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On 17 August 2025, delegations from various traditional units and associations, as well as friends of authentic tradition preservation, gathered in the park of Laxenburg Palace to commemorate the birthday of Blessed Emperor Karl I. So it was no surprise that the organisers were also delighted with the so-called ‘Kaiserwetter’.

The afternoon began with the entry of numerous traditional associations from all over Austria and the report to the Procurator of the Order of St. George, Baron Vinzenz von Stimpfl-Abele, who represented HIRH Karl von Habsburg, Grand Master of the Order, that day. This was followed by impressive drill demonstrations in the tradition of the Austrian Imperial and Royal Cavalry, which thrilled the audience. Then the initiator and main organiser, Colonel iTR Michael Islinger, welcomed the guests.

In his address, Baron Vinzenz von Stimpfl-Abele first conveyed the warm greetings of Archduke Karl, then addressed the significance of his grandfather, Emperor Karl I., and placed his legacy in relation to the current European and global political situation: ‘Emperor Karl knew that lasting peace can only be achieved if one does not humiliate the enemy too much. It was clear to him that after this terrible war, Europe would have to live together again as equals, and that peace without a humiliated side was a prerequisite for this. Subsequent developments after the First World War would quickly demonstrate how right he was. Unfortunately, however, politics to this day seems to have learned very little from history and from Emperor Karl. Just recently, at the so-called ‘Alaska Summit’ peace was negotiated without the attacked, the victim, even being at the table. Politicians bow and kowtow to aggressors and war criminals, thereby relativising or ignoring the fact that international law and human rights are being trampled underfoot. And Europe? Europe sits at the kids’ table, is nothing more than a bystander. There is still disagreement on important issues because many politicians are obviously thinking more about themselves than about their great responsibility.’

And he continued: ‘The son of the last emperor, Archduke Otto, always emphasised that history must be understood as a runway for the future. But that presupposes that one knows it, tries to understand it, and draws the right lessons from it. This applies above all to those who are dedicated to preserving traditions, especially all who proudly wear the emperor’s uniform. Because preserving traditions means also preserving peace! Preserving traditions is about preventing forgetting and living memory. With respect, but at the same time, always critically questioning. This applies to the big questions, for example, which ideals, but also which interpretations of history one follows, as well as in seemingly small, for example, with regard to the decision of who one accepts which award or which decoration from. Ultimately, living and passing on tradition means a great responsibility for each of the organisations gathered here today, but also for each individual – responsibility for our identity.’

Afterwards, Father Sebastian Hacker OSB, capitular of the Schottenstift, echoed the idea of the festive speaker that ‘preserving tradition means also preserving peace’ and in this spirit, everyone celebrated an atmospheric field prayer together.

It was an imperial birthday almost like in the emperor’s time, which everyone present enjoyed and took home lasting impressions.

On the occasion of a combined birthday celebration – the commander of the ’k. u. k. Dragonerregiment 2 Nikolaus Graf Pejacsevich‘, Colonel of the Cavalry Michael Islinger, celebrated his 65th birthday and the regimental commander of the ’k.u.k. Traditionsinfanterieregiment No 49 Feldmarschall Heinrich Freiherr von Heß”, Colonel iTR Dr. Georg Hesz celebrated his 80th birthday – the two traditional associations invited to a celebration at a Lower Austrian wine tavern on 23 May 2025.

The two regiments have had a special connection to the UEHMG and the Arch House by hosting the Imperial Ball for over 15 years now, as our Grand Master takes over the patronage of this wonderful event every year and our President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, heads the organisation.

As a special guest, Defence Minister Mag. Klaudia Tanner was welcomed alongside many high-ranking representatives from the armed forces, the preservation of tradition and society, who emphasised the importance of preserving military tradition in a witty speech and then struck up a joint ‘Happy Birthday’ with a glass of Habsburg wine. President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, took the opportunity to cultivate and deepen the dialogue with the esteemed Federal Minister in this truly amicable atmosphere.

We wish the jubilarians a happy birthday and many more enjoyable hours of camaraderie!

Find below some impressions of the successful event.

Supported by the Kaiser Karl Gebetsliga for International Peace, the Order of St. George, a European Order of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the Union of  the European Historical Military Groups and the Technical National Museum, the town of Brandýs nad Labem – Stará Boleslav invited to an Audience at Emperor Karl I. on 17 May 2025.

