History

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The “Alt-Neustädter Ball” – better known as the “Officers’ Ball” – is an event with a long tradition.

People from different social, professional and age groups always like to meet each other for a social get-together. The uniforms from all over the world illustrate the embedding of the army and its officers in Austrian society and the international community.

The Officers’ Ball is organized annually by the Alumni Association Alt-Neustadt, a “club” of all “graduates” of the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt, which was founded in 1751. The “Alt-Neustädter Ball” – better known as the “Officers’ Ball” – is an event with a long tradition. People from different social, professional and age groups always like to meet each other for a social get-together. The uniforms from all over the world illustrate the embedding of the army and its officers in Austrian society and the international community.

Organized by the “Alt-Neustadt” Society – the Association of Alumni of the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt – it took place under the name “Ball der Neustädter Militärakademiker” every year until 1938 in the Vienna Hofburg.

After regaining the military sovereignty of Austria, the tradition of this “Alt Neustadt Ball” was continued again. As early as 1956, the Federal Ministry of Defense organized together with the association “Alt-Neustadt” for the first time again a ball, this time in the Viennese Sophiensäle, an original swimming pool, which was later transformed into a ballroom and many generations carefree ball pleasure prepared.

The steadily increasing number of visitors in the 1960s and 70s – the increasingly frequent partnerships between commanders and associations of the armed forces and industry, business and interest groups contributed to this – in 1977 created a ball committee of its own and in 1981 the ball was moved in the Vienna Hofburg necessary.

This ball committee, which is composed of officers of the Federal Ministry, the Austrian Guards, the Reserve and the alumni association Alt-Neustadt, still manages the fortunes of the ball, whereby his tasks are getting bigger and bigger, as this ball gets more and more attention nationally as well as internationally , It is today a meeting place not only of the officers of the Austrian Federal Army and the Viennese society, but also of European politics and economy.

Due to the increasing international cooperation with foreign armies, officers from these countries are increasingly finding themselves as ball visitors, all the more because for some years now a certain neighboring country has been part of the Young Women and Young Men Committee for the opening of the ball.

They dance together with officer candidates of the Theresian Military Academy and students from Vienna’s traditional dance school Elmayer for the opening of the ball, for whose choreography also this dance school is responsible. Under expert guidance, the “Fleder mausquadrille” will be performed by all dance enthusiasts at midnight, which will delight not only the performers but also the spectators.

Various nationally known dance and show bands and, above all, in the ballroom “Festsaal” the “Great Ball Orchestra” and the “Big Band” of the Austrian Guards Music Band provide for the musical entertainment.

Much too early in the morning, the solo trumpeter of the Austrian Guards Music Band will start the “tattoo”, the sign that once again a wonderful night and a great event, namely the Officers’ Ball, have come to an end.