Habsburg Jewels: Discussion Erupted

After the discovery of a treasure of the Habsburg imperial family, missing for 100 years, in Canada, a discussion about the ownership rights arose on Friday. While Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, the grandson of the last Austrian emperor, claims it is private jewelry of the family, historian Oliver Rathkolb sees it differently in the "Ö1-Mittagsjournal". He called for a legal review by an independent commission.

"We have, of course, had this legally examined very thoroughly, also through historical and legal expert opinions. And I believe these opinions are completely clear that it is purely private property, that there are no claims from the Republic on these objects," said Karl Habsburg-Lothringen to ORF. After the end of the monarchy in 1918, the Habsburg monarchy's possessions were expropriated in favor of the new state by the Habsburg Law of 1919. At that time, the jewelry was already in Switzerland, according to Habsburg-Lothringen. He spoke of pure private property of Emperor Karl I and Empress Zita, which the Swiss authorities also confirmed in 1921.

"It's not as simple as Mr. Karl Habsburg imagines"

"I see it completely differently than Mr. Karl Habsburg," said the historian. Rathkolb mentioned that there are multiple claims from the Austrian Republic, not only in the context of the Habsburg Law but also the Treaty of St. Germain. Rathkolb suggested that "a professional, independent commission of experts should examine this question." It is a complex story. "It's not as simple as Mr. Karl Habsburg imagines," said Rathkolb. A legal review is still pending. If it were so clear, why was the treasure brought to Canada and remained hidden for so long, the historian questioned. He mentioned that there are also Italian claims to part of these jewels.

Such claims then came from Florence on Friday. The leader of the right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia (FdI - Brothers of Italy), Alessandro Draghi, wants to ask the cultural councilor of Florence, Giovanni Bettarini, whether the city wants to examine a legal initiative to retrieve the diamond "Il Fiorentino". "It is not a simple object, but a work of art that fully belongs to the city of Florence," said Draghi according to media reports. The purchase by the Medici is documented in the state archive of Florence since October 12, 1601. Its cultural and historical connection to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany is significant - it is an integral part of the Medici treasure, argued Draghi.

Babler suggested a review

"It was arranged from the beginning that two people would always know about it," said Habsburg-Lothringen in the "Ö1-Morgenjournal". "My grandmother set it up that way back then. I myself knew absolutely nothing about it." He was only informed about it by his cousins a year ago. The jewels are "objects from pure private jewelry".

Minister of Culture Andreas Babler (SPÖ) had already promised on Thursday an immediate review to determine if the jewel is state property, and announced: "If it turns out that the Florentine Diamond is the property of the Republic of Austria, I will initiate the process to reclaim the jewel." In a current interview with the new online medium "Jetzt," Karl Habsburg clearly rejected such intentions: "For us, this statement is completely irrelevant. Because as early as 1921, it was first legally clarified and it was clearly established that it is purely private property of the family. So I can only say to Mr. Babler: Learn history."

Among the pieces is the legendary yellow diamond "Florentine," reported the German news magazine "Der Spiegel" on Thursday. "The 'Florentine' is stored along with other pieces of family jewelry in a bank safe in Canada," said family head Karl Habsburg. These and other rediscovered pieces are now to be exhibited in Canada first. Karl Habsburg did not completely rule out a presentation in Austria to "Jetzt": "I can certainly imagine it in the long term." However, this cannot be predicted at the current time.

According to Karl Habsburg, the grandson of the last Austrian emperor, Empress Zita, the widow of Charles I, brought the jewels to Canada in a brown suitcase. The hiding place is in the French-speaking province of Quebec. "Der Spiegel" was provided with current photos of the objects. These are the first images of them in more than 100 years. According to the report, the Viennese jeweler Christoph Köchert concluded in an appraisal that the jewelry pieces that surfaced in Canada are genuine.

What is the "Florentine"?

According to historical records, the "Florentine" is a yellow diamond of about 137 carats, cut in a double-sided rosette shape with nine sides and about 126 facets, weighing around 27.45 grams, as reported by the Italian news agency Adnkronos.

In 1615, Grand Duke Cosimo II de' Medici had the gemstone set in a golden snake setting with small diamonds and gave it to his wife, Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria. After the extinction of the Medici in 1737, the diamond passed to the Habsburg-Lorraine family.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.