The event was organised under the patronage of HIRH Charles of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria, and was also held to mark the 450th anniversary of the coronation of Rudolf II, the later Holy Roman Emperor, and the 110th anniversary of the death of the sailor, explorer and writer HIRH Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Tuscany.

The event was organised with the utmost gratitude by Colonel iTR Dr. Milan Novak and was attended by HIRH Archduke Georg von Habsburg-Tuscany and Prince Franz Ferdinand von Hohenberg and his wife. The festivities were accompanied by the music band of the castle guard and police TR.

The historic steam train from Prague arrived at 9.30 am and the guests were welcomed with music. The guests were then taken to the garden of Brandýs Castle, where the historical military troop units paraded. The speeches and honours were held by Colonel iTR Dr. Novak, Archduke George of Habsburg-Tuscany and Prince Franz Ferdinand of Hohenberg.

After the marching in, the speeches and the honours, we continued to the pilgrimage church of the Assumption of Mary. The Holy Audience Mass was celebrated by ThLic. PhDr. Daniel Janácek, Ph.D. O.Praem., Abbot of the Royal Premontrateneser in Prague Strahov, and was musically accompanied by the church choir and the Václav Orchestra (Jiri Streic: Missa Lux et Origo).

A presentation of the noble art of falconry took place in the castle gardens. And in the afternoon there was the imperial manoeuvre ‘Remembrance of Pula’ with the participation of the Imperial and Royal Navy, which gave an insight into the life of soldiers in those days.

Finally, there was a promenade with dancing in the castle garden, while at the same time the historic steam train departed with the guests back to Prague Central Station.

Last but not least, there was a chamber concert in the castle chapel with the Far Musica chamber orchestra conducted by Michael Housa. The piano concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach in D minor, performed by pianist Jan Lukas, was remarkable.

The event ended on Sunday, 18 May 2025, with a Holy Mass in the castle chapel with the relic of Blessed Karl I of Austria. The mass was celebrated by Fr. Stanislav Zlnay, the leader of the Kaiser Karl Gebetsliga in Slovakia.

The UEHMG would like to thank the initiator, Colonel iTR Dr. Milan Novak and his colleagues for this extremely successful audience in the holy year 2025 and we hope that this “spirit” will be continued in the coming years in the sense of our k.u.k. tradition and in memory of Blessed Emperor Karl I of Austria.

The Imperial Ball 2025 took place on 25 January – once again during the traditional ball season. The organisers were once again delighted to welcome a full house to the 15th Imperial Ball in the wonderful atmosphere of Korneuburg’s historic town hall.

Mayor Christian Gepp, MSc, continued a tradition that has honoured us year after year by inviting us to a pre-event champagne reception in the town hall.

Among the many guests of honour, HIRH Maximilian von Habsburg, who enhanced the Imperial Ball with exquisite wines from his vineyard, deserves special thanks.

It is not possible to list 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 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 received by the uniformed traditional community in 2025.

One of the first highlights was the opening dance by the dance couples of the BHAK for Leadership and Security of the Theresian Military Academy, which obviously motivated the ball guests to get up and dance themselves to the sounds of the ‘Late Night Band’. At midnight, the international opera singer Antonella Malis offered us samples from her marvellous repertoire and also sang the imperial anthem with us.

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 15 main prizes for the raffle for the 15th Kaiserball. High-quality gifts from supporters of the ball were presented to surprised and delighted ball guests – ranging from an infantry sabre from the imperial and royal era to a golf training session at the HSV and a candlelight dinner at our caterers restaurant.

Catering was once again provided by our k.u.k. court kitchen  ‘Praterwirt’ with à la carte specialities. The official part of the ball ended with the midnight quadrille and midnight snack, and the organisers and many of the guests really started to enjoy themselves together. The real hard core, of course, stayed up until the final stroke at 4am. A few hours of light-heartedness and camaraderie was good for all guests and we are already looking forward to seeing everyone again at the 16th Imperial Ball!

All pictures at https://www.kaiserball.eu/impressionen/

The Hohenzollern-Kürassiere Sigmaringen celebrated their 40th anniversary with a ceremony in the Sigmaringen town hall.

Below you will find an article about the event, which was published in the ‘Südkurier’ on 7 February 2025.

