Distance ride Berlin – Vienna, Vienna – Berlin 1892

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A publication on the endurance ride from 1893

The distance ride Berlin – Vienna, Vienna – Berlin 1892 took place in autumn 1892. It was an unprecedented military exercise ride for officers of the German and Austro-Hungarian armies between Berlin and Vienna or Vienna and Berlin. This competition ride over a distance of 572 kilometers provided first-time and surprising insights into the performance of the cavalry troops . But it was also highly controversial for animal welfare reasons. Despite the sometimes negative press coverage of the time, modern endurance sport found its origin in this endurance ride, in addition to endurance riding and carriage distance driving, for example, the long-distance bicycle race .

background

The announcement for the competition was preceded by a bet between the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef and the German Emperor Wilhelm II . about the possible uses of the respective mounted units. The ride was meant to test the military capabilities of the two armies. Both emperors each donated an honorary award for the best of the other country. In addition, monetary prizes were awarded by various ministries in both countries for those who came next.

The competition between the participants of the two armies, however, not only served a military purpose, it triggered a great national euphoria among the populations of both countries in Germany and Austria. Ultimately, this race was also intended to connect the armies that were formerly hostile but now allied in the event of war. The ambition of the participants was correspondingly high, and many already successful hunting riders among the military registered. Important representatives of the German aristocracy , such as the captain Ernst Günther Herzog von Schleswig-Holstein (84th in the overall ranking), a brother-in-law of the German emperor or the major Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia (37th in the overall ranking) rode along.

Competition conditions

The tender was carried out by a mixed commission of high-ranking officers from both sides. The aim was to cover the respective route in the shortest possible time, the total time from start to finish including breaks was calculated. Changing horses was not allowed. There were no veterinary checks and no mandatory breaks were prescribed. Although a "condition price" worth 5,000 marks each was advertised on both sides , which, in addition to the speed, should also take into account the health of the horse at the finish line, it was nevertheless foreseeable that the physical integrity of the horses would be postponed during this military emergency ride would. It was up to each rider how much he burdened himself and his horse. The damage to health or losses in the mostly noble, full- blooded or half-blooded horses were correspondingly high . Within a week of the race, 30 of the 250 horses from the field died, including the winners.

The entry fee was 100 marks, the 40 fastest riders should receive a prize of at least 500 marks. For the first winner 20,000 marks, for the second 10,000 marks and for the third 6,000 marks.

Course and result

Participants in the distance ride from Berlin to Vienna in 1892. In the middle, the top three German riders, from left to right: First Lieutenant Freiherr von Reitzenstein, Second Lieutenant Albrecht von Thaer and First Lieutenant von Kronenfeldt.

On October 1, 1892, 118 Austro-Hungarian officers left Vienna for Berlin, and 132 German cavalrymen set off from Berlin. On the German side, the cuirassier , hussar , dragoons and lancers regiments reported their most promising riders, who had to defend the honor of the respective units. Private horses were mostly used. The cavalry colonel Heinrich von Rosenberg looked after the German riders.

The Austrians, who advantageously rode first in difficult and later in easy terrain, were able to achieve consistently better times on the 572-kilometer route. Overall winner was the first lieutenant in Hussar Regiment No. 7 Wilhelm Graf Starhemberg (1862-1928) on the Anglo-Hungarian half-breed Athos with a total time of 71 hours and 40 minutes. Of that, only eleven hours were spent on breaks. Starhemberg received 20,000 marks in prize money as well as the honorary award of Emperor Wilhelm and the Red Eagle Order 4th class. His horse died a few hours later.

The second best Austrian rider was Oberleutnant von Miklos, who achieved 3rd place in the overall ranking with a time of 74 hours and 24 minutes and achieved prize money of 6,000 marks. Lieutenant Hofer was the third Austrian to arrive in Berlin with a riding time of 74 hours and 42 minutes. He received 4,500 marks. On the Austrian side, Rittmeister Haller received the “Condition Prize” of 5,000 marks in the overall result in 25th place.

The destination of the German riders was Floridsdorf , a suburb of Vienna. The German winner was Prime Lieutenant Freiherr von Reitzenstein from Cuirassier Regiment No. 4 on the Senner mare Lippspringe in 73 hours and six minutes. He received the honorary award from Emperor Franz Josef and 10,000 marks in prize money. His horse also died the day after the finish.

