It has been a while since my last posting… I was sick for a spell and busy writing too. Four chapters have been completed since then, all of which again required extensive research and power-reading. One book recently acquired from my friendly central megalibrary was Peter Earle’s inspiring “The Pirate Wars.” I was in the thick of it when I discovered that he also wrote a book called “Corsairs of Malta & Barbary” which was pretty hard to find. I was lucky enough to be able to arrange for a interlibrary loan and have been reading that book for the past 5 weeks or so and am almost done with it now. It has been quite elucidating about the day-to-day life and the operational details of the corsair organizations that roamed the Mediterranean. Fun stuff! (no really …)

The first chapter from this last round of writing is called “The Ḥizb an-Nūr and the revival of ash-Sharika.” It deals with an organization that grows from a new generation of intellectuals who begin to make their influence felt in Granada a few years after the young sultan Muḥammad XIV inherits the throne. It was quite interesting creating this group of men that together would find the courage to oppose the fear-mongering spread by the Ḥizbul-Khilāfah whose claim to orthodoxy makes them successful in attracting a large following. I also reintroduced the Knights of Malta into the story at this point, thus the reason for reading Peter Earle so intently. Overlooked by many historians, the Order of Malta played a significant role in the events that shaped the history of the lands of the Mediterranean from France to Egypt. There is no reason why this shouldn’t hold true for the Kingdom of Granada as well. In fact, just a couple of days ago, I discovered an article written in Spanish on the Identidad Andaluza website about this very subject. The name of the article is “La Defensa Marítima del Reino Nazarí” and was written by J. Enrique López de Coca Castañar. It covers the period preceding my story, but deals with the very same subject matter as this chapter.

The next three chapters were very difficult to write since they had to work within the framework of the story which already exists. (Actually, this applies to almost everything that I have written in this book.) In any case, these chapters need to weave the world of my story into the actual events occurring in the rest of Europe. This is the time of Thirty Years War and the rise of Richelieu and like many other states in Europe, the Kingdom of Granada is affected by the fortunes of the Habsburgs and the Bourbons. The first of this set of three chapters called “The Treaty of ad-Dār al-Bayḍā’ ” was written to reintroduce the Dutch as major players in the story line. Up to this point, they had been busy establishing themselves as Granada’s primary trading partner. This chapter explains how they attempt to force themselves upon Granada as their primary military ally as well. Of course, I then needed to present the French reaction to this turn of events and give some time to Richelieu’s rise to power. Originally written as a single chapter, I later found that it worked better split into two. These two chapters are now called “The Fall and Rise of Richelieu” and “The Renewal of the Alignment Act of al-Mariyya” and are placed before and after “The Treaty of ad-Dār al-Bayḍā’ ” respectively. “The Fall and Rise of Richelieu” uncovers the source of the relationship between Richelieu and Iskandar al-Ḥājib, while “The Treaty of ad-Dār al-Bayḍā’ ” explains how the French attempt to counter the Dutch bid for primacy in Granada. All four of these new chapters are required as a lead up to the Spanish Annus Mirabilus of 1625 which is where I’m at now. We shall see how that turns out for Granada …

After watching a snippet of Sissi in class, I went home to see the rest of the film on YouTube. It is the first of a classic trilogy of romantic films about the iconic Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sissi.

To my horror, the videos stop at 6/10! Grahhhh…

Nobody else has uploaded the original German version, so I had to make do with the version that’s dubbed in French (although I hate watching dubbed movies). Interestingly, while both versions do not come with subtitles, I could understand the German version better. Or maybe my brain just refused to process French dialogues delivered by a German-speaking cast?

In any case, the 1955 film is such a gem. The stunning Austrian landscape and Romy Schneider’s classical beauty blew me away. The film also brought back fond memories of Schloss Schönbrunn, the Habsburg’s summer residence in Vienna.

Time to hunt for the other 2 parts of the trilogy!

Stummfilm, s/w; 76 Minuten
Deutschland, 1928

Regie: Rolf Raffé

Darsteller: Fritz Spira, Erna Morena, Maly Delschaft, Leni Riefenstahl u.a.

Uraufführung am 16.11.1928 im Waterloo-Theater, Hamburg

Einziger Spielfilm mit Leni Riefenstahl als Schauspielerin (in der Rolle der Baronesse Mary Vetsera), in dem nicht Arnold Fanck oder Leni Riefenstahl selbst Regie führte, und der nicht im Bergfilm-Genre angesiedelt war.
Der Film blieb in seiner Zeit relativ unbeachtet, und auch Leni Riefenstahl war mit ihrer Rolle, in die sie zunächst viele Hoffnungen gesetzt hatte, sehr unzufrieden, weil ihr Part aufgrund einer Erkrankung bei den Dreharbeiten auf Schloß Schönbrunn in Wien stark gekürzt werden mußte. Nach eigenen Angaben habe sie den fertigen Film selbst nie gesehen.

“Das Schicksal derer von Habsburg” erzählt die familiären Verstrickungen am österreichischen Kaiserhof zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts um Kaiser Franz Joseph I., Kaiserin Elisabeth I. und deren Kindern, Kronprinz Rudolf und dem Thronfolger Franz Ferdinand, der schließlich 1914 in Sarajevo einem Attentat zum Opfer fiel, dem Auslöser des I. Weltkriegs. Im Film sind vom Regisseur Rolf Raffé zur Spielfilmhandlung original Dokumentaraufnahmen eingeschnitten worden.

