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ALTAR OF THE FATHERLAND, VOLKSREPUBLIKPLATZ, WIEN
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Thousands of people have gathered infront of the Altar of the Fatherland, the monument built in 1892 that serves as a crypt for the House of Wien. The crypt has been neglected since 1957, and only the swift intervention by Volkskanzler Horst Grasser allowed to restore the building and repair the damages of time and weather. It is unclear why Horst Grasser did not destroy the monument after his efforts to erase the historical symbols of Ostmark which pre-dated the National-Syndicalist revolution, but the move seems to have been appreciated by the population and the political elite of the country. The initial support of the House of Wien for the National-Syndicalist People's Party is not a mistery, after all. The former royal family naively believed the nationalist agenda of the NSVP could be exploited to restore the monarchy and put an end to the republican experience.
As expected, Horst Grasser did not only prevent and block such plans, but also abolished the old red-white-red tricolour that served as the national flag of Ostmark throught most of its history. Surprisingly, Grasser did not order the exile of the remaining members of the House of Wien, and allowed bedridden and infirm King Ludwig IV to return to his native land and die in peace, as a stateman. The decision came after a moving letter written by Ludwig IV to People's Chancellor Grasser, who according to witnesses was deeply touched by the health conditions of the former monarch, and immediatly signed a decree to allow his return to Ostmark without giving too many explanations.
People's Chancellor Horst Grasser is attending the ceremony, and so is his Vice-Chancellor Ludwig Bohmer and all the members of the government, the youth organizations, and representatives of all the armed forces. In this particular event, members of the Elbener royal family have been allowed to travel to Ostmark, an historical event which sees no precedent in Ostmark's recent history. It is the first time in over one decade the representatives of a foreign nation visit the small south-eastern nation, and the first ones to visit Ostmark after the National-Syndicalist Revolution.
Hundreds of soldiers of the Volkswehr, Ostmark's People's Defense, are goose-stepping infront of the mausoleum. The Honor Guard of the Volksarmee, dressed in the historical uniforms of the Reichswehr, is carrying the coffin of King Ludwig IV which is wrapped around the flag of the Ostmarkische Reich, the forbidden tricolour with the black double-headed eagle emblem in the center.
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The Musikkorps der Volksmarine, the Music Corps of the People's Navy, are playing the notes of the
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. It is the first time since 1957 the song is played in public. The anthem is followed by
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, a wide array of military marches preserved since the days of line infantry warfare and still used today by the modern People's Defense, which defined Ostmark's militarism during its history, despite the country has never took part to an armed conflict.
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