The Hungarian National Assembly decreed to preserve the memory of Otto von Habsburg by adopting Act XCIX of 2016. Subsequently, a government resolution was issued to establish a foundation bearing the name of the former heir to the throne and Member of the European Parliament. The heritage, comprising more than 100 linear metres of documents, 11,000 books and 30,000 photographs, arrived in Hungary in autumn 2018. Our Foundation’s primary mission – to process, digitise and make available the archival materials – commenced then, and this work has been continued with the desired scientific meticulousness and in accordance with the relevant rules. Our archivists and librarian have been working on this for the past five years. In early 2023, we reached a milestone: some of the 700 archiving containers of material were made available to the public on our new online platform.
To improve the representation of our progress, our website has been made more user-friendly: the section on our collection is more transparent and easier to navigate; the different types of units have been given separated sub-pages:
- Under Archives, you can find the history of the Otto von Habsburg Collection (fonds), Otto von Habsburg’s Hungarian-related correspondence and a list of his correspondents between 1988 and 2011, as well as several metres of typed reports on foreign policy affairs produced over the years (1952-2007), containing information or analysis on the world.
- In our library, we have Otto von Habsburg’s collection of books, newspapers and articles, including the writings that appeared in print during his decades-long public career, some of the literature used in his work, gift volumes from supporters and friends, newsletters and documentation sent to him during his time in various organisations. The periodicals are composed of press releases relating to him, and some of his articles can be found in these or in clippings; now available to search among these.
- Through our photographic and audiovisual collection, you can discover our photographs and watch videos from our playlist.
- Not forgetting that search has been given its own icon to facilitate efficient and fast browsing in our databases.
At the same time, the Foundation considers it its responsibility to cultivate the intellectual legacy of its namesake. Along with publications and programmes reflecting on the writings of Otto von Habsburg, our activities focus on a wide range of topics that the former Crown Prince considered important, including international diplomacy, European integration, issues of Central European cooperation, and the possibilities of Christian Democratic politics. Since our first event commemorating the death of our namesake in 2019, we have organised a number of successful conferences and well-attended exhibitions both at home and abroad. To ensure that visitors are kept up-to-date with all our events and publications, this section of our website has also been revised.
- A menu dedicated to our programmes has been created to provide a more comprehensive view of our future and past events.
- Under publications, one can find the growing list of our books. Our annual reports can be conveniently downloaded from here, and for the other volumes, you can easily access the platforms where you can buy our publications with a single click. In addition, the roll-ups exploring the relationship between Otto von Habsburg and certain cities and countries will also be available here.
- Last but not least, the public data and contact sections have been moved to the bottom of the page, next to the newsletter subscription.
We hope the modifications introduced will not only please you but will also be a beneficial aid in researching the oeuvre of Otto von Habsburg. We wish you a pleasant browse in our archives or among our programmes and publications!
