HSH Prince Hans-Adam II (1945- ) and the late HSH Princess Marie (1940-2021)

[Marengo]

From wtop.com:

Liechtenstein prince angers German Jews

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press Writer

GENEVA (AP) - Germany's Jewish community sharply criticized Liechtenstein's head of state Thursday, accusing him of trivializing Nazi atrocities after his comments appeared to describe modern-day Germany as a "fourth" Reich.
It was the latest development in the fractious relations between the tiny Alpine principality and its much larger neighbor to the north.
In a letter sent by Liechtenstein's Hans-Adam II to the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the prince declared that his nation "has already outlasted three German empires in the past 200 years.
"I hope we will also outlast a fourth," he added in the letter, which was reprinted in Thursday's edition of Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger.
Germany was known as the Third "Reich" _ meaning third empire _ between 1933 and 1945 when Adolf Hitler's National Socialist Party was in power and systematically persecuted Europe's Jews.

Read the entire article here.

The original article in the Tages-Anzeiger, here (in German only)

Another article from Deutsche Welle:

Liechtenstein Royal Backs Off German 'Fourth Reich' Comment

After prompting anger from Germany's Jewish community, Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein withdrew remarks made earlier in which he had called Germany the "Fourth Reich."

German and Jewish critics alike disparaged the comparison between the modern, Federal German Republic and the "Third Reich" Nazi era of the 1930s and 40s.
The prince "did not intend in any way to trivialize the terrible events of the Third Reich in his private and personal letter" to the head of the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the principality said in a press release.
Hans-Adam II had prompted anger among German and Jewish representatives after writing in a letter revealed Thursday by the Swiss daily Tages-Anzeiger that Liechtenstein already survived "three German Reichs," meaning three eras of attempted German domination in 200 years.

No more art loans for Germany
He hoped also to survive the "Fourth Reich," the prince had continued in his letter written in reply to a request by museum director Werner Michael Blumenthal, who had asked Hans-Adam II to loan him a picture for an exhibition.

Read the entire article here.


---------------------

Well Boris, the prince is not known to be diplomatic and he does have a temper but this was a rather odd thing to say indeed. I didn't know the Frans Hals painting was stolen by the Nazi's and later bought by the Liechtensteins though, do you know about which painting we are talking

 

[Boris]

I did some research and found out that the Frans Hals painting used to belong to Baron Louis Rothschild. In 1938, it was confiscated by the Nazis in Vienna. It was not returned to the Rothschilds until 1998, sold afterwards and bought by Prince Hans Adam at an auction.
The Liechtenstein ambassador in Germany tried his hand at damage control today, which is met with quite some sarcasm in the press – understandable IMO, since Prince Hans Adam additionally stated in his letter that "the longer Germany’s relationship to Lichtenstein lasts, the less Germany is willing to follow the principles of international law."
Very bad PR for Liechtenstein at a moment in time when they need it least, to put it mildly.
Link to a detailed article (in German):
http://www.faz.net/s/RubDDBDABB9457A437BAA85A49C26FB23A0/Doc~EC7675E34AC264E48BF77A2CEDA1DF7B4~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html

 

[lucien]

News Summary Royalblog.nl: Prince Hans Adam in eye of German storm

courtesy Royalblog.

 

[Warren]

Obviously I'm reading it differently but to me the sentence "We've outlasted three German Empires in the last 200 years and I hope we will outlast a fourth" means that he hopes his country will survive intact well into the future. Maybe the inference was that the fourth Reich was the current German State but if that was his intent he was saying that he hoped Liechtenstein would outlast it too.

Whatever the case I'm surprised that the use of the word 'Reich' has apparently been added to the verboten or taboo list so that by using it Hans Adam is thereby "marginalising the atrocities" committed by the Nazis. That seems to be a very long bow to draw when he was emphasisng the past and future survival of his country.

 

[chaz]

There are some things that will never be forgiven. Murdering innocent People for the ideals of some crackpot philosophy, or because they belong to political parties that you hate. Cannot be forgiven eternally.

