Spain in Europe – The role and significance of Otto von Habsburg

The last heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne has many ties to the Iberian country. His ancestors had ruled the Spanish monarchy for centuries, and his personal history was linked to Spain as early as his first years of exile, when courtesy of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, he and his family moved first to the royal palace of El Pardo in Madrid and then to the Uribarren Castle in the small Basque fishing village of Lequeitio. His attachment to the country remained strong after the Second World War. One of the first signs of this was his involvement in the establishment of the European Documentation and Information Centre (CEDI), the outcome of meetings and discussions at the International Eucharistic Congress in Barcelona, Santander, Spain, in 1952, intended to promote European unity. It was at this time that the former heir to the throne also bought a house in Benidorm, in the province of Valencia, which he used not only for leisure but also for political meetings. Through his informal ambassador in Madrid, Ferenc Marosy, he was in constant contact with Hungarians who had taken refuge in Spain for short or long periods of time during the first decades of the Cold War, not least with young expatriates studying there.

Otto von Habsburg, at home in the country, later worked to promote Spain’s international opening and, as a member of the European Parliament, paved the way for the country’s admission to the European Union. The conference aims to recall the connections between Otto Habsburg’s life in Spain and its broader historical and political context, as well as the work of our namesake in the cause of European integration, and in particular, Spanish accession. The event will also include an exhibition on the life and heritage of the former Crown Prince.

INVITATION AND PROGRAMME

The event will include Spanish-English simultaneous interpretation.

We are looking forward to welcoming you!