For just one day the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy returns

When the sun gradually set behind the mountain range and dusk fell on Zell am See-Kaprun last Saturday, hardly any visitor was able to distinguish between bygone times and the present any more. The previous hours spent at the biggest historical festival in the province of Salzburg had been too realistic - like a melange of the splendour of the 19th century and the charm of modern-day Austria. One of the numerous visitors of the nostalgia festival - which was staged in honour of the 177th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph - described the atmosphere with the following words: 'Here, you feel like a vivid part of history. This is what I imagine those days long gone have been like.'

And the organizers of this great anniversary day really bent over backwards to make this event as genuine as possible and revive the Austro-Hungarian monarchy of the 19th century. The reason for this historical roller-coaster ride was a programme which staged the visit of Emperor Franz Joseph, the last influential sovereign of the dual monarchy, to the last detail.

In the early afternoon Franz Joseph's look-alike made his first public appearance in the popular holiday region with his spouse Sissi at his side. The mayor of Zell am See, Dr. Georg Maltschnig, gave the imperial couple a ceremonious welcome, before the sovereign of the dual monarchy turned to the crowd, gathered in front of the recently inaugurated Ferry Porsche Congress Center, to deliver a short speech. In 19th century jargon, he eloquently related events from his life. He expressed his gratitude that so many of his followers had taken the opportunity to attend the anniversary, and they cheered and hailed him in reply. Then he set out on his planned journey. A journey which took Emperor Franz Joseph and Sissi on a steam train trip through their entire sovereign territory of Pinzgau, passing Uttendorf, Niedernsill, and Mittersill.

The imperial couple was accompanied by a parade of vintage cars from the Roaring Twenties. The Emperor was impressed by the modern vehicles and seized up on the opportunity to replace the 'iron horse' with some 'horse power' for the journey back to Zell am See. There the imperial couple was already awaited by a great audience, among it Helmuth Vötter, owner of the Vehicle Museum and co-organizer of the historical event. He extended a warm welcome to the guests of honour and summarized the day - the evening of which the imperial couple spent in a relaxed atmosphere in his hotel over a candle-light dinner - with the words: 'It was an unforgettable day! Just amazing!'

More information about the historic events in the 'Europa-Sportregion' is available at www.zellamsee-kaprun.com.

Contact within the region
Guest Service Zell am See-Kaprun
Phone +43 (0)6542 - 770 0
welcome(at)zellamsee-kaprun.com
http://www.zellamsee-kaprun.com

Press contact
knoefler-journalist . media + communications GmbH
Mr. Benjamin Knöfler
Phone +49 (0)6028 - 80729 0
zellkaprun(at)kj-media.com
http://www.knoefler-journalist.com

Information summary
The holiday region Zell am See-Kaprun with its 14,000 beds and two million overnight stays every year is one of the most important holiday destinations in Austria. During the summer months you can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities like rafting, golf and hiking. And also in the cold season there is never a dull moment thanks to sleigh rides and hiking tours in snowshoes. Skiers can comfortably reach the 132 kilometres of slopes with powder snow with one of the 56 lifts. Snowboarders enjoy the perfect conditions of the Snowpark on the 2,600 metre high glacier plateau. Even in the summer you can swish down the slopes here. The renowned German publishing house of 'Falk Verlag' awarded Zell am See and Kaprun the decoration of the most family-friendly holiday region in Europe.

This release was published on openPR.