A Busy Work Weekend in Paris for Henri and Maria Teresa

On March 10th and 11th, the Grand Ducal couple was in Paris to attend several events.

Photo: Godong / Philippe Lissac / Cour grand-ducale

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended meetings for the Board of Directors of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation (GCA), which focuses on microfinance opportunities; the Grand Duchess is an administrator of the Foundation. These meetings included ongoing discussions about exploring microfinance in Cuba, as well as such countries as China, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia.

While in Paris, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa also attended a dinner in support of the Foundation of the Latin American House, which supports members of the Latin American community living in London. 

Photo: Godong / Philippe Lissac / Cour grand-ducale

Also while in Paris, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa accompanied Nobel Prize-winner Professor Muhammad Yunus (founder of Grameen Bank and a member of the GCA Board of Directors) on a visit to Le Village by CA. This community of 90 start-ups was founded in 2014 and encourages young people with entrepreneurial vision.

More information from the Cour.

Henri Receives Advisory Board on Space Resources

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

Another one for "better late than never."

On March 8th, Grand Duke Henri received the Advisory Board on Space Resources, with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Deputy Prime Minister (and Minister of the Economy) Étienne Schneider also in attendance. The purpose of the committee is to explore opportunities for space exploration, including the potential for such activities as asteroid mining.

Luxarazzi 101: Schloss Wilfersdorf

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Outside of Vienna and their ancestral home Burg Liechtenstein, Schloss Wilfersdorf is probably the most famous of the about 20 or so castles still owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein in Austria. Located in the Weinviertel (literally wine quarter) of Lower Austria, the castle is the seat of the Princely Wine Cellars, which has been producing wines for over 600 years (and which we must cover in an extra post one day)!

Schloss Wilfersdorf came into the possession of the Liechtenstein family in 1436 - and has remained so ever since. Firstly mentioned in 1328 when a castle in Wilfersdorf fell into the hands of King John of Bohemia, the estate was owned by various nobles prior to the Liechtensteins. In 1609, Gundakar of Liechtenstein converted the Gothic castle into a four-winged moated castle with bastions and outwork after the castle was seriously damaged during the wars against Hungary and the Counter-Reformation. He subsequently made the Schloss, at the time more a fortress, his main residence until around 1625. 

Between 1713 and 1721, Prince Anton Florian commissioned architect Anton Ospel to rebuild the castle in Baroque style according to the taste of the time. Ospel also erected various structures in the garden using stones from Moravský Krumlov, one of the Princely Family's Moravian properties. When Anton Florian died in 1721, the construction ended abruptly and only two years later some rooms were adapted to be used as storage place for corn. 

None of Anton Florian's successors took a major interest in Wilfersdorf and so Prince Alois had three of the castle's four wings demolished around 1802 because they had become dilapidated. The remaining building and surroundings were devastated by the French in 1809, became the seat of the local district court in 1848 and a Prussian military hospital in 1866 during the Austro-Prussian War. 40 German soldiers died of cholera at Schloss Wilfersdorf and were laid to rest at the local cemetery. 

There is not much known about the history of Schloss Wilfersdorf after that. During the Second World War, the castle was once again damaged but rebuilt soon after. In 2001 and 2002, the Schloss was extensively renovated. Although owned by the Foundation Prince Liechtenstein, parts of the building are rented by the local municipality and turned into a regional cultural centre. On the upper floors, an exhibition about the history of the House of Liechtenstein is shown and in the cellars there are - surprise, surprise - the Princely Wine Cellars.

An Array of Audiences for Alois

Over the past few days, Hereditary Prince Alois has held several audiences at Vaduz Castle.

Hereditary Prince Alois with Mohamed Sultan Abdalla Alowais Alshamsi
of the United Arab Emirates / Photo: IKR

On the 8th, he received three new ambassadors for the presentation of credentials: Hisham Nehad Seifeldin (Arab Republic of Egypt), Manuel Francisco Aguilera de la Paz (Republic of Cuba), and Mohamed Sultan Abdalla Alowais Alshamsi (United Arab Emirates). As is traditional, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Aurelia Frick also paid the ambassadors a courtesy visit at the government building.

Photo: Hereditary Prince Alois and the EEAS-EU Ambassadors Delegation /
Photo: IKR

On the 10th, the Hereditary Prince also received a delegation from European External Action Service (EEAS) and European Union Ambassadors for Western Europe. The delegation was in Vaduz for meetings and to hold talks with Prime Minister Adrian Hasler, Deputy Prime Minister Thomas Zwiefelhofer, and Minister  of Foreign Affairs Aurelia Frick. Among the topics under discussion were the relationship between Liechtenstein and the EU and challenges that the EU is presently facing. The delegation concluded with a courtesy visit to Alois at Vaduz Castle.

