Society 363 / 2013

Diplomatie
Welcome to Austria
Fotos: Privat
Highlights of WA
This spring WA offered an amazing list of programmes
and events, from art seminars to Cuisine,
History and Music, as well as German conversation.
Text: SOCIETY
Castle Tour in the “Weinviertel”
Welcome to Austria” is an international
platform with
the purpose of introducing
foreign diplomats and international
civil servants to
Austrian history and culture past and present.
•
Castle Tour in Lower Austria
One of the highlights of the past trimester was
a day trip to Lower Austria with visits to privately
owned castles in the “Weinviertel”. The first stop
was Castle Loosdorf, which dates back to the 12 th
century. It has been in possession of the Counts of
Piatti since 1843. Countess Verena Piatti received
“WA” for a guided tour through the famous collections
of porcelain and tin soldiers. After that “WA”
paid a visit to the Hermann Nitsch Museum in Mistelbach
where a retrospective of the works of this
highly controversial artist is being shown.
An excellent luncheon at Restaurant “Linde” in
Mistelbach delighted everyone. The second castle
of the tour was Castle Ludwigstorff in Guntersdorf
near Hollabrunn, also dating back to the 12 th century,
since 1703 property of the Barons Ludwigstorff.
Paulina, the owner’s daughter, gave a wonderful
guided tour of the gardens and the house.
In the afternoon “WA” visited Castle Seefeld,
owned by Count Max Hardegg, which is famous
for its vine yards. The tour participants thoroughly
enjoyed the opportunity for a wine tasting which
was very successful.
•
Special guided Art Tours
Welcome to Austria offers its members special
invitations to art seminars and shows normally
not accessible to people outside the Association.
Recently, two special guided tours were offered:
“WA” had the chance to enjoy the very first preview
of the Cabinet of Art and Curiosities, the
“Kunstkammer”, at the Art History Museum,
which is the most important collection of its kind
in the world. It was recently opened in March after
ten years of restoration.
Likewise, members of “WA” had the chance to
visit the newly opened Liechtenstein city palace as
first group with an exclusive guided tour through
the splendid rooms and the picture gallery with
works of art of the Biedermeier from the Princely
Collection. This was another highly informative
“first look” at a great new Viennese attraction.
•
Cross-cultural Events
“Welcome to Austria” always tries to highlight
links between Austrian and foreign cultures. Thus,
the Brazilian Ambassador, H.E. Evandro de Sanpaio
Didonet, hosted a lecture at his Residence about Leopoldine,
Princess of Austria and Empress of Brazil.
The lecture was given by Gloria Kaiser, author of a
book on Empress Leopoldine. Next day, there was
a special viewing for “WA” of mineralogical and
zoological objects from Brazil related to Leopoldine
Habsburg at the Natural History Museum.
An important cross-cultural event was hosted by
H.E. Ambassador Peter van Wulffthen Palthe and
his wife Sarah in the Residence of the Netherlands
Embassy. There were two power point lectures on
the botanist Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin,
who was born in Leiden in 1727 and died in Vienna
in 1817. This was followed by a tour through the Botanical
Gardens and a luncheon in the garden of the
residence, all accompanied by the charming music
of two harpists.
•
Welcome
to Austria
WA “Welcome to Austria”
was founded in 1997
by Dr. Benita Ferrero-
Waldner, who was then
State Secretary for Foreign
Affairs, with the
overriding objective
of introducing foreign
diplomats and international
civil servants
assigned to Vienna and
their spouses to the Austrian
way of life. The aims of WA
are to promote the awareness
and understanding of
Austria’s rich heritage of
culture and history past and
present. WA would welcome
newly accredited diplomats
and their spouses to join the
club.
•
WA invites you to join:
■ You will meet many
interesting Austrians in a
relaxed atmosphere and
make new friends.
■ You will be offered a
wide choice of excellent
programmes and learn
a great deal about your
host country.
■ You will be invited to private
homes and through
WA events you will enjoy
many things which you
would not have access to
outside our Association.
•
THE BOARD OF
“WELCOME TO AUSTRIA”
• Dr. Benita Ferrero-Waldner
Founding President
• Foreign Minister Dr.
Michael Spindelegger –
President
• Ambassador Dr. Angelika
Saupe – 1 st Vice President
• Dr. Monika Türk – 2 nd Vice
President
• Gabrielle Schallenberg –
Honorary Vice President
• Mag. Stephan Hofstätter –
Treasurer
• Mag. Gertrud Tauchhammer
– Publicity, “Schriftführerin”
• Dr. Elisabeth Wolff – Music
• Dr. Heidelore Almoslechner
– German
• Anne Thun-Hohenstein –
History, Art
• Dr. Stefanie Winkelbauer –
Applied Arts, Cuisine
• Mag. Adelaida Calligaris –
Liaison Officer
• Ellen Spallinger – Liaison
Officer
•
OFFICE HOURS
Mo-Tue-Wed: 2 a.m.–5 p.m.
Thurs-Fri: 9 p.m.–12 p.m.
Gabriela Znidaric, Secretary
Hofburg, Stallburg, Reitschulgasse
2, 1010 Vienna
Phone: +43-(0)1-535 88 36,
Fax: +43-(0)1-535 88 37
office@welcome-to-austria.org
www.welcome-to-austria.org
Visit of Castle Loosdorf
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