After a hundred years of silence, mysteries and theories worthy of a historical novel, the Habsburg treasure returns to light. The legendary jewels of the Austro-Hungarian dynasty, among which the famous 137-carat Florentine diamond stands out, had not been lost, nor cut and resold as stolen goods. For decades they rested, intact, in a bank vault in Quebec, kept in the same suitcase with which the last empress, Zita of Bourbon-Parma, fled overseas after the fall of the Empire.
The mystery was revealed by Karl Habsburg, a direct descendant of the last imperial house. Precisely in the days of the famous theft at the Louvre, he summoned a journalist from the Spiegel in Vienna, revealing to him in a café on the Ring: «The Fiorentino and the other family jewels are in a safe deposit box in Canada».
The news, confirmed by New York Timeswent around the world and brought back to the fore one of the most fascinating stories of the European twentieth century.
From the escape to Switzerland to the mysterious trip to Canada
To understand the value and significance of this discovery, we must go back to November 1918, when Vienna was shaken by revolutionary uprisings and Emperor Charles I understood that the Habsburg monarchy had come to an end. He ordered Count Leopold von Berchtold to save the royal jewels. On November 4, the treasures arrived in Switzerland: among them, Empress Sissi’s diamond crown, Maria Theresa of Austria’s bracelet with a gigantic emerald and, of course, the Florentiner, the yellow diamond that once belonged to the Medici family, nicknamed “the stone of destiny”.
Until 1921, the precious items remained in Swiss territory. Then, suddenly, they disappeared. For decades there have been hypotheses and conjectures: there were those who claimed that they had been pawned in Budapest in 1923 to finance a failed attempt at monarchical restoration, those who claimed to have seen them cut up and resold on the American market. Some jewelers swore they had purchased pieces linked to the treasure, and a 99-carat diamond sold in New York was thought to be the Florentine, cut and reduced.
The truth, as is often the case, was much simpler — and more surprising. Karl Habsburg said that the family, fleeing from Budapest in 1923, took with them a substantial part of the treasure, thanks to the help of the English colonel Edward Lisle Strutt, sent by the British king to ensure the safety of the Habsburgs. Zita, now a widow and mother of eight children, managed to embark from Bordeaux to Canada. When a customs officer asked her how many people were traveling with her, she replied solemnly: “All of these.” A phrase that today sounds like a symbol of resilience and imperial dignity.
The discovery of the Habsburg treasure and the mystery of Sissi’s crown
According to Karl Habsburg, news of the discovery only emerged in 2022, exactly one hundred years after the jewels left abroad. Zita had arranged for the contents of the Canadian vault to be revealed to two male heirs only after a century.
Karl’s cousins contacted him and, once they opened the box, they found themselves faced with a collection of priceless gems and jewellery.
To verify its authenticity, AE Köchert, the six-generation royal jeweler who had served the House of Austria, was called. With the catalog of imperial treasures and the only existing photograph of the Florentiner, dated 1918, Köchert flew to Canada. «When I saw that stone, I was moved – he said – its color reminds me of a good Scotch whisky».
The appraisal confirmed the authenticity of the diamond and jewels. However, key pieces are still missing: Sissi’s crown and Maria Theresa’s rose necklace have not been found.
Who really owns the Habsburg treasure?
The discovery opened a new chapter, this time judicial. Who owns the Habsburg treasure? The Austrian state claims ownership, claiming that the imperial assets were confiscated with the law of 1919. But the heirs counter that those jewels were taken abroad before the entry into force of that law, and therefore do not fall within the confiscable assets.
Karl Habsburg would like to exhibit them in a museum, but not in Austria, to avoid legal disputes and political exploitation. The affair promises to become a long international battle, with enormous economic and symbolic implications.
Finally, the most romantic and disturbing question remains: what happened to Sissi’s crown? And how many other treasures could still be hidden in forgotten vaults of European and American banks?
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