Read part two here. Sophie’s husband had survived the war, but they had no news of their eldest son Erwein. They did learn that Sophie’s brothers Max and Ernst and their families had survived and hoped for one more miracle to add to that. Sophie and her family were now seen as collaborators, and everything [read more]
Read part one here. Sophie and her brothers travelled to Vienna with their aunts and uncles and stayed with their stepgrandmother Maria Theresa at the Belvedere, but they were not allowed to attend their parents’ funeral service. A large wreath with a ribbon bearing their names would be the only reminder that there were now [read more]
Sophie of Hohenberg was born on 24 July 1901 at Konopiště as the daughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. Her parents’ relationship had had quite a rocky start as her mother, a born Countess Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin, was considered too low-born for the heir [read more]
Five youthful years in Vienna. It was then and there that Adolf Hitler’s obsession with the Habsburg Imperial family became the catalyst for his vendetta against a vanished empire, a dead archduke, and his royal orphans. That hatred drove Hitler’s rise to power and led directly to the tragedy of the Second World War and [read more]
Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin was born on 1 March 1868 as the daughter of Count Bohuslaw Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin and Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. She and her siblings were raised very simply due to their limited finances. Her father was completely reliant on his salary [read more]
The Imperial Crypt (or Kaisergruft) in Vienna is certainly one of Vienna’s hidden treasures. It was founded in 1618 and has been the principal place of burial for members of the House of Habsburgs. It contains the bones of 145 people, plus four urns containing hearts or cremated remains. Not all are visible. It’s quite [read more]
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