Commemoration on Madeira Island

The collection of the Otto von Habsburg Foundation contains numerous photographs and manuscript diaries documenting the daily life of the royal family during their time in exile. Gergely Fejérdy has compiled the text of the exhibition mainly from these sources. We have already presented the Hungarian version of the the roll-up exhibition at our conference titled “Goodwill and Misfortune” on 25 March, organised jointly with the VERITAS Research Institute and Archives. At this event, our colleague Szilveszter Dékány, who manages the photo collection, gave a presentation on the material concerning Charles IV. There was also a presentation by our colleague Eszter Fábry on the processing of the diaries written during the time of Madeira, which diaries we recently received from Walburga Habsburg Douglas, daughter of our namesake. In addition to others, the processing work of the two of them contributed to the success of the exhibition in Madeira, which provided much new information for both local researchers and the many descendants of Charles who were present.

The panels were first set up in the Cathedral of Funchal. The church, consecrated in 1517, was the venue for the March 31st commemorative concert and the next day’s memorial mass. Experience has shown that our exhibition and publications have been a great help in historical understanding, even for those who knew a little about the history of Central Europe and the Habsburg dynasty. Not to mention those who, through the memorial sites and posters, are somewhat familiar with “Beato Carlos d’Austria” – as he is called in Madeira – but know nothing of his historical role and the reasons for his beatification. The final destination of our exhibition was the Church of Our Lady of the Mount, in Monte, on the hillside above Funchal, next to the final resting place of our last king. There, on the morning of 2 April, we handed the exhibition over to the parish and to the Honorary Consul of Hungary in Funchal, Pedro Franca Fereira. This will make it possible in the future for all pilgrims to learn about the life of Charles I (IV).

However, our journey also served a further purpose beyond commemoration and education. We had already suspected that there might be many interesting photographs and documents in Portuguese collections and in the possession of descendants of the royal family and their entourage of the time. So we visited the Madeira Photography Museum – Atelier Vicente’s in the centre of Funchal, housed in the former studio of the photographic dynasty that has played an important role in capturing the public and private lives of islanders since the heyday of photography. We have agreed with the museum’s directors to share digital copies of unique items from our collections that are missing from each other’s archives.

Similarly important discussions have been held with the management of the Madeira Regional Archives. The diplomatic and political context of the exile of the royal family, the internal consultations between the Portuguese authorities, the correspondence between the central authorities in Lisbon and the Madeira authorities, which was often secret, may shed light on many historical issues that have been unknown to research. The colleagues at the archives are planning an exhibition of the documents there at the end of June, which we are helping to organise, and we are also planning to present this exhibition in Budapest at the end of this year. We discussed this with Eduardo Jesus, Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture, and Karl von Habsburg.

We visited the remains of the former residence of the royal family, which was a rather sad sight. Good news, however, is that renovation of the buildings is already underway. The Portuguese colleagues plan to create a museum that will present the intellectual currents of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Here there will be a room dedicated to the memory of Charles and his family. We offered the help of our Foundation here too, but we were also convinced that Funchal has excellent public collections professionals who know the historical role of the last Austrian Emperor and Hungarian King, as well as his exemplary family life, which is important for the Catholic Church. They see this as an opportunity to further increase the tourist appeal of their island, which is so rich in natural treasures.

Gergely Prőhle