Royalist Riley,
I do not know much about austria and russia, but concerning germany,most of the ex royal families got to an agreement about their properties very soon after the end of monarchies in 1918.
In the ex western part of the country most of these families still own most of their ancestral properties, (bavaria, Wurtemberg, Bade, Hanover and even cobourg).
In the ex eastern part of germany it is true that the lands and castles confiscated by the communists were not given back, but all the works of arts, jewelry, silver and so on... which were private properties before 1945 have to be given back.
I think the law was passed after the fall of the east in the beginning of the 1990s;
Most of the families have allready reached an agreement with the curators of theses collections in Berlin, Dresden, Schwerin, Gotha... In conpensation for the works of art they agreed to leave in the museum they were given huge sums money and sometimes buildings and lands.
I think the most profitable deal was reached about the saxon works of arts. It concerned around 20 000 objects. A few thousands were actually given back and the others were compensated for the way i just explained.
Concerning Bavaria and Wurtemberg, believe me, the monarchist past is absolutely respected and the heads and members of these families are really considered as "non official" but still very respected "royals".
Members of governement attends their weddings and funeral and so on... And they are invited to official ceremonies. In Bavaria, duke Franz is really considered as a "king without a crown" and he still lives in some parts of schloss Nymphenbourg, (the bavarian Versailles).
The family also uses the main part of the castle for funerals and weddings.
And they even have a kind of court as part of the buildings is used for their offices called "werwaltung des herzog von Bayern".
About France, everythingthing which had not been sold during the revolution, was actually given back in 1814, or even by Napoléon. Most of the time these restitutions concerned the castles, (ok they were in a very bad state) and the forrest around them.
Some families even got back their "hotel particulier" in paris and a few still own them. Some of the castle still belong to the family as they were given back after the revolution : Brissac to the brissac, La Rochefoucauld to the Larochefoucauld, Uzès to teh Uzès, Luynes and Dampierre to the Luynes...
The main problem in France is the code napoléon who forbids to leave the family properties to the older son. For that reason many estates have been shared many times and sold. The latest one beeing the castle of Ansouis sold last year because the children did not reach an agreement between them.
That problem does not exist in Germany of Britain, as you can do what you want with you estate.
To tell you the truth, there is also a beginning of restitution in Russia, although it is very small. Apparently you can get back a property confiscated to one of your ancestors in 1917 if you can prove it was not confiscated in the legal way ( i mean with a legal decree).
I know one example of a family who managed to prove that two of their palaces in Moscow had been simply "occupied" and not officially "confiscated" and they got there properties back.
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