Austrian National Day
Next: October 26, 2027
Flags out, walking boots on.
The story
Where it comes from
Austria's National Day marks 26 October 1955, when the Austrian parliament passed its law on permanent neutrality, the day after the last occupying troops left at the end of ten years of Allied occupation. At first the date was kept as a 'Day of the Flag', mostly by schools and the army. Parliament made it the National Day in 1965, and since 1967 it has been a statutory public holiday, a day off across the country.
How it's celebrated
Red-white-red flags go up across Austria, and schools and most workplaces close. In Vienna, the President's offices in the Hofburg, the Federal Chancellery, Parliament and several ministries hold open days, and the army puts on a display on Heldenplatz, where new recruits are sworn in. Many families simply go walking: since the 'fit marches' of 1971, the day has also been known as Volkswandertag, a people's hiking day.
Did you know
- The first national 'fit run and fit march' on 26 October 1971 drew about 150,000 people to around 150 events, most of them over a 10-kilometre route.
- Many of Austria's federal museums open for free or at a reduced price on National Day.
- Before choosing 26 October, Parliament considered other dates, including 12 November, when the First Republic was founded in 1918, and 15 May, when the State Treaty was signed in 1955.
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