Following 13 days of mourning, the heir to the thrones of the great Austro Hungarian Empire, His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Otto of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary, Otto von Hapsburg, was laid to rest in Vienna on 16 July 2011. (An obituary appeared here on 7 July).
…honoured across the Empire…
In scenes recalling the Empire, his coffin was taken in one of the longest processions seen in the old imperial capital to St Stephen’s cathedral where the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna Christoph Schönborn presided.
His body was first laid in repose in the Church of St. Ulrich in Pöcking, Bavaria, and was then taken by train to Mariazell on 12 July, before being taken by train to Vienna. Five requiem masses were celebrated in Munich, Pöcking, Mariazell, Vienna, and Budapest.
In accordance with the Habsburg tradition, his body was entombed in the Imperial Crypt (Kapuzinergruft) in Vienna and his heart will be buried in the Pannonhalma Archabbey west of the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
Video extracts follow.
There are some general scenes, extracts from the requiem mass and the singing of the Hayden’s Kaiserhymne, the Imperial Hymn. (The tune is well known in the English speaking world from John Newton’s great hymn "Glorious things of thee are spoken/Zion, city of our God." The music was subsequently used as the German National Anthem which began "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" Only the third stanza is now used as the national anthem )
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…remembered and honoured across Europe..
His son Karl Habsburg said "It would always be wrong to only remember him in the context of the old monarchy or only remember him in the context of the European Union. I think he should be remembered in the whole arch that his life has been creating… over the whole changes that happened to Europe in his lifetime."
Among the mourners were King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein and Prince Michael of Kent and Marie Christine, Princess Michael of Kent, representing the royal Family of the sixteen Commonwealth Realms.