(Brno 1856-c. 1920)
Motifs of the great endurance ride Berlin-Vienna/Vienna-Berlin in 1892: Start and finish in Floridsdorf near Vienna, signed M. Ledeli, grisaille watercolours, white gouache, paper on cardboard, 31 x 42,5 cm and 35 x 43 cm, in a leather frame inscribed “with Gf. Starhemberg, am 2. Oktober 1892” “Wien, am 4. October 1892” and a horseshoe symbol as talisman (the cloverleaf application lost), (2) (Hu)

The great endurance ride Berlin-Vienna/Vienna-Berlin took place in autumn 1892. The ride between Berlin and Vienna was a military exercise for officers of the German and Austro-Hungarian armies. It took place over a distance of 572 kilometers and was never held before. The competition was preceded by a bet between the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph and the German Emperor Wilhelm II about the military efficiency of the two armies. Both emperors donated an honorary award for each best participant of the other country. On Oct. 1st 1892, 118 officers started from Vienna towards Berlin and 132 German officers set out in Berlin. First lieutenant Wilhelm Graf Starhemberg of the husars’ regiment No 7 on the English half-breed Athos was the champion on the Austrian side; the winner of the Germans was premier lieutenant Freiherr von Reitzenstein from the cuirassier regiment no 4 on the Senner mare Lippspringe. The best time was 71 hours and 40 minutes with only a break of 11 hours. Due to reasons of animal protection the endurance ride was very much disputed and never found a continuation.

One sheet illustrated in:
E. v. Naundorff, Der grosse Distanzritt Berlin-Wien 1892, Breslau 1893;
E. Rancillio, Der grosse Distanzritt Berlin-Wien 1892, Dresden 1894.

Literature:
E. v. Naundorff, Der grosse Distanzritt Berlin-Wien 1892, Breslau 1893. E. Rancillo, Der grosse Distanzritt Berlin-Wien 1892, Dresden 1894.