated the details of a website called FilmOn. Here they are again: http://www.filmon.com/tv/filmon-studio Click on this link. On the left you see a scroll down list. Scroll down until you find UK LIVE TV (about halfway down.) Now click on it – and, hey presto! There they all are! For as long as you watch it in FREE SD (Standard Definition) you can watch your channels for as long as you want to! Have fun! The BCA News The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 41 In 2013 Austria remembers the “Anschluss” on Nazi-Germany in 1938. It also recalls the crimes committed by so many Austrians in the Nazi-Machinery but also its hitherto unsung heroes who gave their lives for others. "So that Gotha can live, I must die." Josef Ritter von Gadolla and his last words. born in Graz 14 1 1897 died (executed) in Weimar 5 4 1945 Austrian officer and resistance fighter Memorial Plaque in Gotha Josef Ritter von Gadolla © M. Oswald __________________________ According to his family tradition, themselves from old Austrian aristocratic stock, he followed the military profession. After passing out from the Military Technical Academy in Hainburg as a lieutenant, he fought in the First World War, especially in South Tyrol in the Monte Grappa. In the army of the First Republic he was an officer in the Graz Alpine Regiment No. 9. When in the mid-1930s the Austrian air forces were reorganized by Alexander Löhr, he assumed command of a company in Graz-Fliegerwerft-Thalerhofstraße. The BCA News SUPPLEMENT August 2013 42 Taken over by the Nazi-Wehrmacht in 1938, he was transferred in 1943 to the Thuringian town of Gotha, where on the 1st February 1945 he was sworn in as "Battle Commander". In this capacity he tried to inform the American troops of the decision of the "City Defence Council" to surrender the city without a fight. On his second journey on the 3rd April 1945 to negotiate the surrender, however, he was arrested by Wehrmacht soldiers and was sentenced to death and executed on 4th April 1945 “for the attempted delivery of the Fortress Gotha to the enemy”. While the case against Gadolla was carried out by the Nazis, American troops entered Gotha because of the white flags being hoisted thanks to Gadolla, who thus saved the city and its people from further destruction by air attacks and artillery shelling. In 1946 a street In Gotha was named after Gadolla and since 2005, a plaque in Gotha Castle was dedicated to him, where once the white flags were hoisted. On 5th April 2013 a monument was dedicated to Josef von Gadolla in Graz. The naming of a square after Gadolla is also planned, giving his military resistance finally due acknowledgment. At the instigation of the Graz Human Rights Award Winner 2009, Manfred Oswald, a street in Graz is named since 2000 after Gadolla and since 2002 also due to the initiatives of Oswald a memorial stone in the barracks at Graz-Thalerhof commemorates him. In March 1948, the Republic of Austria “rehabilitated” its upright citizen Gadolla; on 5th April 2013, 68 years after his sacrificial death, in the presence of the mayors of Graz and Gotha, the Papal Nuncio in Austria blessed a replica of the original plaque in Gotha at the parish church Graz Münzgraben. The BCA News The Supplement to The BCA News is the editorial section to the monthly programme and is freely available for publishing news and views. The opinions expressed therein are the respective author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor.