• Civil Grenadiers Corps: participating ensemble

Basic details of this event, primarily noting the officers who gave the various toasts, were reported by Prager Morgenpost 20/8/1863. The source noted: ‘For the birthday celebrations of the Emperor. The Banquet of the Civil Grenadiers Corps on the Žofín Island was very well attended (240 covers). The Officer Corps were greeted with the National Anthem. The toasts were by Major Bernt to His Majesty, by Captain Count Wratislaw to the royal family, by Captain Lippmann to His Excellency the Vice-President Governor [Statthaltereivicepräsidenten] Count Belcredi, by Captain Dormitzer to the Mayor Dr Bělsky. On the request of Major Bernt a collection for Polná was arranged, which raised 140fl. In the evening a dance entertainment [Tanzunterhaltung] took place.’

On 22/8/1863 Prager Morgenpost published a public notice from the organizing committee for this Sharpshooters’s festival expressing their thanks to the Restauranteur of the Žofín Island, Josef Beranek [Beránek], for providing excellent food, drink and wine on this occasion.

The collection arranged by Major Bernt would have been for unfortunate citizens of the town of Polná which had suffered a disastrous fire earlier in August 1863. No further details of the musical content of the occasion were noted. The participating musical ensemble performing in the dance entertainments was possibly that of the Civil Grenadiers Corps.