 

[Boris]

Warren, it's not a long bow to draw when the Prince's wording is interpreted as very intenionally aggressive.
It's a matter of language here; you translate and equal Reich with Empire, but that's not correct.
In German, as the Prince knows very well, the use of the word "Reich" has practically become obsolete apart from the historic context of the "Dritte Reich" which is Nazi Germany. The word "Reich" itself is not taboo, but strictly connected to Hitler's regime in today's language.
In German ears, his use of words in describing current Germany as the fourth reich is therefore obviously either degrading the present or cynically marginalising the past.
In the German original, there's no way that the quote can be interpreted as a neutral way of just putting his hope for the the survival of his own country into words, even when taken out of its context - and if you read it within the context of his additional remarks, it's even worse.
It's certainly no coinscidence that the Prince chose to vent his anger at Germany at the time of the investigations of Liechtenstein's financial politics.

 

[Warren]

Thanks for the explanation Boris. Indeed, to me Reich = Empire but I now understand that in today's usage it is not the case.

 

[Marengo]

This article in Dutch has a picture of the painting by Frans Hals.

In the mean time even BILD is writing about it, in English here and a longer article in German here.

 

[HRH Kerry]

So what's been going on in my absence?!

I understand where the sovereign prince was going with his statement but the use of Reich was just uncouth. But...at least the painting was returned by the family albeit 50 years later before it was legally sold.

(Kind of of puts you in mind of the land and property dispute with the Czech Republic. Same era/circumstances. Haven't heard anything on any further appeals though.)

 

[Alisa]

Earlier this month (Sept. 11th) Princess Marie celebrated her nameday.
For photos.

Galerien aus Liechtenstein - Fotos, Schnappschüsse, Bilder, foto, kamera#

If the link does not work. go to www.volksblatt.li > on the right of your screen click "photoalbum">on the drop panel click 11.9.08 Namenstag

 

[iceflower]

Pics 14.4.2009

Birthday reception at the 69th birthday of Princess Marie,
Prince Hans-Adam attended the event as well. Liechtenstein,
April 14, 2009


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 **

 

[sgl]

She is very pretty, and looks much younger than her 69 years.

 

[Beate]

She sure is aging well. I think her daughter Tatjana looks quite a bit like her.

 

[principessa]

Here is a report about a group of Allgäuer singer who sung at a church service on sunday for Hans-Adam and Marie.

Allgäuer singen beim Fürsten | all-in.de - das Allgäu online!

 

[Enigma]

princess marie celebrating her nameday:-
http://www.volksblatt.li/default.aspx?id=foto&category=2972&index=2&jahr=2009&monat=9#

Liechtensteiner Vaterland - Meistgelesene Tageszeitung in Liechtenstein

if you see a different gallery in the second link, please click on the (veranstaltungen) bar, search for the date 10.09.2009, it is the second one.

 

[Al_bina]

Prince Hans-Adam II attended the opening of an art exhibition from the Princely private collection on the 14th of September in the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg Russia. A key theme of the exhibition is beidermeier (Biedermeier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
Here is the video from NTV channel:Òåëåêîìïàíèÿ ÍÒÂ. Îôèöèàëüíûé ñàéò | Íîâîñòè ÍÒÂ | Êîëëåêöèÿ êíÿçÿ Ëèõòåíøòåéíà îòêðûòà äëÿ ïóáëèêè

Spletnik - Îòêðûòèå ïåðâîé âûñòàâêè áèäåðìåéåðà â Ìîñêâå

Some photos: Îòêðûòèå âûñòàâêè èç êîëëåêöèé êíÿçÿ Ëèõòåíøòåéíà » Spletnik
http://www.spletnik.ru/gallery/544-otkrytie-vystavki-iz-kollekcijj-knjazja/11529-foto-9.html
http://www.spletnik.ru/gallery/544-otkrytie-vystavki-iz-kollekcijj-knjazja/11528-foto-8.html

 

[principessa]

vaterland.li is reporting that Princess Marie celebrates her nameday with pupils.

