State Representatives – Visiting Burgenlanders in Canada and the United States

The trip first took place under Governor Theodore Kerry in 1971 to mark Burgenland’s 50th anniversary; The tradition is maintained to this day: Governor Hans Peter Toskosil is now celebrating the country’s 100th birthday with descendants of former immigrants in Canada and the United States. 66,000 people immigrated – so the community is even bigger.

The delegation will be on the road until next week. After an initial meeting with the Burgenländer Club in Toronto, over the next few days we will travel from Chicago to Allentown and finally to New York. There is also another highlight: “Katharinen Paul” on the 100th anniversary of the “first Burgenlander Austria SC New York”, the community up to Burgenland.

“Intensify Exchange”

The delegation was deliberately kept small compared to previous expeditions, which was emphasized upon arrival. In addition to Doskozil, there are regional artist Leonhard Schnemann and former state parliament speaker Verena Dunst, who has been involved in the community for a long time. The trio will be accompanied by ethics chief Manfred Riegler and two board members from the Burgenland community, Klaus Gerger and Erwin Weinhofer.

The visit also focuses on future exchanges between Burgenland and the United States. Doskozil wants to open a new chapter in maintaining connections: “We want to create platforms to present today’s Burgenland to the young generation of immigrants and to enable targeted exchange.”

According to Toskosil, academic institutions such as Joseph Hayden Private University and University of Applied Sciences are ideal, as are art residencies or business collaborations. At present, the overall concept is being drawn up at the state level.