Artstetten Castle (german: Schloss Artstetten, ) is a
château
A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions.
Now ...
near the
Wachau
The Wachau () is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems that also attracts "connois ...
valley in
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
, in the community of
Artstetten-Pöbring.
History
Artstetten Castle was owned by a number of families over the centuries until it was purchased in 1823 by Emperor
Francis I of Austria
Francis II (german: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor (from 1792 to 1806) and the founder and Emperor of the Austrian Empire, from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response ...
. In 1852,
Archduke Franz Karl of Austria became the owner, then he gave it in 1861 to his third son,
Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria. In 1889, the property was given to
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, who made extensive renovations to the castle.
Formerly used as a summer residence by members of the
Habsburg dynasty
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
, the castle is now the final resting place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his
morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
wife
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg (; cs, Žofie Marie Josefína Albína hraběnka Chotková z Chotkova a Vojnína 1 March 1868 – 28 June 1914) was the wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Their assas ...
, who were
assassinated in 1914. Emperor
Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
refused to allow them to be interred in the traditional
Imperial Crypt at the
Capuchin Church, Vienna
The Capuchin Church (german: Kapuzinerkirche) in Vienna, Austria, is a church and monastery run by the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Located on the Neuer Markt square in the Innere Stadt near the Hofburg Palace, the Capuchin Church is most ...
, because of their
morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
. It also houses the Archduke Franz Ferdinand Museum.
After
Konopiště Castle was confiscated by
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
in 1921 as part of the confiscation of Hapsburg properties under the
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Arstetten became the
Hohenberg family's primary residence. The castle remains their private property, and parts of the castle are open to the public for visits.
After the ''
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...
'' in 1938,
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
deported the Hohenbergs to
Dachau concentration camp for their
anti-Nazi
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
views and confiscated the castle. After the
Vienna offensive
The Vienna offensive was an offensive launched by the Soviet 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts in order to capture Vienna, Austria, during World War II. The offensive lasted from 16 March to 15 April 1945.
After several days of street-to-street f ...
, the
Soviet occupation authorities allowed the residents of Arstetten to elect
Duke Maximilian as their mayor, and the
Republic of Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ci ...
formally returned the castle to the family in 1949, being unable to retain ownership as the Hohenbergs were not covered by the
Habsburg Law.
After the death of
Franz, Duke of Hohenberg in 1977, the property was deeded to his eldest child, Princess Anita of Hohenberg. The Anita Hohenberg Trust was set up in 2003, and she and her family manage the property.
Coin
The castle was selected as a main motif for a high value
euro collectors' coin, the
Austrian 10 euro Castle of Artstetten commemorative coin, minted on 13 October 2004. The coin's obverse shows the castle of Artstetten standing above the
Danube River
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
on the threshold to the region of
Wachau
The Wachau () is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems that also attracts "connois ...
.
The reverse shows the entrance to the
crypt of the Hohenberg family. There are two portraits on the left, showing Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.
Burials
![Grab von Franz Ferdinand](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Grab_von_Franz_Ferdinand.jpg)
Notable burials in the castle's crypt include:
Family crypt info
* Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (1863 – 1914), heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg (; cs, Žofie Marie Josefína Albína hraběnka Chotková z Chotkova a Vojnína 1 March 1868 – 28 June 1914) was the wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Their assas ...
(1868 – 1914), both assassinated by Gavrilo Princip
Gavrilo Princip ( sr-Cyrl, Гаврило Принцип, ; 25 July 189428 April 1918) was a Bosnian Serb student who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914.
Pr ...
in Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
on 28 June 1914
* Stillborn third son of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie (1908)
* Prince Ernst of Hohenberg
Prince Ernst of Hohenberg (''Ernst Alfons Franz Ignaz Joseph Maria Anton von Hohenberg''; 27 May 1904 – 5 March 1954) was the second son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, who were ...
(1904 – 1954), second son of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie
** Marie-Thérèse Wood (1910 – 1985), wife of Ernst
* Maximilian, 1st Duke of Hohenberg (1902 – 1962), eldest son of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie
** Countess Maria von Waldburg zu Wolfegg und Waldsee, wife of Maximilian
* Franz, 2nd Duke of Hohenberg (1927 – 1977), eldest son of Maximilian
** Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Hohenberg
Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Hohenberg (Elisabeth Hilda Zita Marie Anna Antonia Friederike Wilhelmine Luise; 22 December 1922 – 22 November 2011) was a Luxembourgian princess. She was a daughter of Grand Duchess Charlotte and her husband, ...
(1922 – 2011), wife of Franz and a member of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg
The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau, headed by the sovereign Grand Duke, and in which the throne of the grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, w ...
Literature
* Stefan Haderer: ''Artstetten Castle: Residence and final resting place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este (1863-1914), Heir-Presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian Throne'', Royalty Digest Quarterly, Vol. 1/2014, Rosvall Royal Books, Falköping 2014
References
External links
*
Schloss Artstetten website
Castles in Lower Austria
Hohenberg family
Museums in Lower Austria
History museums in Austria
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Burial sites of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine
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