Publications

What is the secret of the Habsburgs? How did the successive heads of the family – counts, territorial princes, kings, and emperors – navigate the dynasty for eight centuries? Is there a formula for empire-building? And what is perhaps even more challenging: maintaining one? What unites those who bear the Habsburg name today, in an era of mass democracies and artificial intelligence, in a (post-)postmodern world? Does a Habsburg brand exist? Eduard Habsburg, descendant of the Hungarian branch, and until recently Hungary’s ambassador to Malta and the Holy See, guides...

Polarised societies, a prevailing mood of uncertainty fuelled by the crisis in the Western world and the threat posed by autocratic regimes, bureaucratisation, the absurd excesses of identity politics, conflicts between nations seeking to preserve their sovereignty and supranational organisations. Tolerance and cancel culture, populism and elitism – all these concepts and processes have become an integral part of our everyday lives in the 21st century. How can we maintain clarity in this extremely over-ideologised power-semantic-media space, where the news, images, and phenomena that bombard us obscure the very essence...

We have published our fifth annual summary of the past year's work, which is much more than a calendar of events. 2024, our sixth year of activity, was once again marked by historic anniversaries, providing a valuable opportunity to reflect on contemporary political, economic, and public challenges. Furthermore, Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of the year brought renewed focus to the topic of European integration, which has been a defining aspect of our namesake's life. This volume aims to provide our readers...

On January 6, 1925, Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen was born in Würzburg. By this time, the tradition of politically arranged marriages among European aristocratic families had vastly diminished. Since its foundation in 1680, the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen expanded its initially small territory through a series of strategically arranged weddings. Nevertheless, there were also notable instances of love-based marriages, often involving partners from the bourgeoisie. Significant examples of these morganatic unions include Prince Anton Ulrich, who married his maid, Philippine Caesar, as well as Prince George II, the “theatre prince,” who...

A lost world war, a crumbling empire, social cataclysm, a state of civil war. The confiscation of the wealth of a dynasty that, for half a millennium, had ruled over provinces, continents and dozens of nations left the family at the mercy of the victorious powers. After two years of rule, this was what the last Austrian Emperor and Hungarian King faced in 1918–1919. The book deals only tangentially with major political issues, providing instead an insight into the daily life of a royal family in exile. Where the trifles...

Throughout his life, Otto von Habsburg consciously developed and cultivated an impressive and diverse network of relationships, which is reflected in the work carried out in the Foundation. Through the various documents and photographs we have already processed, new historical, personal, and private connections were revealed, which we strived to present in 2023 as well, in conjunction with anniversaries and other occasions. Our namesake was fond of recounting his family’s centuries-long influence on the history of Europe, always highlighting how this dynastic experience had shaped his way of thinking. This...

Among Hungarian foreign ministers, there were few to whom the French language and culture were as significant as for János Martonyi, who, after an active political career, remained an essential figure in Hungarian public life as a legal scholar, author of historical studies and essays. His decades of international experience, his knowledge and his view of history provide him with a perspective on the developments over the centuries that can help the international public gain a better understanding of our country and its history. For this reason, we considered it...

Our photobook, featuring photographs – along with detailed descriptions in Hungarian, English, German, French and Spanish – traces the remarkable life of Otto von Habsburg, leading the reader to previously unknown places and scenes. The selection presents 99 eventful years in 99 pictures, from his early childhood to the end of his life, attempting to document the momentous day-to-day activities of Otto von Habsburg, the Austro-­Hungarian Crown Prince who became a committed European citizen, the leading figure of the pan-European idea, a dedicated member of the European Parliament, a politician...

When did the Transylvanian Romanians declare their secession from Hungary? How many notes did Lieutenant Colonel Fernand Vix send to the Hungarian government? Who was the first dictator of Slovakia? Who opposed the foreign troops occupying more and more Hungarian-inhabited areas? How was the Hungarian railway network affected by the Treaty of Trianon? How many refugees arrived in Hungary from the annexed territories? How long did it take for the Hungarian economy to recover more or less after Trianon? As authors and editors of the Trianon Encyclopaedia, we would like...

The Otto von Habsburg Foundation was established with the dual aim of preserving the material heritage and cultivating the intellectual legacy of its namesake in a dignified manner. These two efforts are mutually intertwined: based on the extraordinarily rich archival and library collection and the results of its processing, the Foundation aims to uphold the intellectual legacy of Otto von Habsburg and, at the same time, reflect current trends in world politics and European integration. The year 2022 dramatically confronted us all with the fact that history, contrary to all...

A lost world war, a crumbling empire, social cataclysm, a state of civil war. The confiscation of the wealth of a dynasty that, for half a millennium, had ruled over provinces, continents and dozens of nations left the family at the mercy of the victorious powers. After two years of rule, this was what the last Austrian Emperor and Hungarian King faced in 1918–1919. The book deals only tangentially with major political issues, providing instead an insight into the daily life of a royal family in exile. Where the trifles...

Could the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy have been saved if the young monarch, who had ascended to the throne a few months earlier, had quit the war in 1917, abandoning his allies? Or was the political system of Kakania unviable in any case, and would the social and national problems that were brewing sooner or later have blown the framework apart even without war? Was Charles a clairvoyant but belated reformer or a dilettante helplessly floundering in the face of events? Was there any hope of success in his attempted return to...

In an era of rapid power politics and technological change, it is essential that Germany and Europe develop a fresh strategy. Caught between the rivalries of the United States and China, our continent must, therefore, review its relationship with Russia. We need to consider the new realities soberly and without any illusions, as Klaus von Dohnanyi does: it is no longer time to rely on 'communities of values' or 'friendships'; it is time for Germany and Europe to formulate their own well-understood interests and pursue them in a realistic manner....

The year 2021 was rich in events, and the documents and books in our collection provided valuable input for understanding the longer-term connections. Whether it was an analysis of Europe's spiritual and religious roots, an examination of the Western European reflections on Central European cooperation or the transatlantic relationship, it has become clear that Otto von Habsburg is not simply an apropos reason for holding these meetings but that his ideas are indeed relevant and useful today. With the growing East-West tensions, we have seen that the thoughts of our...

On October 10–11, 2019, the Otto von Habsburg Foundation organised a two-day conference on the relationship between its namesake and the regime changes in Central Europe at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The lectures at the event not only placed the annus mirabilis 1989 in a historical-political context but also opened up a much broader horizon. They looked back on almost the entire 20th century, tracing the life of the last Hungarian heir to the throne from the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, showing his connections to the legitimist movements...

The more thoroughly we acquaint ourselves with the writings of Otto von Habsburg, the more precise the responsibility our Foundation bears becomes: to share the oeuvre, the legacy of the former Crown Prince. Part of our 2020 programme focused on historical retrospection, tracing the unfolding of the intellectual autonomy of Otto, who lost real political power, and the growth of his influence in the turbulent 20th century. At the same time, his views on the nation, the region, Europe, and even world politics help us to analyse our current situation—which...

Under what circumstances did the last heir to the Hungarian throne meet Endre Ady's brother in Spain? Why did Otto von Habsburg repeatedly turn down Hitler's invitation in 1933? Why did he visit Miklós Horthy in exile, who had commanded to shoot at his father? What interests motivated the Austrian and Hungarian policy-makers on the question of Otto's citizenship from the 1950s to the regime change in Hungary? These are questions which, in order to be answered carefully, require some clarification of the history of 20th-century Central Europe. In this...

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