A little more from Volksblatt.

Henri and Maria Teresa at the European Institute of Cultural Routes

Photo: European Institute of Cultural Routes Facebook

On February 28th, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited the European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR), which is located at Neumünster Abbey. The organization reviews cultural routes with the ongoing purpose of demonstrating a shared cultural heritage across Europe. The EICR was established in conjunction between the Council of Europe and the Grand Duchy.

While visiting the Institute, the Grand Ducal couple were given a copy of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. As of 2016, thirty-two cultural routes had been identified, including Viking routes, historical thermal towns, and the Hansa.

The information was also posted at the institute's Facebook page.

Prince Nikolaus Attends Scouting Conference

Photo: Daniel Schwendener / Vaterland / Vaterland.li

Prince Nikolaus was in Malbun for the conference that represents German-speaking Scouting clubs. Organized under the motto "Einfach Pfadi," this year's event welcomed at least 85 attendees from 10 different countries: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, South Tyrol (officially, an autonomous province) and Switzerland. Prince Nikolaus also spoke to open the conference and commented on his own Scouting experience, while a Scout from Schaan also offered encouraging words to participants.

A little more from Vaterland.

Grand Duke Henri Attends Ensemble Stravaganza

Photo: Commune de Colmar-Berg / Cour grand-ducale

On Sunday, March 5th, Grand Duke Henri was at the parish church in Colmar-Berg to attend a concert performance by Ensemble Stravaganza. This was put on in connection with Rencontres Musicales de la Vallée de l'Alzette (RMVA). Claude Adam, the Vice-President of RMVA, was also in attendance, as was the Mayor of Colmar-Berg, Gast Jacobs.

Ensemble Stravaganza, which focuses primarily on baroque music, is under the artistic direction of violinist Domitille Gilon and harpsichordist Thomas Soltani. The performance on Sunday featured music of the Hapsburg court, including works by Biber, Böddecker, Froberger, and Schmelzer.

A little more detail from the Cour.

Henri and Maria Teresa Attend 34th Festival of Migrations

Photo: Anouk Antony / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

On March 4th, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa were in Kirchberg to attend the opening ceremony of the 34th Festival of Migrations: des cultures et de la citoyenneté (Cultures and Citizenship). Also in attendance were Mars di Bartolomeo, the President of the Chambre des Députés; Corine Cahen, the Minister of Family and Integration; and Lydie Polfer, the Mayor of Luxembourg City.

More photos from Wort and the Cour.

Guillaume and Stéphanie Attend Academic Session

On the evening of March 2nd, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie were at the Athénée de Luxembourg to attend an academic session. This event was held in honor of the 20th educational trip organized by Témoins de la 2e Génération (Witnesses of the 2nd Generation), or T2G. Founded in 2001, T2G arranges educational opportunities for teachers and students to visit Auschwitz, as part of its ongoing effort to fight anti-Semitism and xenophobia.

Charles Goerens, the President of T2G, accompanied the Hereditary Grand Ducal couple. Joseph Salentiny, the Director of the Athenée de Luxembourg, was also in attendance.

After the session, French scholar Georges Bensoussan spoke at a conference entitled "Shoah: A memory for difficult times." Following the conference, T2G presented a book entitled As I Walk in Your Shoes and showed films that students had made during their visits to Auschwitz.

A little more information from the Cour. No photos at present, but they'll be added if they're made available.

Maria Teresa Holds Audiences and Henri Receives Ambassadors

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa with representatives of LCTO /
Photo: © 2016 Cour grand-ducale / tous droits réservés

On March 2nd, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa held two audiences: for representatives of the Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO) and the Kiwanis Club Mondorf. Both organizations support the Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse, and the Grand Duchess received a check from each. The three LCTO representatives presented a check for 29,554.52 €, while the Kiwanis Club Mondorf presented a check for 25,000 €. The LCTO offers guided tours of the Palais grand-ducal during the summer, and in 2016 brought in 29.554,29 €. The Kiwanis Club Mondorf, which supports refugees from Burundi who are currently living in refugee camps in Rwanda, also donated its 2016 profits.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa with representatives of Kiwanis Club Mondorf
Photo: © 2016 Cour grand-ducale / tous droits réservés

Meanwhile Grand Duke Henri was busy with receiving five ambassadors for the presentation of credentials: Alexander Mikhnevich  (Belarus), Abdellahi Bah Nagi Kebd (Republic of Mauritania), Monseigneur Augustine Kasujja (Apostolic Nuncio), Iurie Renita (Republic of Moldova), and Haymandoyal Dillum (Republic of Mauritius). The entire series of photos from the Cour. Grand Duke Henri pictured with Alexander Mikhnevich of Belarus, below.

Photo: Cour grand-ducale