To launch its 50th anniversary celebrations, the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles hosted a reception on May 15, 2019, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. In 1969, an empty space on the premises of the hotel had served as the provisional office of the first Austrian Consul General of Los Angeles and late Federal President of Austria, Thomas Klestil.
At the kickoff event, Consul General Andreas Launer presented a special anniversary publication and announced upcoming events celebrating the powerful Austrian heritage in California in the course of the jubilee year and beyond. Guests included Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz, Beverly Hills Mayor John Mirisch, the Honorary President of the American Jewish Committee, Bruce Ramer, and many notable personalities from the Austrian-American community. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck sent special dessert treats as a tribute to his home country Austria.
Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Christoph Waltz with Consul General Andreas Launer
#throwback to August 1969: Sam Yorty, Mayor of Los Angeles presents Consul General of Austria Thomas Klestil with the Golden Key of the City of Los Angeles
Austrian Consulate General Los Angeles staffers, from left: Sabine Wabnitz, Martina Weber, Mariella Finer, Cecilia Taieb, Pamela Ernst, and Josef Schwob
All photos (c) Austrian Consulate General Los Angeles