Year: 2024

Every 18 June, the “Deutschmeister” celebrate their traditional day in commemoration of the Battle of Kolin in 1757, in which the Austrians succeeded in defeating the Prussian King Frederick II for the first time thanks to the special efforts of the “Hoch- und Deutschmeister”. In honour of this military achievement, 18 June was declared Tradition Day of the “Hoch- und Deutschmeister” and is celebrated by the military successor organisations, currently the “Jägerbataillon Wien 1 Hoch- und Deutschmeister”, as well as the “Deutschmeisterbund” with its traditional groups.

The 2024 ceremony took place at the residence of the Teutonic Order in the heart of Vienna. The celebrations began with a festive church service, celebrated by H.E. Grand Master P. MMag. Dipl.-Bw. (FH) Frank Bayard, MBA. Afterwards, the band “Kapelle Original Hoch- und Deutschmeister” under the direction of Kapellmeister Reinhold Nowotny performed a musical programme as part of a concert in the square, which delighted all those present.

During the official part of the event, the President of the „Deutschmeisterbund“ and Media Officer of the UEHMG Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Tarbuk welcomed numerous guests of honour, including the Procurator of the Order of St. George Baron Vinzenz von Stimpfl-Abele as well as the President of the Union of European Historical Military Groups Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, who represented the historical traditions of the highest umbrella organisation. In his speech, H.E. Grand Master Frank Bayard emphasised the great importance of the connection between the spiritual authority, which has always been provided by the Teutonic Order for the “Hoch- und Deutschmeister”, and the military associations throughout history, which has endured to this day and which was once again underlined by this ceremony.

Baron Vinzenz von Stimpfl-Abele emphasised the importance of tradition, especially in disorientating times like these: “Traditions are our living connection with the past and at the same time a bridge to the future. They are an expression of timeless values and principles that are worth passing on from generation to generation.” The courage to take responsibility for protecting and maintaining tradition is therefore very important for a society. The commitment of organisations such as the “Deutschmeisterbund”, but also the knightly orders, cannot be valued highly enough, especially today. “Because we know our roots, we know our values and we are raising the flag – each in our own way, but by joining forces. This gives us reason for hope and optimism for the future. VIRIBUS UNITIS!” concluded the Procurator.

President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, took the opportunity, in the presence of Secretary General Captain iTR Christian Zehetmayer and Financial Officer Financial Councillor iTR Frank Kasteliz, to award our deserving comrade Corvette Captain iTR Peter Hofer the Merit Mark of the UEHMG for his many years of support in keeping up tradition.

After the ceremonial speeches and honours, the social part of the Tradition Day began. In glorious imperial weather, the guests had the opportunity for many conversations and personal exchanges at the residence of the Teutonic Order. The event was a great success, characterised by the dignity of the occasion and the joy of being together. We would like to thank the Teutonic Order and the “Deutschmeisterbund” for their hospitality!

In October 1273, Rudolf I, the first Habsburg, was elected and crowned king. Our Grand Master actually wanted to commemorate the 750th anniversary of this historic event last autumn, but then he was diagnosed with cancer… Thankfully, he overcame this and was able to invite guests to a very special evening at the Palais Ferstel in Vienna on 13 June 2024. It was very important to Archduke Karl to use this event to create a link between Austria, Europe and the world. This combination of a certain value-based timelessness with an internationality deeply rooted in Austria still characterises the Habsburg-Lothringen family today and was reflected in the programme – both in terms of content and music.

As the Grand Master remarked in an interview, it would have been nice to have even more people connected to the archducal house around him, but then the Stadthalle would probably have been needed. As it was, the time-honoured palace in the heart of the former imperial capital and residence city could only hold just about 300 guests. Numerous members and friends of the imperial family, high-ranking personalities from the clergy, nobility, politics, diplomacy, economy, art, culture and media as well as, of course, the sponsors queued up to pay their respects to Archduke Karl.

Another highlight of this unforgettable evening was a musical world premiere: the FALCO SYMPHONIC CHAMBER ORCHESTRA. Falco stood and stands like no other artist for modern Austrian music with an international dimension. His timeless work now connects generations. In order to emphasise all these facets and honour the occasion, not “only” the original Falco musicians played, but a classical ensemble accompanied and amplified them. The world hits of Austria’s only pop superstar were interpreted by local and international vocalists. Archduke Karl’s decision in favour of this unique musical melange was confirmed by the enthusiasm of the guests, who celebrated the artists frenetically.

Thanks to President Major-General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, the UEHMG was represented at the festivities by a strong delegation including Vice President Colonel iTR Hans-Joachim Böhm, Administration Officer Captain iTR Franz Schlosser, Financial Officer Financial Councillor iTR Frank Kasteliz, Media Officer Schützenfähnrich iTR Andreas Georg Tarbuk and Secretary-General Captain iTR Christian Zehetmayer. A worthy celebration of a truly important dynasty in Europe!