Der Film galt lange Zeit als verschollen. Laut Rainer Rother existieren im Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv Berlin zwei kurze Fragmente von etwa 11 Minuten Dauer.
Am 18.08.2001 zeigte die Bonner Kinemathek anläßlich des 17. Bonner Sommerkino-Festivals eine restaurierte italienische Fassung (76 Minuten) mit den erhaltenen deutschen Untertiteln oder übersetzten italienischen Untertiteln. Die Basis dieses restaurierten Films bildete eine Nitratkopie der Cineteca Paolo Venier (1706 m). Da einige Teile stark beschädigt waren, wurden gut erhaltene Fragmente aus dem Bundes-Filmarchiv (382 m) und dem Filmarchiv Austria (335 m) eingeschnitten. Völlig unbrauchbare Teile der italienischen Kopie mußten jedoch durch Standbilder ersetzt werden. Die italienische Fassung war zur damaligen Zeit zu propagandistischen Zwecken umgearbeitet worden.

Am 29. August 2002 zeigte das Filmuseum Potsdam anläßlich der Ausstellung “90 Jahre Babelsberg” vermutlich die gleiche Fassung von 76 Minuten Dauer.

Der Film ist derzeit weder als Video noch als DVD erhältlich.
Einen kleinen Eindruck kann folgendes RealMedia-File bieten:
“Das Schicksal derer von Habsburg”
Dauer 4:31 Minuten / Dateigröße zum Download 7,4 MB!

Border guards dismantling the fence dividing East and West: Austro-Hungarian border, Summer 1989.

But what seems lost among the commemorations is the fact that the Berlin events were set in motion earlier in 1989, some 350 miles to the south. And they involved neither East nor West Germany.

In fact, the first “hole” in the iron curtain came about at the Austro-Hungarian border, masterminded by Hungarian Prime Minister Miklós Németh and his equally brave Austrian counterpart, Chancellor Franz Vranitzky. A reformer who was also a Communist Party member, Németh had come to power in 1988 and was determined to bring Hungary into a more close economic and political relationship with the rest of Europe. Faced with horrific economic conditions at home, he knew had had limited time to effect positive change or he would be replaced.

Students of history know that the “ties that bind” Austria and Hungary date back ~700 years, through centuries of the Habsburg Empire to the early 1900s when Vienna and Budapest were two of the most glittering cities of Europe. In a sense, the forced separation of the two countries between East and West Bloc factions was as unnatural as the division of Germany itself; a quick look at the bevy of German and Hungarian surnames in a Viennese telephone directory proves the point.

Secret communications between Hungary and Austria culminated in a public ceremony held on the Austro-Hungarian frontier on May 2, 1989, where, documented by television cameras, the electric fence running the length of the border was declared an “anachronism” and a hole was ceremoniously cut in it.

“What are those Hungarians up to?” bellowed East German premier Erich Honecker at an East German Politburo meeting the next day. The answer was obvious. Soon throngs of East German citizens, traveling to a fellow Eastern Bloc country on tourist visas, simply moved across the Hungarian border into Austria from where they could continue on to West Germany to be reunited at long last with relatives and friends.

The die was cast. Faced with the prospect of its citizens draining out of the country, the East German government had little choice but to announce a relaxation in travel restrictions to West Germany. This attempt at accommodation was a classic case of “too little, too late” – the avalanche that was to come was simply overwhelming. Down came the Berlin Wall – and down went the East German government.

In hindsight, it’s easy to recognize the important role Mikhail Gorbachev played in the events of 1989. By signaling that Soviet troops would not necessarily come to the aid of beleaguered Eastern European satellite regimes, Gorbachev gave the restive citizens of East Germany the courage to seize the moment and take decisive action while they could.

But the most credit must go to the government leaders of Hungary and Austria. It was these essentially unsung heroes who took the biggest risks from the very beginning, bravely plotting their moves in the face of potentially severe political and military repercussions. (After all, memories of the ill-fated Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the subsequent refugee flight across the Austrian border weren’t all that distant.)

In a sense, history came full circle in 1989. At the beginning of the century, Germany had been dragged into World War I because of problems faced by its Habsburg neighbor, Austria-Hungary. So many of the major political challenges in 20th Century – communism, fascism, the Cold War, even the Middle Eastern conflict – stemmed from that struggle. And none of these were more searing for Germany than World War II and the subsequent division of the country between East and West.

Once, Austria and Hungary had created problems for Germany. Seventy-five years later, they helped solve them. Not a bad result in the end!

Ek het so gebrand van nuuskierigheid om die Imperiale grafkelder van die  Habsburg-dinastie in Wene te sien dat ek soos ‘n handsakdief tussen die mense tot voor die deur gewikkel en daar gestaan het.

Ek hoop dit is lekker donker, koud en grillerig daar binne. Kom nou gids, wys.

Heerlik morbied. Kan nie wag nie.

Die Habsburgs het die Oostenryk-Hongaarse ryk regeer vir eeue. Die grafkelder  het die oorskot van 144 adellikes – waar onder 12 keisers en 18 keiserinne.

Die mense se ingewande en hart is verwyder en in ‘n katedraal bewaar. Die Cappuchin-monnike sien om na die grafkelder.

Die laaste keiserin Zita van Bourbon-Parma is in 1989 ter ruste gelê en nog iemand,  ’n direkte afstammeling het spesiale vergunning in 2008 gekry.

Die dinastie het natuurlik tot ‘n einde gekom met die Eerste Wêreldoorlog – die probleem was ook een van die Habsburgs, Franz Ferdinand, wie se sluipmoord in Sarajevo in 1916 die oorlog begin het. Hy is nie in die grafkelder gegrawe nie, omdat sy vrou nie van die adelstand was nie en nie daar gegrawe kon word nie. Sy wens was om elders by haar te lê.

Die hele familie is na die oorlog verban, hulle het alles verloor. Die twee pragtige paleise alles en dit is tot nou toe nie terug gegee nie, en sal seker nooit nie.

Seker die heel mooiste is die sakrofaag van Keiserin Maria Theresa (13 Mei 1717 – 29 November 1780) , nou sy was ‘n amazing vrou. Sy was die enigste vroulike regeerder ooit van die ryk, en sy het 16 kinders gehad met Francis III van Lorraine. Hulle huwelik was gelukkig en hul is saam gegrawe.