The Austrian Armed Forces, the province of Lower Austria, ‘Licht ins Dunkel’ and ORF invited guests to the 2024 Military Music Festival in Grafenegg on 22 and 23 May in aid of ‘Licht ins Dunkel’.

In addition to the host, the Military Music of Lower Austria, military musicians from Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Burgenland, Carinthia and the Guard Music from Vienna took part in this year’s event. 

In addition to the musical performances by well-known composers, the highlight of this year’s Military Music Festival was the world premiere of the newly composed work ‘Dream of an Austrian Reservist’ by Carl Michael Ziehrer, in which the ‘Reitende Artilleriedivision Nr.2’ (RAD2) with its cannon was also in action.

‘The Great Austrian Tattoo’ marked the end of the event. For the first time, this composition was staged with historical traditional organisations, represented by the Deutschmeister Schützenkorps and the ‘RAD2’ with the cannon.

It was a huge pleasure for Obstlt iTR Michael Joannidis and his comrades to be part of this event, but also a great challenge.

The 1st Commanders Meeting of the UEHMG took place in Korneuburg on 19 October 2024. The President, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, invited other umbrella organisations at all levels and, of course, the member associations of the UEHMG. Over 40 participants accepted the invitation, resulting in a colourful mix of functionaries, associations and uniforms.

After the official welcome by the President and a round of introductions of all participants, the commander of the conference location in the military barracks of the NBC Defence Centre, Colonel Mag. Jürgen Schlechter, addressed the attendees and presented the tasks and capabilities of his troops. President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, then explained the reasons for this meeting in detail. He pointed out the impact of the pandemic, inflation and war in Europe in recent years. All commanders were now called upon to work with motivation and commitment to improve the quality of the maintenance of tradition and to promote cooperation at all levels.

The guest of honour at the event, HIRH Karl von Habsburg, emphasised the importance of maintaining military tradition as a link between the past and the present. Compliance with rules, norms and standards is important to him and he also sees the task of quality assurance as anchored in the UEHMG as an umbrella organisation. Particularly when it comes to the awarding of medals and honours, he said, it is important to pay attention to the seriousness and always ask the question of the legitimacy of the award. With its ‘sub auspiciis’ seal, which the UEHMG was the first institution ever to be awarded, he emphasised the trust placed in the UEHMG as an institution and the leadership of the current President.

After the group photo, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, introduced the three planned working groups and their chairmen. The first working group dealt with the basic definition and differentiation of the maintenance of tradition, the second working group dealt with the gos and no-gos in execution, including how to deal with mistakes, and the third working group dealt with communication of the umbrella organisations with their members and with each other. The results of the working groups were then presented and we will of course distribute the protocols within the UEHMG as soon as they are available in writing.

Finally, the President honoured two awards that had been pending for some time. The Administration Officer Captain iTR Franz Schlosser was awarded the Badge of Honour as a neck medal and the Adjutant General Major General iTR Peter Pritz was awarded the Great Golden Badge of Honour as a breast star – both with great applause and the approval of the comrades present. In addition, each participant in the Commanders Meeting received a certificate of thanks and recognition, a commemorative pin and a bottle of traditional wine as a gift.

After an intensive day of work, characterised by motivation, camaraderie and engagement, everyone left the barracks with the clear opinion to continue this meeting next year and to work together on the implementation of the results. A complete success for the UEHMG and a big thank you to everyone involved!

To mark the 175th anniversary of the Bürgermiliz, this year’s general rapport was held in Sipplingen and organised by the Bürgermiliz. The Bürgermiliz Sipplingen was also made a member of the UEHMG at this year’s general rapport. As many of the participating groups had travelled long distances, they arrived during the course of the Thursday. To welcome everyone, the citizens’ militia had invited them to a “meet and greet” in the Rathauskeller. Here, the participants were able to greet each other and cultivate cross-border camaraderie.

After a long but wonderful evening in the Rathauskeller, a visit to Her Imperial Highness Margravine Valerie von Baden in Salem was on the agenda on Friday morning. Margrave Bernhard von Baden, who had invited the participants of the General Rapport to Salem, was unable to attend the parade due to an unforeseen stay abroad. The various groups lined up and marched under the command of Lieutenant Colonel iTR Adrian Staiger through the monastery grounds to the castle, where the gates were already open for the march into the Sternenhof. Lieutenant Colonel iTR Adrian Staiger reported to Her Imperial Highness, who had the Count von und zu Bodman with her as a wing adjutant to support her. The President of the UEHMG, Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, from Vienna, walked down the ranks with Her Imperial Highness and Count Bodman and each group introduced itself to the Margravine.

