His Majesty King Charles III receives Ambassador Wrabetz's Credentials

On 16 November, Ambassador Bernhard Wrabetz presented his letter of credentials to His Majesty King Charles III in Buckingham Palace, accompanied by his wife, Joana Daniel Wrabetz.

Bernhard Wrabetz was thereby formally accredited as the Austrian Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. King Charles III showed great interest in Austria’s climate policies as well as our Republic’s stance towards the current crises in Ukraine and the Middle East.

His Majesty was also pleased to receive the Austrian President Van der Bellen’s best wishes for his 75. birthday, relayed to him through the Ambassador.

Meet the Austrians abroad - 7 Questions to Head of Technology and Innovation at Advantage Austria, Peter Pesl

1. Dear Peter, what is your story – how did end up living in London? 

It was a pure coincidence that I ended up living in London. It was 2009 and I was preparing myself for an internship as part of my studies in another country. However, due to the economic crisis, the company that offered me the internship cancelled my position on short notice, and I had to look for another opportunity. Without much hope, I contacted a handful of universities all over the world for a last minute internship. To my surprise, within just a few hours, I received an offer from a UK university, which I immediately accepted. Of course the internship was just for a few months but, as I have heard from so many other Austrians I have met over the years in London, even if you had other plans, once you are here, often you just don’t want to leave anymore!

2. You are known to many Auslandsösterreicher (Austrians abroad) as President of the Austrian Club London - what are the ACL’s activities?

First and foremost, we want to bring people together. Especially people with a connection to Austria, who have decided to stay longer in the UK because of their job or studies and who are looking for a social network. We try to cater to all age groups - from the very litte ones with our traditional “Nikolausfeier” to our more senior members with regular “Kaffeeklatsch & Kuchen” sessions. While the Austrian Club London is officially a members' cub, we also organise regular after-work drinks and meet-ups where everyone is welcome to join. 

3. How would you describe the community of Auslandsösterreicher in the UK, any particularities?

What’s special is that there is often an immediate connection between Austrians meeting in the UK. What unites them is that they were „brave“ enough at one point to leave their country and often family and friends behind to start a new chapter in life. This requires not only courage but also an openness to new cultures, ideas and people.

4. You are the Head of Innovation at the Advantage Austria, the embassy’s commercial section. What makes the UK market so interesting to Austria, in the field of new technologies?

The UK demonstrates many strengths in the research & innovation sector due to the UK's world class universities, a vibrant start-up & investment scene, as well as large tech-corporates that have established their European R&D headquarters in the UK. There is a lot of research happening in the life sciences and deep-tech, both sectors where Austria too has many "hidden champions”. Just recently, the UK has rejoined the EU Horizon research programme, so we hope to see much more collaboration between the two countries in the near future. 

5. What is your favourite Austrian tradition?

When thinking about Austrian traditions, I immediately have to think of winter and our traditions around the Christmas time including our local “Christkindlmärkte” (X-mas markets). Not surprisingly, the Austrian Club London has organised “Gluehweinabende” (mulled wine evenings) in the past, a tradition that we plan to keep alive for the future!
 

6. What do you like most about living in the UK?

It is the interesting people you meet on a regular basis - whether through business or through the social events organised by the Austrian Club. Everyone has a unique story to tell and there is so much we can learn from each other. Another thing is the vast amount of cultural, music, and sporting events the UK has to offer. It is impossible to get bored here - or to quote Samuel Johnson, "when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

7. Finally, what is your guilty pleasure?

I think I have not one single, but lots of little guilty pleasures. Just yesterday, I could not resist buying some “Mannerschnitten” and Austrian chocolate after my local supermarket announced its “Alpenwochen”. However, even after finishing everything in the same evening, I am still waiting for any semblance of guilt to strike me. 

Heidi & Peter German Playgroup

Of potential interest to those of you with children: Heidi & Peter is a wonderful organisation in London which offers an extra-curricular afternoon programme for children who want to improve their German or even learn it from scratch.

Run by a duo of women with over 25 years of experience working as nannies in London, Heidi & Peter also endeavours to bring cultural traditions from the German-speaking world closer to its children, like Laternelaufen or Nikolaus. We are also told that there is even a possibility for summer camps on the horizon!

Here is a quick summary of its activities:

1. German classes for parents and toddlers
2. Drop-off classes for children in the afternoon
3. Reading and writing in German
4. Special holiday workshops for children of all ages
5. All children learn playfully through traditional and modern nursery rhymes, games, drama, songs and art
6. The celebration of traditional festivities such as Karneval, Ostern, St. Martin, Nikolaus and Weihnachten
7. Small classes to ensure that every child enjoys playing and learning with friends of similar age and language ability, enabling them to benefit in the best possible way
8. Classes are led by qualified and experienced native German teachers
9. The parent and toddler group gives the parents/carers the possibility to socialize in a German speaking environment
10. Classes take place once a week during term times in Knightsbridge at Christ Church

Info from our Consulate - the "Auslandsservice" App

Are you an Austrian citizen planning to travel or living permanently abroad? The Austrian Foreign Ministry is at your service.

Find out about your destination before you travel and get country information and up-to-date travel tips for over 190 countries in our  free app. How safe is my destination, what are the entry requirements? The app provides information on the latest travel advice and travel warnings.

What to do in case of passport loss, illness, accident or death abroad? Consult the emergency tips in the Auslandsservice app. How do I reach the nearest embassy or consulate in an emergency? With the app, you always have all the contact details of the nearest Austrian mission abroad with you. The interactive map shows you the fastest route from your location. Also use the free travel registration for Austrians or registration for Austrians abroad so that we can reach you quickly by e-mail or phone in a crisis situation.