Die vrou wat haar help kyk het na haar kinders, en sekerlik ook ‘n vriendin, lê in haar eie sakrofaag voor die egpaar – die enigste gewone burger in die kelder.

Maria en Francis se beelde kyk na mekaar en voor lê die kinderopasser.

Franz Joseph I het as koning van Oostenryk en Bohemia regeer van 1848 tot 1916, die laaste van die Habsburg se regerende keisers. Hy was ook koning van Hongarye sedert 1867. In 1853 het ‘n sluipmoordenaar hom met ‘n mes gesteek, maar sy uniform se hoë kraag het gekeer.

Hy was getroud met Elisabeth van Bavaria, of keiserin Sisi, soos sy oral bekend gestaan het. Mense was gek oor Sisi, en dit het gehelp dat sy mooi was. Dit lyk vir my of sy aan anoreksie gelei het, indien mens die geskiedenis lees.

In 1889 het hulle enigste seun kroonprins Rudolp selfmoord gepleeg.

In 1898 het ‘n anargis op Sisi afgestorm waar sy in Geneva op ‘n boot gewag het. Hy het haar met ‘n skerp voorwerp reg in die hart gesteek. Sy het geval opgestaan en op die boot geklim, kort daarna het sy ineengesak en gesterf.

Die druk van haar korset op haar bors het die bloed vir ‘n paar minute gekeer.

Franz Joseph, Sisi en Rudolp is almal in een kamer ter ruste gelê.

Sisi se sakrofaag

Die kerk is in 1147 in gebruik geneem in Wene ter ere van St. Stephens. Maar dit het lank geneem om hom so te kry, tot 1511.

Styl: Romanesk en Goties.

Din Wroclaw, capitala a Sileziei imbibata de istorie milenara, am scris pentru <Fotbal Vest>, sub titlul “Oporowska interzisa multora”, un reportaj de calatorie sesizand si la jocul localnicei Slask cu gostii din Varsovia contrastele dintr-o perioada post-huliganica a unui fotbal polonez ce se pregateste de gazduirea viitoarei editii a turneului final al Campionatului European. Intrebarea e daca Romania se va regasi in urmatoarea campanie de calificare si va sfarsi prin a-si aconta biletele tocmai pentru un minunat oras ca Wroclaw. 2012 bate deja la usa…

Wroclawul se poate lauda cu tare multe lucruri. Iar din tramvaie, ce taie orasul pe zeci de linii, multe frumuseti iti incanta privirea. Numarul 4 m-a dus frumusel la stadion...

Drumul de la aeroportul Kopernikus, din vestul Wroclawului, spre centrul istoric al orasului cu peste o jumatate de milion locuitori fondat de un duce ceh in secolul X, va fi in nici trei ani o magistrala europeana. In 2012, la ora viitorului turneu final al Campionatului European, noul stadion, aflat déjà in constructie tot in vestul urbei, va fi legat de o maiestuoasa fosta gara centrala, acum inca dezafectata, printr-o fiabila retea de transport, parte a planului de infrastructura de 10 miliarde euro, trasat pentru emanciparea fotbalistica a Wroclawului.

In vasta piata centrala Rynek, rivalizand ca frumusete poate doar cu "perla" Bruxellesului, sute de cladiri care mai de care amintesc de influenta habsburga si prusaca la construirea orasului...

Spun doar fotbalistica pentru ca orasul cu mai bine de 100 poduri peste bratele, canalele si afluentii Odrei, incovrigata prin centru, iti taie rasuflarea cu o urbanistica si arhitectura modelate in dominatia habsburga si prusaca, si care nu traieste doar prin Universitatea fondata in 1702, ce a dat 8 laureati ai Premiului Nobel printre care fizicianul Max Born, dar care tocmai si-a exersat talentul organizatoric, gazduind C.E. de baschet masculin in primele zile din septembrie, cand intreaga Polonie a marcat exact 7 decenii de la invazia nazista.

La stadion, urmele rivalitatii sunt evidente. Verdele lui Slask, mai tare decat rosul oaspetei Legia. Ce va fi in minutul 90?

Urmeaza fotbalul, ce a sangerat in acest inceput de mileniu in capitala Sileziei, din sud-vestul tarii, si nu pentru ca localnica Slask respira doar din unicul titlu cucerit in 1977, la un an dupa triumful in Cupa Poloniei, ci in urma vizitelor fanaticilor din Lodz, Cracovia si Gdynia, ai Arkai, renumiti purtatori de cutite.

"Fata" comercializata a Oporowskai, cu internationalul Mila, inconjurat de stema lui Slask si firma de echipament, acopera fatada cladirii sediu, din capatul tribunei acoperite, sediu ce include si vestiarele

N-a fost ca spre finele celui de-al doilea razboi mondial, ce a distrus partial Wroclawul, tinut cu dintii de nazisti in retragerea lor, cand au inundat mini-orasul subteran cu spital si cale ferata, in continuare un mister modern din pantecul urbei, dar tot s-a lasat cu morti si raniti dupa un Slask – Arka prelungit cu elicoptere survoland un intreg bulevard de acces la arena Oporowska, intesat om langa om, sustinatori somati la asfalt, sub bulanul fortelor de ordine. Panorama televizata, mi-au spus localnicii, a fost cutremuratoare. Dar era unica solutie…

Poarta principala a Oporowskai, din preajma peluzei nordice

Urmarea? WKS Slask a emis carti de identitate pentru accesul la jocurile din Zdobywka Pucharu Ekstraklasy si mi-a inregistrat in sistem Cartea de Identitate pentru a putea cumpara biletul de 50 zloti in tribuna I, Kryta, singura acoperita a arenei din sud-vestul Wroclawului. Mai mult, verdele e obligatoriu, ideal in tricoul cu sponsorul “strategic” Piast, bere a orasului purtand numele primei dinastii regale poloneze, dupa ce localnici mergand la Oporowska de exemplu in tricoul lui Bayern, au fost trimisi la plimbare. De fapt, nu se mai tolereaza aici nici alcoolismul, taxat cu 600 zloti, incarcerarea de-o noapte, confiscarea sticlelor si dusuri reci gratis.

