At the 16th Imperial Ball on 31 January, HIRH Karl von Habsburg not only acted as patron, but also attended in person with his charming wife Christian. The organisers were once again delighted to welcome a full house to the wonderful atmosphere of the historic town hall in Korneuburg.
Among the many guests of honour, the President of the UEHMG, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, who hosted the evening, welcomed, among others, the Procurator of the Order of St. George, Baron Vinzenz von Stimpfl-Abele, with his wife Gabriela, Mayor Christian Gepp, MSc, Member of Parliament Andreas Minnich, and the commander of the NBC Defence Centre, Colonel Mag. Jürgen Schlechter.
It is impossible to list all of the many representatives of the traditional regiments here, but we are happy to let the pictures on the website of the Imperial Ball speak for themselves. In any case, we are very pleased that the Ball of the Traditional Regiments – organised and hosted by Infantry Regiment 49 and Dragoon Regiment 2 together with the UEHMG – has once again been so well received in the uniformed traditional community in 2026.
One of the first highlights was the opening by the dance couples from the Frank Dance School in Stockerau, which clearly motivated the ball guests to get up and dance to the sounds of the Late Night Band.
During the evening, there was also an opportunity to give a dignified farewell to the long-standing adjutant general of the Archduke, Major General iTR Peter Pritz, and to hand over the sash to his successor, Colonel iTR Peter Kramberger. The Bavarian Imperial Uhlans 1 were also honoured for their achievements at the German Cavalry Championships and were able to present themselves.
At midnight, Kammersängerin Ulrike Steinsky and Alois Haselbacher offered samples from their wonderful repertoire and also sang the imperial anthem with us.
Our discotheque, Club Charles, was once again very popular. And those who simply wanted a quiet and cosy atmosphere visited the Frizzantebar in the foyer, including the smoking lounge. As every year, there were high-quality prizes to be won in the raffle, which were presented to delighted ball guests – ranging from a trial shooting session at HSV Vienna to tickets for the current Simpl revue, imperial beer mugs from Doppeladler Manufaktur and wine cases with traditional bottlings.
Our imperial court kitchen ‘Praterwirt’ once again provided catering with à la carte specialities. After the midnight quadrille, the official part of the ball came to an end, but for the organisers and many guests, the fun was just beginning. The hard core naturally stayed until the tattoo at 4 a.m. A few hours of light-hearted fun and camaraderie did all the guests good, and we are already looking forward to seeing everyone again at the 17th Imperial Ball!