Tomorrow, the son of the last emperor of Austria will be entombed in the Imperial Crypt under the Capuchin Church at the New Market in Vienna. Alongside 119 members of the Habsburg family, 12 emperors and 19 empresses are buried in this vault – they represent 400 years of European history. This is the last time an Austrian royal will be buried in the Imperial Crypt.
Otto von Habsburg died on July 4 in Bavaria, after a productive life spent largely in the service of Europe. Many foreign dignitaries are expected to attend: among them reigning or former monarchs King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, King Michael I of Romania, Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria and Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein. The requiem mass in St. Stephen’s Cathedral will be presided over by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn.
The death’s head with the Imperial Crown (pictured here) decorates the sarcophagus of Otto’s ancestor, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor.
When Otto von Habsburg’s mother Zita died in 1989 – she had spent the war years in Quebec City – her body was brought in state to the Imperial Crypt. The scene was striking: as the bier waited at the entrance to the church, an attendant with staff in hand knocked at the door. From inside, a friar, holding a large candle, asked who was seeking entrance. The attendant replied that it was Her Imperial Highness Zita Maria. The simple friar replied, “We do not know her.” The attendant knocked once again, and was again asked who seeks entrance. This time he replied, “Zita, a poor sinner,” at which reply the friar welcomed her into the church.
This ritual will be followed for Otto von Habsburg tomorrow.
Eric Koch’s book, The Weimar Triangle, is available at Indigo-Chapters and in your local bookstore. 
Did you know that his daughter is married to a Torontonian, Baron von Dreger, with whom we hung out in our youth.
No. Sorry, I can’t compete. I am not aware of any Hohenzollern married to a Torontonian. But I believe at one time some Bismarcks had a farm near Guelph.
During my many trips to Communist Czechoslovakia there was much nostalgia for the Austro-Hungarian empire and many praised it as the first European common market. The Czechs couldn’t wait to get out of it while it was around but compared to Communism it looked good.
Yes. If only the Austrians had not over-reacted to the shootings in Serajewo – and the foolish Germans had not backed them….
The Bismarck near Guelph was married to a von Richtofen (sp?) a cousin of the Red Baron. I wrote both their obituaries, interviewing the Baron while he was still alive. She was Bismarck’s first granddaughter. His daughter Carmen still lives in the same building in Toronto.
I am just reading “To End all Wars” by Adam Hochschild about the First World War. Everybody was preparing for the war and Sarajewo was just the excuse. Something like the war in Iraq or for that matter any other war.
An interesting comment is that Churchill had just converted the British Navy to oil and did not like that the Germans were building the Orient Express.
On the events of August 1914, may I recommend Eric Koch’s Arabian Nights 1914.
Is the funeral going to be televised, like the Empress Zita’s? To see first one then finally everybody present rise as the “old” National Anthem, was being played. Incidentally, Austro-Hungary was relatively tolerant, by comparison with you know who.
Austria was relatively tolerant but not Hungary. Just ask the Slovaks. Bad blood to this day. The Hungarians tried to impose their impossible language on the Slavs.