Stema Wroclawului, strajuind intrarea la stadion

Te si intrebi cum mica arena placida si sarmanta, cu 8.436 locuri pe scoici preponderent verzi si rosii, cu o miniaturala peluza separata a gostilor si flancata de propriul vechi hotel, minunate parcele de zarzavaturi, pomi fructiferi si verdeata, cu cabanute, ale localnicilor, plus de siruri de plopi aproape cat cei 4 stalpi de nocturna si de o cale ferata, a putut magnetiza asemenea pasiuni sangeroase.

Dar vremurile s-au schimbat si desi Oporowska n-a mai gazduit de peste doua decenii dueluri europene, in trecut cu castigatoare de cupe alde Liverpool, Napoli ori Borussia Monchengladbach, si ea o “verde”, acceptarea candidaturii Poloniei a pornit tavalugul corporatist. Sponsor titular al clubului fondat in 1947 e proiectul “Wroclaw 2012”, iar tehnic Puma, nelipsind Coca Cola. Cam in acest cadru a primit-o Slask, a sasea in 2009, pe “capitalista” de podium Legia, in Mecz 6. Rivalitatea lor, schitata in uriase reusite graffiti din preajma, ale ambelor seturi de suporteri, e acum una stoarsa de sange si monitorizata cu carti de acces.

Bannerul cu un urias tramvai in marime naturala s-a plimbat prin tribuna a II-a, a galeriei, si a salvat spectacolul la un joc de 0-0

Alb-rosul periclitatului Beenhakker, socat cu 3-0 la Maribor, va lipsi din Africa de Sud, dar va flutura semet in 2012, inaltat cu sudoare de repatriatii din Albion. Fotbalul les se curata si regenereaza dar problemele raman “in iarba”. Unde esti tu, Lato?

Caci Slask – Legia a fost 0-0 si nici macar impulsurile inlocuitorilor Sebastian Mila, international polonez, si Takesure Chieyama, n-au dat culoare echipelor lui Tarasiewicz si Urban. Spectacolul l-a facut doar tribuna, mai exact a doua, Odkryta, cea neacoperita, de fapt o uriasa galerie, o masa verde, scandand, intonand, cantand, incurajand, batand ritmic din palme si uneori dand tonul restului arenei in doua-trei ocazii regizate si de fapt amintite – cu minutul exact – in programul tip ziar, de 12 pagini, ce a punctat desfasurarea ostilitatilor in zi de meci in jurul gazonului imprejmuit de gard.

Si cum Wroclawul e orasul cu zeci de linii de tramvai, galeria a rulat deasupra capetelor un urias banner infatisand un tramvai in verdele, albul si rosul urbei si al clubului. De sub flamura, timp de 15 minute, in prima repriza, fanii n-au vazut de ce Polonia va sta la anul acasa. Dar au ragusit la o arena de pe care voi reveni cu alte detalii.

Nennen  Sie ihre Söhne und Töchter wieder  Jan …. !!!

On 23 August 1944 King Michael achieved one of the greatest watershed moments in Romania’s history, when he succeeded in overthrowing the pro-German government, firmly placing Romania within the allied camp, saving the country from the catastrophe.

Two days after this moment his aunt Princess Ileana, then Archduchess of Austria noted in her diary from Bran castle in the Transylvanian Alps the following:

Went to bed to be woken up by the telephonist who announced to us that the King had made peace! What a shock both of relief and fear, how under what conditions was the question of all, soon all the house was up and sitting round the radio. We heard Mihai’s speech moving sober and really royal, my heart went towards him in pride of our family, how many of us misjudge him! May God help him in this his hour & bless his efforts for his country….

All rights reserved Diana Mandache’s Weblog ROYAL HISTORY www.royalromania.wordpress.com

On 23 August 1944 King Michael achieved one of the greatest watershed moments in Romania’s history, when he succeeded in overthrowing the pro-German government, firmly placing Romania within the allied camp, saving the country from the catastrophe.

Two days after this moment his aunt Princess Ileana, then Archduchess of Austria noted in her diary from Bran castle in the Transylvanian Alps the following:

Went to bed to be woken up by the telephonist who announced to us that the King had made peace! What a shock both of relief and fear, how under what conditions was the question of all, soon all the house was up and sitting round the radio. We heard Mihai’s speech moving sober and really royal, my heart went towards him in pride of our family, how many of us misjudge him! May God help him in this his hour & bless his efforts for his country….

All rights reserved Diana Mandache’s Weblog ROYAL HISTORY www.royalromania.wordpress.com

Chief of German General Staff Paul Von Hindenburg in the end of the First Second War

Adolf Hitler after World War First

Reichmarschall Herman Goering, as Hero from the First World War

Horst Wessel

Spartakist barricade

16 June 1919

Attack on the Fourcourts

Spartakiste Uprising. Berlin 1919

Rosa Luxemburg (5.3.1871-15.1.1919) – one of the leaders to “Spartak`s Union”

Karl Liebknecht im Berliner Tiergarten, 11. November 1918

Rosa Luxemburg

Spartakist Gun Berlin 1919

Soldiers of Brigade Ehrhardt enter Berlin

Volksmarine Armoured Car

Berlin, 1919

Berlin, 1919

German paramilitar organisation “Fraicorps” in Berlin, 1920.

German paramilitar organisation “Fraicorps” in Berlin, 1920.

German paramilitar organisation “Fraicorps” in Berlin, 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

The “Freikorps” in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

The participants of paramilitary organisation “German Orden” gives to citizens variouse propaganded materials. Berlin, 1919 (The man with newspaper – Zeebotendorf?)

