History

55 years of the “Wiener Ball” in the Netherlands

The former Consul of Austria in the Netherlands had a daughter called Veronica who grew up in the Netherlands due to the function of her father. After she studied in Vienna, she came back to the Netherlands, however, she missed the excitement of the Vienna balls. To counter this miss, Veronica organized her own ball for the first time in 1965 in the Kurhaus in Scheveningen. There were 10 couples who formed the Jungdamen and Jungherrenkomitee. The ladies wore dresses in pastel colours.

The ball was a roaring success even though not all ball guests were aware of the Viennese customs. Due to the success and enthusiasm a ball committee was formed which would organize a ball similar to the Viennese balls annually.

The ball of course had to be organized during the carnival period so from 1966 to 1972, the “Ball der Osterreicher” was organized in the Kurhaus in Scheveningen, also known as the Viennese debutante ball.

Sadly, due to renovations in the Kurhaus the ball had to be organized elsewhere. In the following years, the ball took place in Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, in the Sonesta Hotel Amsterdam, the Concert Hall Amsterdam, and for nine years ball guests amused themselves in the Stadsgehoorzaal in Leiden. The ball was alternately hosted by the association “Nederland Oostenrijk” and the “Verein der Österreicher in den Niederlanden”.

In 1992 the ball moved back to Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk and to this day it is still hosted here. This coming February it will already be the 56th edition of the Wiener Ball and it will be the 34rd time that it is organized by the hotel.

At present, the Wiener Ball in the Netherlands is one of the biggest Viennese balls outside Austria and it is praised for its warm welcome and inviting ambiance.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ball regretfully could not take place in February 2021 and 2022. To make up for the time lost, the 53rd edition was organized as a Wiener Summer Ball in 2022. This was unique for the Wiener Ball and had never occurred in all of its history.

In the past 55 editions, there have been many organizing committees. Todays organizing committee was heralded in November 2022 and is rejoicing to continue the rich history of the Wiener Ball while preserving the old traditions.

Looking back on the 55th Wiener Ball

published on: 22 February 2024
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55th edition on February 3, 2024: Lustrum

published on: 10 March 2023
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