Liechtensteiner Vaterland - Meistgelesene Tageszeitung in Liechtenstein

Here is the contentlist of the book "The state in the third millenium", written by Prince Hans-Adam.

http://www.fuerstenhaus.li/_news/attachments/2009_09_02_The_State_in_the_Third_Millennium.pdf

 

[Ducii]

Prince Hans Adam II. visited the Czech Republic on 25th september. He visited some places which were property of Liechtenstein until the end of WWII. He said that now he will not request it, but he would love to have it He have money for reconstruction etc... It was the fourth visit of Prince, but before he traveled to the Czech Republic like a tourist, now first like a Prince, because relations between the Czech Republic nad Liechtenstein were establish this september.

 

[Alisa]

October 29, 2009 Princess Marie at Welt der Wiegendrucke

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3930/landesmuseum10692633924.jpg
http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/6489/landesmuseum10688633924.jpg
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7898/landesmuseum10690633924.jpg

Photo from Liectenstein Volksblatt

 

[principessa]

Are there pictures existing with the Princerly Couple and all of their children, children-in-law and grandchildren?

 

[wbenson]

London’s National Gallery and Liechtenstein Prince fail to agree on price for Coello masterpiece | The Art Newspaper

The National Gallery’s attempt to buy the Prince of Liechtenstein’s Sánchez Coello painting is deadlocked because no agreement can be reached on the price. Instead, Prince Hans-Adam II is willing to lend the Portrait of the Infante Don Diego (1577) to the gallery, since he wants it to be on public view and is presently unable to get a UK export licence to send it to his museum in Vienna.

 

[iceflower]

Princess Marie von und zu Liechtenstein and her husband Prince
Hans-Adam II. von und zu Liechtenstein celebrating the 70th
birthday of Princess Marie at the castle Vaduz, Liechtenstein,
April 14, 2010. On pic 3 you can see little musician Moritz Huemer.

On the occasion of her birthday a mass will be celebrated at the
cathedral of Vaduz on Sunday morning. Several family members
are expected to attend.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **

 

[MAfan]

I can't wait for sunday! It will be one of the rare occasions for seeing the whole Princely Family in public perhaps.

 

[Enigma]

a video of princess marie's 70th birthday:

Videonews - Liechtenstein

and a photo gallery:

Galerien aus Liechtenstein - Fotos, Schnappschüsse, Bilder, foto, kamera#

 

[izabela84]

Mafan- I hope so too...

 

[iceflower]

Czech Republic's President Vaclav Klaus welcomes Prince Hans-Adam
II of Liechtenstein on May 5, 2010 at Prague Castle in Prague.

In the afternoon Prince Hans-Adam will attend the inauguration of an
exhibition of 300 classicist and Biedermeier works of art from the
Liechtenstein collections in the building of the Czech Senate in Prague.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 **

 

[Harold]

Has something changed? I thought Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic had no relations due to disputes over confiscations of princely property after World War II? Have those been resolved?

 

[MAfan]

On the occasion of her birthday a mass will be celebrated at the
cathedral of Vaduz on Sunday morning. Several family members
are expected to attend.

No pictures nor articles on the Mass (and it also seems family reunion)?

 

[Ducii]

Has something changed? I thought Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic had no relations due to disputes over confiscations of princely property after World War II? Have those been resolved?

There wasnť any relationships after WWII. but last year Hans Adam said, that they will not "fight" actively for their property (they want it but they won't try to get it back actively). It is probably eight month since the diplomatic relationships were establish and I think that it was Hans Adam second visit to the Czech republic as Prince. Before that he was simply a turist (of course he was Prince, but for Czech rep. only turist, I don't know if you understand what I mean, he wasnť official Prince for Czech republic)

 

[Harold]

Yes, I understand. So the situation has changed. Thanks, Ducii.