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participant from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Berlin, 1920 The Chiefs of the Kapp`s putsch generals Sext, Luddendorf and Luttviz.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920

The “Freikorps” in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

The “Freikorps” in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Ruhr. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Ruhr. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Ruhr. The Kapp`s putsch

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Rur. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participant from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Berlin. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

Participants from German`s Union of former front-line solders “Stahlhelm” (the “Steel helmet”) in Ruhr. The Kapp`s putsch from 1920.

German soldiers in uniform parade in town. Photo was taken circa 1926, a period between WWI and WWII.

Young boys in military-style uniform. A Christmas tree is seen in the background. Photo was taken circa 1927, a period between WWI and WWII.

Young soldiers in military uniform. Photo was taken circa 1927, a period between WWI and WWII.

German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation

German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation

German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation, Berlin, 1927

Schlesien. German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation, 1928

Schlesien. German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation, 1928

Schlesien. German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation, 1928

Schlesien. German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation, 1928

German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation

German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation, 1932

German Reichswehr. The Secret militarisation, March, 1932

Tent at 1933 Berlin NSDAP Party Day

Reichsfurher Day in Hannover 1933

Nazi Berlin

Hitler,nazist party,Germany

Hitler,nazist party,Germany

Hitler,nazist party,Germany

Hitler,nazist party,Germany

Hitler,nazist party,Germany

Italian and German Flags

Schlesien. German Rechswehr. The Secret militarisation, 1934

German Rechswehr. The Secret militarisation, 1935

German Rechswehr. The Secret militarisation, prussian-men maching

Hand Thrower Day in Berlin

Marinis Van der Lubbe – defendant in the Process for the Reichstag`s arson

Georgi Dimitrov – defendant in the Process for the Reichstag`s arson

Nurnberg rally, 1934

German troops wearing 1934 Feldbluse

Adolf Hitler in front of Miron`s “Discobolus” (V Century BC)

Berlin, Opening of Olimpic Games, 1936

1936 Berlin Olympics. wresteling matches

1936 Berlin Olympics basketball game

1936 Berlin Olmpics broad jump

US winner Jessie Owens and nazy and japan vanquished on Olimpic Games in Berlin, 1936

Dr. Joseph Goebbels, chief of Nazis propaganda

Nazy propaganda, downtown, Rathaus, 1936

Nazy propaganda, Berlin, 1938

German “education”

New Hair Cut

Thörnell

Berlin textile expo, 1937

German officers from Luftwaffe in Plymouth during 1939

Document from Gestapo`s archives

Book Burning

Berchtegaden Photo

Berchtesgaden

Sterneckerbrau

Feldhernhalle

Feldhernhalle

An SS officer displays the MG34 to German citizens, this young boy appears to get to fire it.

An SS officer displays the MG34 to German citizens.

German officers from Luftwaffe in Hudson during 1939

Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heidrich and Hans Prutz

German battleship “Bismark”,July 11th, 1936.

German battleship “Bismark”, May 5th, 1941

German battleship “Bismark”,

May 5th, 1941  

Action of Gestapo in Berlin

German factory making naval guns for a battleship

Herman Goering inspecting the troops.

Herman Goering inspecting the troops

Herman Goering inspecting the troops

Adolf Hitler and Heinich Himmler

Chief of Nazy Propaganda Dr. Joseph Goebbels

Reich Marshal Heinrich Himmler

SS Obergruppenfuhrer Ernst Kaltenbrunner

SS Obergruppenfuhrer Paul Hausser

Reich Marshal Herman Goering

SS Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich

Heydrich and Frank

Admiral Wilhelm Canaris (1.1.1887-9.4.1945)

General-Field-Marshal Walter von Reichenau (16 August 1884-17 January 1942)

General-Field-Marshal Erich von Manstein (24 November 1887-12 June 1973)

General-Field-Marshal Ewald von Kleist (8 August 1881-15 October 1954)

General from luftwaffe Adolf Galand

Reich Marshal Hermann Goering (12.1.1893-15.10.1946)

General-Field-Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb (5.9.1876-29.4.56)

General-Field-Marshal Albert Kesselring (20.11.1885-16.7.1960)

General-Field-Marshal Hans Guenter von Kluge 930.9.82-29.8.1944)

Field-Marshal Hugo Sperrle

Colonel-General Hermann Hoth (12.4.1895-25.1.1971)

Rudolf Hess

General-Field-Marshal Fedor von Bock (5 December 1880-4 May 1945)

Colonel-General Heinz Guderian (17 June 1888- 15.5.1954)

General-Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel (15 November 1891-14 October 1944)

Field Marshal Hasso Von Manteuffel

Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt

Field Marshal Walther Model

           This fine young fellow with a perky codpiece is Don Carlos, a prince of Spain. Opera lovers will recognize him as the title character of Verdi’s Don Carlo. Schiller lovers will recognize him as the title character of Schiller’s play of the same name, a dramatic study of absolutism and liberal values, and the inspiration for Verdi’s opera. Historians may not recognize him at all because this is a very flattering portrait.

            Carlos was the son of Philip II, and this painting shows him in the resplendent armor that is the subject of the National Gallery’s engaging exhibition “The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain.” The show is a mini-history of the Habsburg dynasty in Spain, which saw the country reach its zenith of imperial power, and overlapped with a great age of armor production. The exhibition pairs paintings of Spanish rulers in armor with their still extant tin cans preserved in the Royal Armory in Madrid.

            Carlos, seen here in finely worked armor of darkened steel and gold typical of the time, never ruled Spain. If you believe Verdi and Schiller, this is because he was too sensitive for the sordid business of kingship, and because he fell in love with his father’s third wife, and harbored radical ideals about freedom and national self-determination. Dad was not down with any of this, and Carlos was arrested.

