Admont Abbey Library, Austria

Admont Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in the town of Admont, central Austria. It contains the largest monastic library in the world. The name Admont derives from a Latin term meaning at the mountains. Admont Abbey was founded in the year 1074. It quickly became a center of learning. The library hall was built in 1776, designed by the architect Joseph Hueber. It houses around 70,000 books. In the rest of the monastery, another 130,000 or so books are stored, as well as 1,400 manuscripts. The ceiling features paintings by Bartolomeo Altomonte illustrating the stages of human knowledge. The themes include thought, speech, sciences, and arts. Gold and white are main colors. According to the architect Hueber:

Like our understanding, spaces too should be filled with light.

Thailand and Austria

In 2014, The Nation reported that His Excellency Enno Drofenik, Austrian Ambassador to Thailand enjoys practicing his skills in muay thai, among other martial arts. While improving his talents at karate, Ambassador Drofenik noted that he has broken all his toes and a forearm:

In fact, a few broken toes and a broken arm are nothing in 15 years. If you play soccer or ice hockey for that long, your injuries will be far worse…I could have told my trainer that my forearm was broken and he might have given me the black belt without my having to fight. But I couldn’t do that. And of course, if he knew, he would have forbidden me to take the test. So I taped my right arm heavily. The test took seven hours and I was very stressed out. The injury was the least of my concerns. I didn’t even think about my arm even for a second. And everything went well.

So far, Ambassador Drofenik has not experienced comparable injuries with muay thai. He told The Nation that he was bsuy taking daily lessons from the champion Supachai Somyong:

When you have a trainer who is a champion, you have to work hard and take things seriously. I’m more laid back when I train alone. Like in life, there are no short cuts in martial arts. You have to work hard or you won’t perform well at the end of the day.

Apart from martial arts, the Austrian embassy has also displayed a strong interest in traditional dances such as the Viennese waltz. As The Bangkok Post observed in 2015, a Vienna Ball Bangkok was held at Siam Kempinski Hotel under the auspices of the Austrian Embassy. This was the first such event in seven years presented by the embassy. Wiener Schnitzel, a thin, breaded and fried veal cutlet that is a famous taste treat from Vienna, was served to the guests. The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra played Viennese waltzes, and dancers from the Vienna State Opera were among the entertainers. The event raised money for the Royal Project “Kamlangjai” (Inspire Project) under the royal patronage of HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha. Also benefiting were the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Abuse Centre and the Child Protection and Development Centre, both in Pattaya.

Diplomatic Exchange

The Austrian magazine Society posted an interview with H.E. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Thai Ambassador to Austria, about the longstanding diplomatic relations between Thailand and Austria. The ambassador explained:

Diplomatic relations started between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Siam, more specifically with the Treaty of Friendship and Navigation. The Treaty was signed in 1869 and in 1878 the two countries exchanged Ambassadors for the first time.

Among the many areas where Thai visitors study Austrian developments are in the fields of

water management and sustainable development. Engineering and medical services are also often looked at. Siemens Graz for instance was building some of the locomotive sections for the sky train in Bangkok that has been running for 20 years now. In addition, we have the Red Bull cooperation. The popular energy drink originated in Thailand, where it is called Krating Daeng (Thai for Red Bull). In 1982, Didi Mateschitz travelled to Thailand, discovered it there and brought it back to Europe. It is a little stronger in Asia to suit the Asian consumers. The original owner Chaleo Yoovidhya and his son Chalerm both hold 49 and two percent of the company respectively, while Mateschitz holds the other 49 percent. Austrian investment in Thailand also includes: Semperit, they manufacture surgical gloves made from Thai rubber, as we are the largest or second largest rubber exporter in the world. Jeweller Swarovski has six factories in Thailand, where the assembling and cutting of the stones is made. Austria is a leading country for tourism, sustainable development and engineering and is considered as a bridge to Eastern Europe. Thailand is considered as bridge to South East Asia. In the field of environmental issues, we have a few projects: The Naturhistorisches Museum currently has a campaign for the conservation of wild life tigers, which is a major issue in Thailand. Wild life protection with tigers and cooperation with Thai authorities is important and we try to facilitate the exchange and encourage the raising of awareness. Tigers are being domesticated and put into zoos instead of left in the wild. Austria is supporting their preservation.

Cultural exchange is also a matter of interest, especially for approximately 100 Thai students currently staying in Vienna. Ambassador Arthayudh adds:

HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej was the first Asian to receive an Honorary Membership from the Institute of Music and Arts of Vienna for his contribution to music in the world. Our king plays the saxophone. He visited Austria in 1964 and 1966, where he performed with Hans Solomon. Their show was broadcasted on ORF… The mother of Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, our former ambassador to Austria, was here to shoot a television drama show. They were using Austria as a location and that is something that we also like to further do in the future. It is a love story taking place in Vienna, Salzburg and New York and focuses on the International Organizations here and the diplomatic relations. When this TV drama series comes out in Thailand in October more Thai tourists will come to Austria, similar to the effect after “The Sound of Music”.

In terms of trade, Austria imports Thai products such as textiles indirectly, through Germany and The Netherlands. The main direct import to Thailand from Austria is Swarovski. Through other countries, Thailand also exports items that wind up in Austria, including electrical products, latex gloves, automobile parts, and processed foods. Optimistic about the future, the ambassador concluded:

Swarovski, Siemens, Red Bull – these are a lot of high level co-operations that we hope to strengthen and expand in the future. Sustainable development, music and tourism are all areas which I would like to fortify furthermore. In September we will have four fashion designers from Thailand, participating in the MQ Vienna Fashion Week. We also want to promote Thai silk design. In the upcoming years we would also like to participate more in the Vienna balls like the Summer Festival and Imperial Ball by showcasing Thai jewellery, including participation at Fete Imperial at the Spanish Horse Riding School and Concordia Ball. We also try to provide education about Thailand to children who are half Thai and half Austrian, who are born and raised here but don’t know much about Thai culture. We teach them the Thai language and about their history.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)