The second best German rider (and ninth in the overall ranking) was second lieutenant Albrecht von Thaer ( cuirassier regiment von Seydlitz Magdeburg No. 7 ) with a total riding time of 78 hours and 45 minutes. The prize money won was 1,800 marks. Third-best German became Premier Lieutenant von Kronenfeldt from Field Artillery Regiment No. 10 with a time of 79 hours and 6 minutes. The “condition price” for the German riders was divided and the overall eleventh Kronenfeldt and the second lieutenant Johannsen, who came in 17th overall (with a riding time of 80 hours and 45 minutes), received 2,500 marks each.

Participants (excerpt)

Germany

Honorary award from Kaiser Wilhelm II for the first place, First Lieutenant Count Starhemberg

Austria

References and comments

  1. ↑ Book graphics in: E. von Naundorff (ed.), The great distance ride Berlin - Vienna in the year 1892. According to the most reliable official sources and the personal records of the individual participants, as well as the publications published about them , Verlag J. Paul Lis, Breslau 1893
  2. ↑ according to Dominique Trachsel on Endurance-Bernwest.ch
  3. ↑ The ride was referred to as the "Great Distance Ride Berlin-Vienna 1892" for the Germans and the "Great Distance Ride Vienna-Berlin 1892" for the Austrians.
  4. ↑ This is how the first major long-distance bicycle race came about as a direct result of riding on the same route in the following year, according to The distance ride Vienna - Berlin 1893 on cycling4fans.de
  5. ↑ The Austrian Emperor was initially skeptical, as he feared that the ride could become a torture for the horses, according to Martin Haller, horses under the double-headed eagle , see bibliography (p. 85).
  6. ↑ On the military motives Gerhard Keerl writes: "... It had been recognized for a long time that at longer distances and on marches lasting several days, foot troops were paradoxically only slightly slower compared to single riders, but paradoxically only slightly slower compared to equestrian groups. Now it was time to test the army command , where the performance limits of the horse were for continuous performance without sacrificing it, and to improve experiences for night walks ... "in: Gerhard Keerl, Reiter und Ritte , see bibliography (p. 186)
  7. ↑ according to Barbara and Werner Sißmann on Distanzpferd.de
  8. ↑ according to Albin Friedrich Wilhelm Theodor Freiherr von Reitzenstein, My Distance Ride Berlin - Vienna, lecture given in the Military Society in Berlin on December 7, 1892 , Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin 1893 (p. 4)
  9. ↑ engraving by Schnaebeli & Co, Berlin, with the 120 German participants
  10. ↑ It was started on the German side in three waves from October 1st to 3rd due to the high number of participants.
  11. ↑ In addition, officers from guard units on horseback or the mounted field artillery also competed.
  12. ↑ according to Siegfried A. Kaehler (Ed.), General Staff Service at the Front and in the OHL ., Göttingen, 1958
  13. ↑ Starhemberg had - unlike the participants on the German side - prepared specifically for the race and slowly rode the route back in August. According to Martin Haller, horses under the double-headed eagle , see bibliography (p. 85)
  14. ↑ If Reitzenstein hadn't gone wrong shortly before the finish line and lost 90 minutes, he would probably have been the overall winner, according to the Swiss magazine Kavallo

literature

  • C. von Blottnitz, Freiherr von Reitzenstein, Vienna-Berlin 1892. Reports on the endurance ride , in: Joachim R. de Bruycker (ed.), The adventures of the great endurance rides: Strasbourg-Granada 1881, Berlin-Vienna-Berlin 1892, Saarbrücken- Rome 1900 , Moby Dick Verlag, Kiel, 1985
  • Distance ride Vienna - Berlin in October 1892. Compiled according to information provided by the participants , Verlag Friedrich Beck, Vienna, 1893
  • Thomas Druml, Glanz und Untergang , from the series: Austrian Horse Breeding in the 20th Century (Part 1), in the magazine: Pferderevue , Edition 11/2006, 2006 (p. 58 f.)
  • Martin Haller : Horses under the double-headed eagle. The horse as a carrier of culture in the Habsburg Empire , Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim 2002
  • Gerhard Keerl, "Riders and Rides. Historical Streifzüge", from the series: Nova Hippologica , ISBN 3-487-08415-5 , Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim 2000
  • Albrecht von Thaer, Gen.-Major a. D., Endurance ride Vienna-Berlin, Berlin-Vienna. October 1892 , n.v., 1952
  • Endurance ride Vienna - Berlin in October 1892 . Compiled according to information provided by the participants , Friedrich Beck, Vienna 1893
  • E. von Naundorff, The great distance ride Berlin - Vienna in 1892. J. Paul Lis publisher, Breslau 1893

See also

Commons : Distance Ride Berlin-Vienna 1892  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files