The study collection entitled A Lónyayak eltűnt és felfedezett világa (The Lost and Discovered World of the Lónyays), compiled from lectures given at conferences organised on the occasion of the Lónyay 200 commemorative year, was presented at the Ráday Library in Budapest.
The book features essays on Menyhert Lónyay and his extended family. It also mentions the former Hungarian finance minister and prime minister’s nephew, Elemér Lónyay, born 160 years ago and later granted the title of prince by King Charles I (IV), drawing attention to the nearly (a year short) joint anniversary.
Among the 46 studies is a piece by the Deputy Scientific Director of our Foundation on the relations of Elemér Lónyay and his wife, Princess Stefania, with the Habsburgs. The essay, which is available in Hungarian below, recalls the former diplomat lord’s close ties with Otto von Habsburg and his family. Elemér Lónyay and his wife were regular guests in court circles, and after the death of the last Hungarian monarch, they financially supported the young Crown Prince and his siblings in exile. They had met Otto as a child in Vienna and later visited him during his stay in Belgium. They were considered benefactors of the Habsburg children and regularly sent them gifts and money – as evidenced by the diaries of Count Heinrich Degenfeld, which are held in our Foundation. Queen and Empress Zita also corresponded with Princess Stefania.
Their bond remained even after their passing: in 2011, the heart urn of Otto von Habsburg was placed next to the tomb of the Lónyay couple in the lower church of the Pannonhalma Archabbey.
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Gergely Fejérdy
