Renovated Parliament: Today, Thursday, the opening ceremony will take place in Vienna. During the weekend, all interested parties will have access to the building.
The renovation of the parliament took almost five years. Today it will be officially opened with a ceremony. It starts at 3 p.m. The former president of the German Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU), will deliver the speech.
Open house on weekends
The first meeting took place in December 1883. During the Second World War, the building was heavily damaged by bombs. The Parliament now has 1,600 rooms, 740 windows have been renovated, 600 historic doors have been technically improved, 500 chandeliers and lamps have been dismantled, cleaned, rewired and reassembled. The Hohe Haus is completely digitized and has an extensive gastronomy, which, like everything else, is accessible to everyone. January 14 and 15 are open days (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The plenary hall will of course not be inaugurated by the National Council until 31 January. The ceremony will take place in Federal Assembly Hall. The Chamber of the Länder will then meet on 16 February in the new chamber of the Federal Council.
The chairman of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, is not really afraid that a climate activist will hold on to one of the numerous works of art in the parliament during the reopening. “I’m a good optimist that we can avoid that,” Sobotka said at a media event on Tuesday. In any case, such actions are not an “insignificant offense” for the ÖVP politician. He is particularly critical of protests such as those that obstruct public transport.
Golden Wing will be played soon
The rented golden Bösendorfer grand piano in the reception lounge, which has already caused a stir at other parties, will also be used soon. When the house opens, the winners of the “prima la musica” competition will play on it. The president, of course, defended the instrument. Austria is internationally recognized as a nation of culture and art. “We want to do justice to that.”
At the same time, the reopening of the Theophil Hansen Building marks the end of the replacement quarters that have been in use for more than five years. The three containers, which housed clubs and committee offices, among other things, will be dismantled from February 20 and the spaces that were used in the Hofburg will be handed over to the Burghauptmannschaft.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
