Austria stages hands-on military showcase for National Day
Monday 26th October 2026 on 06:15 in
Austria
Austria’s armed forces are presenting equipment and activities at Vienna’s Heldenplatz square for National Day, while government institutions and museums are also opening to visitors. ORF reported that the programme is intended to show the military’s work, development and personnel.
The day’s events include wreath-laying by the president, the federal government and victims’ organisations, followed by an aircraft flypast and the swearing-in of 1,200 recruits. The military is displaying new vehicles, including Leopard and Ulan tanks and a tank fitted with the Skyranger air-defence system. More than 900 soldiers, civilian employees and conscripts are helping run the programme.
Activities aimed especially at young people include a cyber escape room, a drone course and a climbing tower. A more compact military display was held at Heldenplatz and outside the Burgtheater on Saturday and Sunday.
The Austrian Parliament is offering tours of its chambers and ramp, which is usually reserved for the president and senior international guests. Visitors can also meet members of parliament from all parties in its Columned Hall.
The Federal Chancellery is opening its reception rooms and hosting a meet-and-greet with Chancellor Christian Stocker, Minister for the Chancellery Claudia Bauer and State Secretary Alexander Pröll. The Women’s and Science ministries and the Foreign Ministry are also open. Tours of the Presidential Chancellery offer a look inside part of the Hofburg, and President Alexander Van der Bellen is due to give his annual evening address.
The Supreme Administrative Court and Constitutional Court are also holding events. At the Constitutional Court, President Christoph Grabenwarter, Vice-President Verena Madner and judge Georg Lienbacher are answering questions about the court’s work.
Several Vienna museums are offering free admission, including the MAK, the Architekturzentrum Wien and the Museum of Military History. The Austrian National Library’s State Hall is open to visitors, and admission to the House of Austrian History at Heldenplatz is free.