Proclamation of the Republic? Austrian state contract? Deduction from the last crew soldier? In 1965, the government and parliament discussed what the national holiday should commemorate in the future. They ultimately chose eternal neutrality. Two years later it was treated the same as other holidays and it hasn’t worked since.
Proclamation of the Republic? Austrian state contract? Deduction from the last crew soldier? In 1965, the government and parliament discussed what the national holiday should commemorate in the future. They ultimately chose eternal neutrality. Two years later it was treated the same as other holidays and it hasn’t worked since.
The “national holiday” has only existed since 1965. From 1955 to 1964, October 26 was called “Flag Day”. On May 15, 1955, the State Treaty was signed that restored Austria’s sovereignty.
After France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States signed it, the original was deposited with the Soviet Foreign Ministry in Moscow on July 27, 1955. This marked the beginning of the ninety-day period within which the occupying troops had to leave Austria. On October 26, 1955, the Austrian National Council decided – retroactively to midnight – that Austria would remain neutral.
Photos of the National Day and the exhibition in Vienna:
Until 1964 “Austrian Flag Day”
As early as October 1, 1955, Education Minister Heinrich Drimmel issued a decree stipulating that schoolchildren in Austria should also be made aware of the significance of the approaching October 25, 1955 (not October 26!) – as the day on which, according to the state treaty the last occupying soldier would leave Austria. Therefore, the national flag should be hoisted on this day.
The following year, on September 11, 1956, the Council of Ministers decided to celebrate this “Austrian Flag Day” a day later, namely on October 26. This postponement of the “Austrian Flag Day” also gave it a different emphasis: from now on, the focus of this commemoration day should no longer be on the withdrawal of the last occupying soldiers the day before, but rather on the declaration of neutrality of October 26.
Austria therefore had a ‘Flag Day’, but not yet a national holiday like other countries. In 1965, the government and parliament therefore discussed which day should be celebrated as the Austrian “national holiday”.
After all, establishing a national holiday is no small matter; it is about great symbols, creating identity and an appropriate myth to inspire and unite the country again and again.
Four symbolic dates to choose from
There were four historical and symbolic dates in Austrian history to choose from: November 12, the day the Republic of German-Austria was proclaimed in 1918 after centuries of monarchy.
April 27, because on this day in 1945 the independence of Austria was proclaimed by the boards of the reemerged parties. Or should we choose May 15, 1955, the day the treaty was signed? Or October 26, the aforementioned day on which Austrian neutrality was decided?
In 1965, the majority of the government and parliament voted for October 26 and thus for Austria’s perpetual neutrality as the most appropriate occasion for the future national holiday. Neutrality – that was the future theme for the small Alpine republic, which was just in the middle of the Cold War, after half a century of evolving existential threats.
Little Austria saw itself in the role of a non-aligned state, as a mediator between East and West. Austria is celebrating an idea that brought peace and economic prosperity to the country. Nowadays, the national holiday is mainly reminiscent of the neutrality that still determines Austrian identity.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
