1935: The Opera Ball

When looked at more closely, the Opera Ball as it is still known today is an “invented tradition” of Austrofascism’s regressive ideas of harmony. After the imposition of the Thousand Mark Ban, the Austrian Civil War of February 1934 and the murder of Federal Chancellor Dollfuss, the government decided to introduce prestigious historical-style balls as one of several measures to stimulate tourism and improve Austria’s image abroad.

Political and cultural leaders threw themselves into the pleasures of the ball for the first time on January 26, 1935 while also promoting an isolated Austria in the process. The Opera Ball was based on the programme of the state-supporting court balls of the monarchy and less so on the Opernredoute, which took place four times in the 1920s as masquerade balls. After the “Anschluss” (“annexation”), the ball took place one last time on February 18, 1939. During the Second Republic, the Opera Ball was revived following the end of the "occupation period", and took place on February 9, 1956 in the reopened State Opera. As a result, the event became a success story for promoting the image of the Republic of Austria.