            If you believe historical accounts, it’s because Carlos was an erratic lout and a violent man, with a temper made all the worse by a traumatic head injury, probably caused by an accidental staircase dive in 1562. But we see him here, around age 20, dressed like a future King of Spain, with royal sword and dagger, a helmet and his rather badly painted hand resting on a desk or table—a common feature in paintings of royal power.

            This painting, attributed to Jooris van der Straeten, is not the star of the show, which features works by Titian, Rubens and Van Dyck. And frankly, a nearby painting of Don Juan of Austria, illegitimate son of Charles V (Don Carlos’s grandfather) depicts a more handsome, vigorous and successful man. But the image of Don Carlos underscores and exemplifies some of the basic themes of the exhibition. He may have been bats, but when dressed in royal armor, Carlos was all but a king. Although we prize paintings more than armor today (at least in the museum context), Carlos’s armor would have been far more expensive than the painting that memorializes it. The armor served not just as handsome dressing for a royal figure, but carried with it allegorical and historical data too. Although dramatically lit, many of the portraits are rather stark and barren—in part because the armor was bearing all the necessary messages, about religion, power, famous battles and dynastic networks.

          That Don Carlos appears in armor is rather touching. The painting captures his promise, or at least the expectations heaped upon him. His life went a different direction. And Schiller and Verdi took the slim details of his short existence and elaborated an even more fanciful history. But when you hear Verdi’s Don Carlo sing his dreamy, starry-eyed love songs, you’d like him to look good and  sound like this. And not remind you of the usual product of Habsburg genetic engineering.

 Image courtesy of the National Gallery: Patrimonio Nacional, Convento de las Descalzas Reales de Madrid

Meine neues Buch spielt in einem kleinen Ort namens Solferino. Dort fand vor 150 Jahren eine Schlacht statt, die für die Menschheitsgeschichte von großer Bedeutung ist. Die Schlacht von Solferino führte zur Gründung des Roten Kreuzes. Für das Haus Habsburg markiert Solferino den Beginn eines langen Abstieges, für Italien den Weg zur Einheit und Freiheit. Anlass für das Buch war unter anderem das Tagebuch meines Urgroßvaters, der an der Schlacht als einfacher österreichischer Soldat teilgenommen hat.

It is the end of June 1914, on a particularly hot summer in the Balkans as Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is given a parade-tour of Sarajevo.   His Gräf & Stift Convertible, the epitome of luxury in European motor carriages is left open, on account of the heat, as it pulls up to its first destination the barracks.  Ferdinand needed to check on the strength of his troops because their military control on the area was slipping.

Austria-Hungary during the 19^th Century was a massive territory stretching from Milan in the West to the Carpathians in the East, from Bohemia in the North to Kotor in the South.  It was a vast Empire made up of nearly two-dozen principalities held by the Habsburg Family.  The birth of the Austrian Empire and the growth of Habsburg power was intricately linked to Habsburg suzerainty over the Holy Roman Empire and after Napoleon’s obliteration of that clusterfuck (which will be detailed in future posts), Austria was left to expand into the retreating Ottoman Lands. As it expanded it met a varied landscape of high mountains, flat plains, and multitudes of different peoples who spoke vastly different languages to the German they were accustomed to, and many of who worshiped religious sects diametrically opposed to their own.  By 1914 the Empire contained Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Ukrainians, Slovenes, Croats, Serbians, Romanians and Italians.  The Slavs among them were Orthodox Christian with a smattering of Sunni Islam thanks to the Muslim Turks. As you can clearly see the term varied does not do justice to the lands and people of the Austrian Empire.  After the rise of Nationalism, the Liberal Revolution of 1848, and the fact that the Habsburgs had spent the better half of the previous millennia interbreeding to the point that they had become the biological equivalent of walking tumors with big chins, it became apparent that this train wreck of an Empire was headed for ruin.  In 1867, after losing to Otto Von Bismarck and the rising Prussian state, the empire was forced to capitulate to intensifying tensions and create a shared system of government with the Hungarians: separate parliaments were ruled by one Habsburg from Vienna. The end of the 19^th century saw the Habsburg kings and queens grasping at straws to maintain stability and control over the rest of their lands, which was made more and more difficult by the fact that the interbreeding had given them the mental capacity of a turnip.  It didn’t help that Russian aspirations to wash their beards in warmer waters—especially those recently owned by the Sultan in Constantinople (renamed Istanbul in 1930)—meant that the smoldering desires of Pan-Slavism faced them at every wrong turn in the Balkans.

Back to 1914, Archduke Ferdinand was checking on the military barracks, there to ensure that his family could hold onto the primarily Slavic region of Bosnia-Herzegovina.  As it turns out the Habsburgs had learned nothing from the previous half-century and annexed the territory in 1908 after it escaped from under the Ottoman mantle.  And because Austria-Hungary had dreams of bringing more people into their already complicated empire, intense planning was being done in Vienna for the invasion of Serbia as well.  So it’s no wonder that as Archduke Ferdinand’s motorcade pulled out from the barracks he should’ve closed the carriage top, rolled up his windows, tucked his head between his legs, driven away from the city and taken a train back to Vienna. He was heading for a shitstorm of consequences.

Enter the Black Hand. Austria’s conquest of Bosnia was in direct conflict with the main tenant of Pan-Slavism: unification of all Slavic speaking peoples, the main goal of the Black Hand (a.ka. Unification or Death) was the violent overthrow of Austrian-Hungarian control of conquered South-Slavic territories.  On June 28,1914 they would instigate a chain of events that would bring this about (eventually). Six Assassins gathered along the parade route to ensure the Archduke’s death.  The first two assassins, Muhamed Mehmedbašić and Vaso Čubrilović failed to throw their bombs.  The third assassin, Nedeljko Čabrinović threw his bomb, however due to a combination of nerves, incompetence, the wind and awful fuses, the bomb rolled off the car, and exploded the car behind the Archduke’s, as well as maiming a dozen Bosnian passersby. Čabrinović attempted to escape by jumping in a shallow river, but was easily dragged out by policemen and an angry mob that quickly took care of him.  It was looking like Ferdinand’s luck day as the motorcade sped away and the remaining assassins couldn’t light their fuses in time.   It turns out turn of the century bomb technology wasn’t reliable or effective.  However, out of some piss poor advice from his PR guy, Archduke Ferdinand decided to visit the victims of the bomb blast that failed to kill him. This was after he visited the mayor and interrupted his speech with, “Excuse me, I was almost blown up by a fucking bomb today, oh, wait, you were still talking, my apologies, I must’ve been distracted by the BOMB!”