The units from Austria were particularly excited to meet a Princess of Austria. This resulted in a real photo shoot, as every group wanted to be photographed with the Margravine and Count Bodman. The brother of the late Margrave Max von Baden, Prince Ludwig von Baden, and his wife Marianne Princess von Baden also attended the parade, which led to some great conversations between the participants and their Highnesses. The time flew by and Lieutenant Colonel iTR Adrian Staiger ordered the formation to line up again. As the formation signed off, he thanked the Margravine for the invitation and presented her with a commemorative gift. Count Bodman expressed her thanks for the visit on behalf of the Margravine.

The formation marched out of the castle and was then invited by the margravial family to a small drink in the Torkel. After a short stay in the Torkel at Salem Castle, it was straight back to Sipplingen, as the General Rapport was scheduled for 2 pm. The participating groups lined up on the town hall square and Vice President Colonel iTR Hajo Böhm reported to President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc. In the festively decorated historic Bürgersaal of the town hall, all participants were skilfully welcomed by the deputy mayor Clemens Beirer and in his welcoming address he spoke about the history of the Bürgermiliz Sipplingen. The General Rapport itself ran harmoniously and the participants were able to relax in their accommodation before dinner, which took place in the assembly hall of the primary school. The dinner served by butcher Rico Zickmantel was highly appreciated by all. The celebrations and camaraderie continued well into the night.

On Saturday afternoon, everyone met again in the school yard and formed up to march to the cemetery. At the cemetery, a wreath was laid in the war memorial chapel. A communal Lord’s Prayer was said in memory of the fallen of the wars and the deceased members of the UEHMG. Major General iTR Blaha and Colonel iTR Böhm laid the wreath to the sound of the song of the Good Comrade, performed by the trumpeter of the Milizkapelle Aaron Biller. From the cemetery, the formation marched through the village to the dock, from where they travelled by boat to Bodman.

Count and Baron Bodman had also invited the UEHMG to Bodman Castle. To the sound of the Milizkapelle, the participants marched to the castle, where Lieutenant Colonel iTR Adrian Staiger reported to Count Bodman. Here, too, the groups introduced themselves to the count’s family. Count Bodman, who dedicated a Count Bodman medal to the 175th anniversary of the Bürgermiliz Sipplingen, handed it out to the members of the Bürgermiliz Sipplingen. With a concluding triple salute from the historic muzzle-loading rifles, the event moved on to the informal part.

After a few glasses of Bodman wine, the groups lined up again. Lieutenant Colonel iTR Adrian Staiger called the formation off to the Count von und zu Bodman and thanked him for the invitation and also presented him with a souvenir gift. To the sounds of the Milizkapelle Sipplingen, we returned to the landing stage in Bodman, where the ship was waiting for us. A wonderful and eventful General Rapport 2024 came to an end with dinner together on the ship and a tour of Lake Überlingen. On Sunday, the participants then set off on their – in some cases very long – journey home. The Bürgermiliz Sipplingen and the UEHMG would like to thank all members and external persons who helped to make the General Rapport a success!

The UEHMG took part this year at the beginning of July with its own exhibition tent at ‘Montur und Pulverdampf’ (Uniform and Gunsmoke) in the Museum of Military History. President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc, took care of setting up the stand in advance and was able to welcome numerous representatives of military tradition from near and far on the two days of the exhibition. They included the Reitende Artilleriedivison 2, the Deutschmeister-Schützenkorps 1897, the Esterhazy Hussars, the 1st Tiroler Kaiserjäger Regiment/Schwaz in Tirol, the k.u.k. Pionierbatallion 8, the Hoch and Deutschmeister 1914-18, the Lützowsches Freikorps and the Traditionsverband des k.u.k. Infantry Regiment ‘George I King of the Hellenes’ No. 99.

With their drill demonstrations, the Deutschmeister-Schützenkorps 1897 naturally attracted many interested spectators and the cannon shots of the Reitende Artilleriedivison 2 provided the desired gunpowder vapour throughout the whole area. There was also an opportunity to honour an employee of the Museum of Military History by President Major General iTR Michael Blaha, MSc. We have already made firm plans to take part next year, including an overnight stay on site!