Commemoration of the Declaration of Independence in Vienna

In pouring rain, the state leadership commemorated the re-establishment of the Republic of Austria in 1945 on Friday in the Schweizergarten in front of the state founding monument. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP), and Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ) were accompanied by Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) and State Secretary Josef Schellhorn (NEOS).

Ceremony in Vienna Without Speeches

The Guard Battalion of the Federal Army also assembled to frame the ceremony with a military ceremony. Some onlookers had also gathered under umbrellas behind the barriers to attend the commemoration. After the national anthem was played and the front was inspected, the flag was hoisted. Subsequently, the Guard Music performed the European anthem before the top politicians positioned themselves in front of the monument for photos. Speeches were not planned, regardless of the weather conditions, which is why the ceremony ended at this point.

Declaration of Independence 80 Years Ago

Even before the end of World War II and the capitulation of the German Wehrmacht, the "Proclamation of Austria's Independence" was signed on April 27, 1945, by the founding parties of the Second Republic - SPÖ, ÖVP, and KPÖ. The Social Democrat Karl Renner then became the first Chancellor after the war. The monument erected in 1966 in the Schweizergarten is intended to commemorate both the founding of the Republic in 1918 and its re-establishment in 1945. On the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2015, a state ceremony was held for the first time in front of the monument, then under Federal President Heinz Fischer.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.