The Archduke had decided after being nearly exploded in a region hostile to his government and people that the best plan was to visit a hospital filled with people who blamed his very existence on why they were in the hospital in the first place.  This would’ve been seen as a brilliant move had he survived the afternoon.  At a nearby café, Gavrilo Princip—having the benefit of being the only assassin in this tale whose name is less than six syllables long— was waiting, pistol still on his person. He was having a particularly bitter day, as all of his compatriots had failed to execute the indestructible Ferdinand.  Though luckily for him this particular café had poor service, which though made him angrier, meant that upon his emergence, he would witness the Archduke’s relatively unprotected motorcade speed away (the soldiers at the barracks were not mobilized for Franz’s protection, as many were missing the proper formal uniforms). Now you may ask yourself, how was Gavrilo to catch up to this speeding car and deliver the final blow? Well luckily for him the driver was a complete dunce.  The drivers of the other cars had been informed of the route change, but somehow Franz’s had not. Thus when a wrong turn was made, Princip used the confusion to jump from the crowd and fire two shots, one landed in the Archduke’s neck, the other the Duchess Sophie’s abdomen. Had Princip fired higher, the Archduke’s distended Habsburg chin may have deflected the bullet allowing him to breed another day, but luckily for the gene pool, and unlucky for the Archduke, it didn’t happen that way.

The end result of this chaotic affair was that the Habsburg monarchy used it as an excuse to annex the independent Serbian state (where the majority of the assassins had come from.)  UDue to the 19^th Century policy of interlocking alliances the situation in the Balkans exploded across the continent as more and more European powers were brought into the fight.  Princip’s bullets contributed the quick tumble into the Great War; those two bullets killed 16 million people.

The Czech Center Museum Houston had the wonderful fortune this week of acquiring an etching of Rudolf II by Czech artist Oldrich Kulhanek.  Bill and Effie Rosene, founders, CEO, Chairman, volunteers extraordinaire of the Czech Center along with our irreplaceable Board Member Father Paul found this incredibly intricately detailed piece at an exhibition of Czech and Slovak artists at the University of Houston Clear Lake earlier in June, thanks to an invitation from artist and professor Sandria Hu.

You really ought to come see this good looking gentleman!

Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, was crowned the Czech king in 1576 and moving his court back to Prague, promoted the city as the imperial seat of power again.  During his reign, encompassed by an era often referred to as Prague’s Second Golden Age, Prague received it’s nickname “Magic Prague.”  Rudolf’s court attracted scientists, intellectuals and artists from all over Europe, including astronomers Tycho de Brahe and Johannes Kepler.  (information received from the official website of the Czech Republic)

If you are unfamiliar with the etching process, below are a few helpful links that go through the process.  The Czech Center is thrilled to be a patron of a  more than 500 year old history of printmaking, first popularized in the fifteenth century Northern Renaissance.

http://happyfaceschicago.blogspot.com/2009/03/printmaking-process-pasta-machine.html

http://www.wretchedetcher.com/etching-tutorial/etching-tutorial.html

Một vương triều từng cai trị vùng đất rộng lớn ở châu Âu, gồm Tây Ban Nha, trong suốt gần 200 năm đã bị diệt vong do hoàng đế cuối cùng không có con nối dõi vì truyền thống hôn nhân cùng dòng tộc.

Dòng họ Habsburg từng cai trị Áo hơn 6 thế kỷ. Sau đó, thông qua các cuộc hôn nhân với các hoàng gia khác, họ tiếp tục trị vì Bohemia, Hungary và Tây Ban Nha.

Charles Đệ nhị là vị vua cuối cùng của triều đại Habsburg. Ông là người thấp bé và ốm yếu. Ngoài các bệnh đường ruột, vị hoàng đế này còn mắc chứng đái ra máu và vô sinh. Mãi tới lúc lên 4 tuổi ông mới biết nói và 8 tuổi mới biết đi. Khi Charles Đệ nhị qua đời năm 1700 ở tuổi 39, triều đại Habsburg cũng sụp đổ theo.

Một nghiên cứu gần đây cho thấy, truyền thống lấy người trong họ tộc của những vị vua mang họ Habsburg khiến Charles Đệ nhị không có khả năng sinh con và dễ mắc bệnh tật.

Trước đó, Philip Đệ nhất là người sáng lập vương triều Habsburg năm 1516 khi ông kết hôn với con gái của Ferdinand và Elizabeth – những người cai trị Tây Ban Nha. Do không muốn quyền lực rơi vào tay dòng họ khác, triều đại Habsburg quy định rằng các thành viên hoàng gia chỉ được kết hôn với người trong họ. Trong số 16 đời vua của vương triều này, 9 vị đã kết hôn với phụ nữ trong dòng tộc – trong đó có hai đám cưới giữa bác và cháu, một hôn lễ giữa anh em họ.

Nhiều nhà khoa học khẳng định, việc các vị vua Habsburg kết hôn với họ hàng gần đã để lại hậu quả ghê gớm. Người nối dõi cuối cùng của họ, vua Charles Đệ nhị có thể trạng ốm yếu. Ông kết hôn hai lần song không thể có con và chết vì bệnh tật.

