Markus Habsburg-Lothringen, great-grandson of Austria’s penultimate emperor, Franz Joseph I, arrived in Slovakia at the beginning of December with his wife, Hilde Habsburg-Lothringen. The couple came from the historic spa town of Bad Ischl, accompanied by relatives and friends from Linz, Prague, and Bratislava. An honorary citizen of Holíč, the archduke returned to the Slovak capital after nine years.
This visit led him to the Presidential Palace and to several sacral landmarks tied to the history of the Habsburg dynasty. He concluded the trip by attending the ceremonial unveiling of an extraordinary replica of the famous necklace that once belonged to a French queen at Bratislava Castle.
Presidential Palace
The first stop for the descendant of Hungarian and Bohemian kings and his entourage was the Presidential Palace, built in the second half of the eighteenth century as the summer residence of Count Anton Grassalkovich, a courtier of Maria Theresa. After the extinction of the Grassalkovich family, the property passed to the crown. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, it became the home of Archduke Friedrich of Austria, commander of the Fifth Army Corps based in Pressburg (Bratislava). Through his maternal line, Archduke Markus is his great-grandson. During the visit, the guests explored the palace’s rich history and present-day role, adorned in festive Christmas décor, and the archduke briefly met with the President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini.
Archduke Markus of Austria with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini.
A church built out of love
The program continued with other landmarks linked to the imperial family, including the Art Nouveau Church of St. Elizabeth, known as the Blue Church. Originally built as a school chapel for a nearby gymnasium, it was designed by Edmund Lechner and dedicated in part as a tribute to the tragically slain Empress Elisabeth, known as Sisi. The list of donors included distinguished names – from Pope Pius X and Emperor Franz Joseph I to members of the imperial family, leading aristocrats, city dignitaries, and prominent church officials. A relief showing the late empress praying to her patron saint was a gift from the emperor. The main altar of St. Elizabeth and the majestic chandelier were donated by Archduke Friedrich and Archduchess Isabella. The eternal light, for example, was given by Gisela and Marie Valerie, daughters of Franz Joseph and grandmothers of the visiting archduke.
Bratislava Castle
The visit culminated at Bratislava Castle, once a residence of Maria Theresa. There, the archduke and his guests viewed the exclusive exhibition Marie Antoinette – From Vienna to Versailles and to the Guillotine. In the Knight’s Hall, they were welcomed by Richard Raši, Speaker of the National Council, together with the exhibition’s curators – Peter Barta, director of the SNM – Historical Museum, and historian and diplomat Alexandre Pajon – as well as relatives of Queen Marie Antoinette.
The guests toured the piano nobile halls and salons of the palace, and on the ground floor viewed the sala terrena and chapel.
reklama