Reminder - EU Settlement Scheme

Just a reminder: if you have already been living in the UK since before 1 Jan 2020 and have not yet applied for your legal (pre-)settlement status in the UK after Brexit or if your application was refused and you did not heed the guidance instructing you to therefore leave the country, please contact the British authorities without any further ado.

Austrians living in the UK without holding (pre)settlement status / a legal residence permit / a valid visa risk serious consequences, even deportation (see "Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)").

Registering as an Austrian Abroad

Currently some 587,620 fellow-Austrians live abroad, with around 36,900 in the United Kingdom.

In order to be able to contact you quickly and reliably in the future, we would highly encourage you to register your status as an Austrian living abroad, which will enable the Austrian diplomatic representations to provide you with quick, efficient and unbureaucratic assistance.

The Austrian diplomatic representations (embassies, consulates, honorary consulates) are available to assist you with advice and support as worldwide service points within the framework of the legal possibilities, as Austrians abroad are considered as residents of the so-called ‘10th Federal State (Bundesland)’.

Registration is quick and easy and can be done here!

Recipe: Lebkuchen Biscuits (40 min prep time)



To sweeten the winter months, we thought we'd bring you a staple recipe straight from a traditional Austrian Christmas. In earlier days, these gingerbread-like delights were known as 'honey cakes' and were rumoured to have healing powers. Please enjoy!

Ingredients

• 500 g / 4 2/3 cups rye flour
• 2 eggs
• 120 g / 1/2 cup butter
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 120 g/ 1 cup icing sugar
• 250 g / 3/4 cup honey
• 2 packets of Lebkuchen spices*
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Lemon peel (grated and untreated)
• 50 g / 1.7 oz ground nuts
• 1 egg (for coating)

• 7 cardamom pods
• 6 cloves
• 6 pimento seeds
• 1 star anise
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground mace
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Step 1:

Mix the rye flour and baking powder, add the butter and mix it until it turns crumble-like. Add the icing sugar, spices, finely ground lemon peel, honey, and eggs.

Step 2:

Work the resulting dough, leave it to rest for an hour, roll it out flat, and cut it into the desired shapes.

Step 3:

Before baking it, brush it lightly with egg and add nuts on the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C / 356°F for approx. 8-10 minutes.
Lebkuchen can either be decorated with icing sugar or candied fruits.

Tip: In order to keep the Lebkuchen fresh, you can store it with slices of apple in the biscuit tin. They ensure that the Lebkuchen doesn't dry out and become hard, and at the same time lend it a special aroma.

If you can't get your hands on Lebkuchen spices, you can try making your own mixture. One packet of Lebkuchen spices is equal to approximately 15 g of the following fresh mixture.

Lebkuchen spices mixture

First remove the cardamom seeds from the green capsules. Put them in a pan alongside the cloves, allspice seeds, coriander seeds, and star anise and roast them until they are fragrant. Grind the remaining spices to a fine powder in a mortar. Mortar or mix with the remaining spices to a fine powder. Store it in an air-tight glass until use.

What to watch/read/listen to:

To read:
Vienna: How the City of Ideas Created the Modern World
An enlightening exploration of the influence of the Austrian capital on all aspects of the modern world, with a focus on the inter-war period. In the words of its author, Richard Cockett, "in any field that I read and wrote about, from business to advertising, from philosophy to shopping malls, from espionage to modern ceramics, there was usually a Viennese at the root of it." For those interested in an extraordinary account of Vienna's rich cultural and intellectual history, the book can be preordered here.

Austria Behind the Mask: Politics of a Nation since 1945
Written by Holocaust survivor Paul Lendvai, "Austria Behind the Mask" scrutinises the politics of Austria since the post-war period and delves deep into the contemporary political situation of the country. Its relationship with Russia, the EU and its neighbouring countries after the fall of the iron curtain, the changing political preferences of Austrians, and the tectonic shifts in the political architecture of the country are thoroughly examined. It is out now and available for purchase here.

Dates & Events

Upcoming in 2024

In 2024, we are pleased to let you know that Bad Ischl will become a European Capital of Culture, representing the many communities in the Salzkammergut region! It has planned an extensive cultural programme for the upcoming year, along these lines: "POWER AND TRADITION", "CULTURE IN MOTION", "SHARING SALZKAMMERGUT – The Art of Traveling", and "GLOBALOCAL – Building the New".

The Salzkammergut region itself is rich in exciting stories, places and people.We encourage you to take a closer look at what's in store here. 



Back on the home turf, here's what to look forward to in the UK:

• On 18 January, the Wiener Holocaust Library launches its exhibition "'IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS' a daughter’s response to her father’s silence at the Wiener Holocaust Library". It explores the story of Bill Powell, who arrived in the UK fifty years earlier as Wilhelm Pollak, a Jewish refugee from Vienna, having spent 10 months in Dachau and Buchenwald. A centrepiece is his daughter's “Forgive and Not Forget” project; painstakingly accurate reproductions of footwear depicting the uniqueness of each victim of the Holocaust.
• On 22 January, the Austrian Cultural Forum holds another of its Royal College of Music lunchtime concerts. Tickets can be booked here.
• On 27 January, the exhibition "The Vienna Model of Radicalisation. Austria and the Shoah", which is still running at the Wiener library in London until 13 February, will also be shown in Wells-Next-The Sea. It highlights the role of Vienna as gateway for the radicalisation of antisemitic policy in the Nazi State.