Once again in a speech in the castle of Lannach (Austria) Otto Habsburg criticized the Russian president with very harsh words. He also called for more Austrian patriotism.

Regarding Putin he said that if he had lived back then at WWII on the German side of the border, he would have become a KZ guard. He furthermore said that Putin is a ruthless intelligence agent and the burier of a Russian democracy.

But he had also his fair share of criticism towards Austrians. It would have been the obligation of Austrians to shoot back when German forces entered illegally the sovereign state Austria.

Furthermore he suprised by criticizing also "political correctness" that forces people sometimes to censor themselves against better knowledge.

To the person:
Otto Habsburg is the head of the family Habsburg-Lothringen and the son of the last emperor of Austria, Karl I. He is officially citizen of Germany, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.


Emperor Franz Joseph and (believe it or not thats not a girl next to him, but) Otto

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"Every country gets the cuisine it deserves"

I saw him in a documentary on german TV just yesterday. It was a story about the austrian crown jewels , especially the then "hugest diamond on earth" ( at least they claimed it) which the Habsburg family had to turn into money when they were in exile in Switzerland, and which have dissappeared since then. The point of the story is that the austrian state is still claiming the jewels as public property and that Otto is according to the authors not as clueless as he claims to be....have to look it up somewhere
One question : How old is he ?

I think he is 95

But what I would like to know is if there are many people on earth with more citizenships than him. I mean to be citizen of 4 states is already an achievement I would say.
I would be especially interested of the reason why he is Croatian citizen. Because he is Habsburg, or despite it?

WRT Republic of Austria vs Habsburg. I am not sure, but I think there are still trials pending on property issues. I can remember just two or three years ago, a court judged on a larger case where some castles and lots of land was at stake in favor of the Republic.

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"Every country gets the cuisine it deserves"

Croatia was at one time part of the Habsberg empire. If he had property there, when Yugoslavia was formed, perhaps he was counted as a resident of the Yugoslav republic of Croatia.

I have a friend whose great-grandfather was the Habsburg Emperor. Which probably isn't that rare.

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... I am surprised at your insolence in writing to me at all. You know, as I know, that I bought this constituency... may God's curse light upon you and may it make your women as open and as free to the excise officers as your wives and daughters have always been to me while I have represented your scoundrel corporation.
I have the honour to be... your obliged humble servant, Anthony Henley
- MPs reply to constituent, mid 1700s

Hm, well I dont think its too common either. At least a (former) member of high aristocracy.

Personally I dont think there is the slightest chance that Yugoslavia did grant a Habsburg heir to the throne citizenship. After all were the Serbs the ones at power and what the Serbs thought about the Habsburger you might know.

There might be the possibility that not too long ago when Croatia acquired independence, that Habsburg got granted citizenship.

Either way, I did not know that the resentments down there at the Balkan are at least forgotten enough to grant the heir to the thrown citizenship even though he lives in Bavaria. My personal guess is that its to honor Otto Habsburgs engagement to bring Croatia back into the middle of Europe again.

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"Every country gets the cuisine it deserves"