To mark the 25th anniversary of Rainermusik Salzburg, an anniversary concert was organised in February 2024 together with the Tiroler Kaiserjäger, which was celebrated as a double concert in the Kongresshaus Salzburg and in Erl.
> Click here for the programme of the concert

Rainermusik was founded in 1999 by Dr. Herbert Glaser and Honorary President Dr. Manfred Holztrattner and, with the support of a sponsor, was able to organise concert tours to Hungary, Germany, Spain, Merano (Salzburg’s partner city) and, of course, Austria. Unfortunately, all funding has now been cancelled, which is why it is no longer possible to plan international concert tours.

That is why Rainermusik Salzburg is looking for donations so that such trips can take place again.

Bank details:
Rainermusik Salzburg
IBAN: AT43 3500 0000 9101 5123

Many thanks on behalf of Rainermusik Salzburg!

Year after year! On 13 April 2024, the 39th corps meeting of the “”Hohenzollern-Küurassiere Sigmaringen” took place in the Reiterstüble “St. Georgs Klause” in Pault (near Sigmaringen). At the beginning of the event, the cavalry captain and chairman of the corps Anton Rädle welcomed the comrades present, followed by the trumpet corps, which performed a serenade.

The 39th Corps Meeting was a busy one, as both the Advisory Board and the officers had to be newly elected this year. In addition to the commemoration of our comrades who had died in the previous year, the annual report, presented by Lieutenant Gregor Meichelbeck, for the year 2023 was also of great interest! The treasurer’s report and the auditors’ report not only showed the great commitment shown by the comrades, but also provided the basis for the discharge of the entire board, which the meeting gave unanimously at the suggestion of Honorary Cavalry Captain Christian Baum.

The elections also showed a clear picture and the unity of the club, so that Gregor Meichelbeck was confirmed as lieutenant and Felix Bösch was elected cornet. Johannes Herre was elected to the advisory board in his new role as secretary and Bruno Herunter as a member of the advisory board. The other previous members of the advisory board, Ruth Bösch, Uwe Gruber and Hans Stoll, were confirmed unanimously in their positions. 

In addition to the usual honours for numerous appearances, promotions were also awarded this year. Our corporals Max Bischofberger and Bruno Herunter were both promoted to the rank of constable. The formal part of the 39th Corps Assembly ended with the outlook for the coming year and the ” Kürassierlied”.

Then it was time to get to the cosy part. The comrades were offered a rich buffet of sausage salad and other dishes. The camaraderie was enjoyed in stimulating conversations until the late hours! All comrades were extremely satisfied with the successful corps meeting.

Text: Noah Bakó
Photos: Erwin Schultheiss

Exactly 510 days after the last Imperial Ball, the Imperial Ball 2024 took place – once again during the traditional ball season. The organisers were once again delighted to welcome a full house to the 14th Imperial Ball in the wonderful atmosphere of Korneuburg’s historic town hall.

Among the many guests of honour, Archduke Karl-Konstantin von Habsburg deserves special mention. The great-grandson of Emperor Karl I, to whom the Imperial Ball is dedicated, signed the Golden Book of the City of Korneuburg early in the evening at a champagne reception in the town hall. With this invitation, Mayor Christian Gepp, MSc, continued a tradition that has honoured us year after year.

To everyone’s delight, Archduke Karl-Konstantin appeared accompanied by his parents H.E. Ambassador HIRH Georg von Habsburg and his dear wife HIRH Eilika von Habsburg, which once again emphasised the high status of the Imperial Ball in the context of the imperial and royal tradition.

It is not possible to list the many representatives of the traditional regiments here, but we are happy to let the numerous pictures on the Kaiserball website do the talking. In any case, we are delighted that the Ball of the Traditional Regiments – organised and hosted by Infantry Regiment 49 and Dragoon Regiment 2 together with the UEHMG – was once again so well attended by the uniformed traditional community in 2024.

One of the first highlights was the opening dance by the dance couples from the Wopienka dance school. The dance couples – active as a formation in the Tanzsportclub Rot-Weiss Wien – showed us their skills at the highest level even at midnight. In any case, the ball guests were obviously motivated to take to the dance floor themselves.

Our discotheque “Club Charles” was also very popular again. And those who just wanted to have a quiet and cosy time visited the frizzante bar and smokers’ lounge in the inner courtyard. As every year, we also put together 14 main prizes for the tombola at the 14th Kaiserball. High-quality gifts from supporters of the ball were handed over to surprised and delighted ball guests – ranging from original posters from the imperial and royal era to dance lessons, a wellness weekend and a candlelight dinner.

Catering was once again provided by our k.u.k. court kitchen with à la carte specialities. The official part of the ball ended with the midnight quadrille and midnight snack, which was the start of the real entertainment for the organisers and many guests. The hard core, of course, stayed up until the final stroke at 4am. A few hours of light-heartedness and camaraderie were good for all the guests and we are already looking forward to the interim anniversary at the 15th Kaiserball!

> Click here for impressions of the Kaiserball 2024

With great dismay and sadness we have the duty to announce that our comrade Major-General iTR Günther Mayer fell asleep peacefully on 5 January 2024 and passed away.

The President of the Union of the European Historical Military Groups, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, the Board, the Presidium and all comrades of the UEHMG express their deep sympathy to the bereaved for this heavy loss.

The UEHMG will keep an honorable memory of its well-deserved comrade.