Để chứng minh nhận định trên, các chuyên gia của Đại học Santiago de Compostela (Tây Ban Nha) nghiên cứu cây phả hệ của Charles Đệ nhị và gần 3.000 người họ hàng của ông. Nếu hai người có quan hệ huyết thống kết hôn với nhau, con của họ sẽ có xác suất sở hữu hai gene giống hệt tại một nhiễm sắc thể (một gene lấy từ bố và gene kia thừa hưởng từ mẹ) rất cao.

Nhóm nghiên cứu nhận thấy xác suất sở hữu hai gene giống hệt nhau trên một nhiễm sắc thể của dòng họ Habsburg tăng rất nhanh qua từng thế hệ, từ 0,025 đối với Philip Đệ nhất tới 0,254 với Charles Đệ nhị. Xác suất của Charles Đệ nhị thường xuất hiện ở những cuộc hôn nhân loạn luân (cha mẹ với con cái hoặc anh ruột với em gái).

Charles Đệ nhị là con của vua Philip Đệ tứ và Mariana – cháu gái của ông và cũng là công chúa Áo. Cha của Philip Đệ tứ là Philip Đệ tam cũng là kết quả của một cuộc hôn nhân giữa bác và cháu ruột. Như vậy, việc giao phối cận huyết giữa cha mẹ của Charles Đệ nhị và truyền thống lấy người trong họ tộc của các đời vua trước đóng vai trò quan trọng đối với sự diệt vong của triều đại Habsburg.

Kết luận này được củng cố bởi một thực tế là tỷ lệ tử vong ở trẻ sơ sinh của dòng họ Habsburg rất cao. Chỉ có khoảng 60% số trẻ sống qua một năm và một nửa trẻ chết trước khi được 10 tuổi. Trong khi đó thì tỷ lệ sống sót trung bình của trẻ em Tây Ban Nha vào thời gian đó là 80%.

Sau khi Charles đệ nhị qua đời, triều đại Bourbon tại Pháp nắm quyền cai trị Tây Ban Nha.

Minh Long (theo Livescience)

Bài viết liên quan

Ramos bỏ trận đấu của Real để đi chơi

Ghen với ‘kẻ thù vô hình’

Truyền thông Tây Ban Nha xấu hổ vì Real Madrid

Chia tay chỉ vì không khám sức khỏe tiền hôn nhân

Nguồn: viencanh.com Sụp đổ triều đại vì hôn nhân cận huyết

Princess Ileana of Romania, London, 1925. Source: RNA

Self-managed theatre performances were a popular Edwardian period pastime for aristocrats and well to do individuals. This photograph shows Princess Ileana playing in a theatre performance at an estate in England. The other fellow amateur actors were local family friends, among them her aunt Beatrice, Infanta of Spain who lived in Esher (Surrey). ©Diana Mandache

All rights reserved ©DM http://royalromania.wordpress.com

Princess Ileana of Romania, London, 1925. Source: RNA

Self-managed theatre performances were a popular Edwardian period pastime for aristocrats and well to do individuals. This photograph shows Princess Ileana playing in a theatre performance at an estate in England. The other fellow amateur actors were local family friends, among them her aunt Beatrice, Infanta of Spain who lived in Esher (Surrey). ©Diana Mandache

All rights reserved ©DM http://royalromania.wordpress.com

Bran Castle

The misunderstandings between Romania’s Ministry of Culture and Dominic Habsburg, the head of the family that now owns the castle, left the museum in an uncertain territory, even after at the end of January they seemed to have come to an agreement. They decided at that date to continue having the castle functioning as a museum, under private ownership, with the state providing the specialist personnel to run it.  For details see my previous post “Bran castle given back to Princess Ileana’s descendants”.

Domnic Habsburg arrived at the end of March in Romania to probably deal with that situation in person and can be listen in the news footage bellow (the others speakers tell the reporter in Romanian about the removal of the royal heritage objects to the nearby museum, also some visitors express their disappointed about the empty castle). Dominic Habsburg hopes to replenish the castle with objects sometime in the future and have it returned to the touristic circuit, but without having on display its royal heritage furniture and other objects. ©Diana Mandache

I have just received today (28 May 2009) a message from Mr Mark Meyer , lawyer at Herzfeld & Rubin, P.C., with the following content:

In January, it seemed that an agreement had been reached to maintain the collections at Bran at the expense of the children of Princess Ileana keeping all of the employees on salaries entirely paid for by the family. Then Mr. Paleologu insisted that an additional fee in excess of € 9,000 per month be paid to the Ministry for the right of the family to display the property stolen from them by the Romanian government in 1948. In my view, it is obscene to ask the victims of a theft to pay a rental to the thief just to display their own personal property, particularly in circumstances where it is in a public service. To me, it is unseemly for a Minister to barter in stolen goods – albeit not ones returnable as of right in Romania (although in most civilized countries, a conversion of this magnitude remains actionable). Mr. Paleologu apparently believed otherwise and proceeded to sack Bran Castle of everything, doing more damage than the communists ever did. He striped the castle even of its lighting, all in an act that I regard to be cultural vandalism.  That “local law firm appointed to manage the affairs of the castle” is not managing the castle – that is being done by a management company; but the firm has seen to it that all of the employees not taken by Mr. Paleologu for his museum remained at Bran Castle, and it has done an incredible job of fixing the damage wrought by Mr. Paleologu, restoring the castle almost to a level equal to the pre-communist era, and creating new an exciting displays and events. It is only the beginning of the effort to make Bran Castle a world destination point.

 All rights reserved ©Diana Mandache   http://royalromania.wordpress.com

This is a short film footage (no sound) from the Christening ceremony of  Stefan of Austria (the heir of Anton Archduke of Austria & Ileana of Romania) at Moedling, 1932. In the foreground is Queen Marie of Romania, Alfonso XIII of Spain, Elizabeth, Queen of Greece. The close shot presents Queen Marie of Romania and Alfonso of Spain coming down steps with other people.

Diana Mandache http://royalromania.wordpress.com