Every year on the 26th of October Austrians celebrate their country’s declaration of permanent neutrality after World War II and its regained status as an independent and sovereign nation on this day in 1955.
Today the Austrian national flag will be omnipresent throughout the country. Memorial ceremonies will be held in many locations. Federal museums offer free entry and some state institutions open for visitors.
Not only do people enjoy a day off school or work on the 26th October annually, but many take part in special “fitness marches” – these are hikes that are organised throughout the country, attracting around 100 000 people every year. The aim is to promote fitness and raise awareness of a healthy life-style.
Austria is famous for many things: Salzburg (and The Sound of Music), Mozart, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Viennese waltz, to name but a few. German is the official language. When Austria became a member of the European Union, the Austrian variety of the German language — limited to 23 agricultural terms — was “protected” in Protocol No 10, regarding the use of specific Austrian terms of the German language in the framework of the European Union, which forms part of the Austrian EU accession treaty. Austrian German is the only variety of a pluricentric language recognized under international law / EU primary law.