No more restitution or compensation. The Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation has taken a giant step and has proposed a unique, future-oriented solution. The natural and cultural wealth of the Czech Republic would benefit from it unprecedentedly and immediately. We interviewed Michal Růžička, spokesman for the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation in the Czech Republic, about a modern cooperation model that could end all disputes between the two countries.
What should we imagine under the term “foundation” – what are you actually a spokesperson for?
Briefly: in the case of the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation, the “foundation” is a legal entity that owns and manages most of the companies and assets of the reigning Prince Hans Adam II.
And if you were to answer more broadly?
Then I would first have to explain the relationship of the princely family to property: Hans Adam II says that property is something that you receive to look after and that for a limited period of your active life – and then you have to pass it on again, if possible, in a better condition than in which you received it. In other words, property is not a resource for consumption, nor is it for immediate monetisation. To understand such an approach, it is necessary to know that the prince’s property serves, for example, to finance the activities of the prince as the Head of State, the citizens of Liechtenstein do not contribute a single cent towards the “prince’s court”.
So, if the Liechtensteins demand the return of property that was taken by Czechoslovakia and is now being used by the Czech Republic, what would they plan to do with it?
When managing it, they would follow the same principles, whereas, the quality bar according to which they take care of for example their ancestral property in Austria, is somewhat higher than the one we are used to here. Anyone who knows, for example, the two Lichtenstein palaces in Vienna, will surely tell you that a similar level of quality of repairs, technical equipment and management would truly suit the castles in Lednice, Valtice or Bučovice very well.
Would they keep them open to the public?
The princely family was among the first in Europe to open its picture galleries to the public, it was among the first in Europe to open parts of its forests to the public and call them nature reserves, and I could go on. The Liechtensteins have always considered the historical monuments they manage to be a public cultural asset that everyone should benefit from. In addition, you have probably noticed that the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation proposed an out-of-court agreement to the Czech state, which would be based on cooperation with the Czech state and not on a traditional restitution of property.
Would the Foundation really give up its claim to this property?
It would waive the claim to the property and any compensation. In turn, the Czech state would place the disputed plots of land and the five disputed castles into a shared fund. Decision-making would also be joint and the Foundation would have the right of use.
So the Liechtensteins do not believe that they will succeed with the court cases?
On the contrary, they believe in themselves. The result of their victory could be compensation in the estimated amount of 35 billion CZK, but they might not get anything back. However, they don’t want money. With it, they could buy, for instance, forests in Scandinavia, yet they would not be able to take care of their historical properties here. Let’s take a look, once more, at my answers at the beginning: how does Hans Adam II describe his relationship to property? I am sure that this approach would benefit not only specific historical monuments, but also the entire Czech Republic.
Is such an offer acceptable to the Czech side?
It should be. It is beneficial for both parties. After all, Ipsos has recently conducted a representative public opinion survey and according to it, the Czech public prefers an agreement rather than endless trials with an unclear outcome.
Thank you for the interview.
