Tu felix Austria.

Today is our national day. On October 26th 1955, one day after Austria’s ten year occupation had ended, the Austrian government declared Austria neutral now and for all times. Nearly 50 years later, we’re still neutral, that in the middle of world that slowly descends into war and terror. It took us Europeans two hard and bloody lessons to understand that here in Europe there’s no “you” and “me”, there’s only “we” and “us”. Our freedom firmly rests in the hand of all Europeans not just Austrians, Germans or the British. I hate blind patriotism but today I might sing with all the others, who are proud of what we’ve made out of this country.

Mutig in die neuen Zeiten,
Frei und gläubig sieh uns schreiten,
Arbeitsfroh und hoffnungsreich.
Einig laß in Brüderchören, Vaterland, dir Treue schwören,
Vielgeliebtes Österreich

I believe.