The Austro-British Society of Carinthia, or Österreichisch-Britische Gesellschaft Kärnten, is recognised as a “Verein”, or Society.
The main objective of the society is to support and strengthen the cultural and social interactions and relationships between British and other English-speaking nationals with those of the local population, many of whom use the society to improve their understanding of English and the British.
The club is funded through annual membership subscriptions, some sponsorships, and with donations.
Sadly, we had to vacate our club rooms, located at Karfreitstraße 6 in Klagenfurt, at rather short notice at the end of November 2023. We are hopeful that we will find alternative rooms, but the search might take a while. In the meantime, we will contine to meet most Wednesdays, starting at 6.30 pm., at other locations. Check the upcoming events page for details.
Membership
We are a members-only club, but you are welcome to come and visit us a few times before deciding on whether you would like to join.
Annual Subscriptions, valid for one calendar year:
- Individual: €35,00
- Family: €55,00 (covers parents/partners and their children up to the age of 14).
You can pay at one of our club nights or direct to our bank, the Kärntner Sparkasse: Osterreichisch-Britische Gesellschaft, IBAN: AT50 2070 6000 0010 9876.
Committee
Honorary president
Walter Ludescher
President
Joy Graetz
Vice-President
Annelies Wallace
Secretary
Elisabeth Riedl
Treasurer
Helen Taupe
Other committee members
Susan Griffiths
Paul Brazell
History
The Austro-British Society Carinthia, based in Klagenfurt, was founded in 1946, the first members being the British soldiers stationed in Carinthia after the war. The purpose of the society was to promote mutual understanding between the Austrian and British people. In Austria, it is known as the Österreichisch-Britische Gesellschaft Kärnten. The society was supported by the “British Council” and they provided books for the library and furniture for the club room. The first club house was in the Villacherstraße 1. There were many moves after that before we ended up at our last location at Karfreitstraße 6.
Our society has now been running for almost 80 years continually, the longest of all the Austro-British societies in Austria.
Today, the Austro-British Society Carinthia remains a place of intercultural dialogue and activity, offering members opportunities to engage in cultural and social interactions that strengthen the relationships between English-speaking nationals and Austrians. We meet weekly and seek to provide a wide variety of fun and interesting social events, celebrations and trips away.