It seems the Austrians were happy to leave their former rulers with nothing, whereas the German states were much more conciliatory.
Die Wittelsbacher Landesstiftung für Kunst und Wissenschaft as well as the
Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfond inherit part of the jewels, art, castles
The Wittelsbacher Landes
stiftung für Kunst und Wissenschaft is a foundation under public law based in Munich. It is the owner of the Wittelsbacher art treasures acquired before 1800. The Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfond
Founded in 1923 within the framework of the property balance between the Wittelsbachers and the Free State of Bavaria, the foundation under public law is the owner of the castles, various forests, art collections and house archives of the Wittelsbachers used by the royal family until 1918. The proceeds of the fund are used to support the members of the former dynasty.
The Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds has its origin in the property dispute between the Free State of Bavaria and the former royal house. It was founded on the basis of the private-law agreement of 24 January 1923 between the State and Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria (1869-1955) as the representative of all family members and on the basis of the Land law of 9 March 1923. The latter assigned the status of a foundation under public law to the fund and regulated the principles of its organisation and administration.
Foundation equipment
Berg Castle, near Starnberg, had been owned by the Wittelsbach family since Elector Ferdinand Maria (ruled 1652-1676) and was rebuilt under King Maximilian II. (ruled 1848-1864) as a frequent residence of the Wittelsbacher. After the Second World War, the neo-Gothic annexes, which can be seen here in the picture by Joseph Albers (1825-1886) around 1880, were removed again. (Bavarian State Library, Picture Archive port-006603) The Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds was set up: the castles in Neuburg a.d.Donau, Berg am Starnberger See, Berchtesgaden and Ludwigshöhe in the Palatinate, which were formerly part of the civil list,
from the estate of King Otto of Bavaria the castles Hohenschwangau (including forest property) and Fürstenried, the park near Feldafing with the rose island, the Maxburg near Hambach in the Palatinate, the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich as well as forest property near Ettal and Eschenlohe,
agricultural and forestry land from the state estate amounting to about 12,500 ha,
The company had residential rights in Nymphenburg Palace, Herrenchiemsee Old Palace and the Würzburg Residence, as well as cash capital of 40,000,000 Marks, which was paid out in January 1923 and no longer represented any value due to inflation. A later judgement of the arbitral tribunal provided for in the agreement resulted in an appreciation to 100,000 Reichsmark,
the art collections from the former Hausgutfideikommiss König Ludwigs I. (1786-1868, reigned 1825-1848); Ludwig I. had determined this immeasurably valuable art possession to be a Fideikommiss, i.e. a bound, inalienable estate which was undivided in the male tribe according to the birthright. Through the Fideikommisauflösungsgesetz of 1919 he had become the private property of Crown Prince Rupprecht, who now transferred him to the fund and later supplemented him from his own private possession as a recognized art connoisseur. The majority of the works of art are permanently lent to museums such as the Alte und Neue Pinakothek and the Glyptothek in Munich. They form the most valuable component of the fund, but do not yield any income,
Apologies if this is not the appropriate forum but I was really intrigued by what Vincent Meylan said about the Wittlesbach financial agreement reached with Bavarian state, in particular in relation to the jewels. I have been to Munich and seen the jewels in the Residenz and always assumed they were belonging to the state, whereas the items we see the Wittlesbach princesses and Duchesses post 1918 is their private property.
Can anyone expand upon it or give more details about the agreement.
"In 1402, princess Blanche of England aged 10, married Prince Louis of the palatinate from the formidable house of Wittelsbach. He was 24 years old. Beeing the daughter of king Henri IV of England, Blanche did receive an impressive dowry of 40 000 gold coins and that crown made in gold with rubies, sapphires and pearls. The crown is a splendid of gothic craftsmanship and although it is definitely the older existing English crown it may not be English. It seems it came to England in 1382 when princess Anne of Bohemia married king Richard II of England. Many experts suggest that the craftmanship of the crown suggest it was made in France or possibly in Prague (where Anne of Bohemia was born) by a french Golsmith working in Bohemia. In any case it is an absolute splendour. Anne died in 1394, childless, and her husband was deposed in 1399 by one of his cousins, Henry of Lancaster who became Henry IV of England and who was Blanche ´si father. Blanche also died childless at the very young age of 17 in 1409. Her husband who became Palatine elector one year later kept the crown. And it remained. In the treasury of that branch of the wittelsbach family in Heidelberg. In 1680 when the last prince of the palatinate branch of the wittelsbach family became extinct, their land and treasures were transmitted to another branch of the same family and then to another one untill all the possessions of the wittelsbach family were united in the Bavarian branch of the family. The crown therefore went to Munich where it remained since. The Bavarian monarchy was abolished in 1918, but due to the very complicated deal set between the wittelsbach family and the Bavarian state in the 1920s that crown may still be, like all the Bavarian Crown Jewels exhibited in the Residenz in Munich, partly a private possession of the wittelsbach family. As you may have guessed it is one of my favourite piece of jewelry ever. #royaljewels #crown #rubies #bavaria #wittelsbachfamily #kingofbavaria." https://www.instagram.com/p/B5JV6mpIKw5/
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