!!!Ballonfahren

Ballooning: The first take-off of a hot-air balloon in Austria took 
place on July 6, 1784 in the Vienna Prater recreation area and was 
performed J. G.  Stuwer. In 1885 V. Silberer founded the Wiener 
Aeronautische Anstalt (Aeronautic Institute of Vienna) with the aim of 
promoting the sport, as well as ballooning research. The first time 
that bombs were dropped from balloons was over Venice in 1849; during 
World War I gas balloons were used for artillery observation. 
Since the end of the Second World War in 1945, ballooning has been 
performed as a touristic and sports activity. Since 1980 the sport has 
gained great popularity in Austria. In 1998 there were around 300 
balloons (mainly hot-air balloons) in Austria and 350 professionally 
trained pilots. Traditional ballooning centres are Filzmoos (province 
of Salzburg), Kirchberg in Tirol and Puch bei Weiz, Bad Waltersdorf 
and Stubenberg in Styria. Austria´s best-known pilot, J.  
Starkbaum, has won several altitude world records as well as a great 
number of international titles.

!Literature
I. Trifonov, Ballooning Extrem, 1994; H. Kronberger, Das 
oesterreichische Ballonbuch, 1995; W. Nairz, Ballonfahren, 1997.


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