The Off Topic Topic

[viper37]

A mythical treasure was hidden in Quebec and will remain there.

Original article (in French)

They were thought to be lost forever, possibly stolen, or recut and resold on the black market. Well, no. The legendary Habsburg family jewels are still very much alive: they had been sleeping for nearly 85 years in a Canadian bank.  [Note: in Quebec city]

This utterly incredible story was revealed Thursday by the New York Times , at the request of the Habsburg descendants. That same day, the family followed up with Quebec media, publicly announcing that the treasure would remain in the country, a long-term loan intended to express their gratitude for services rendered.
"This is our way of saying how grateful we are to Canada, to Canadians, for having welcomed my grandmother who found refuge with you during the Second World War," explained Archdukes Lorenz and Simeon von Habsburg-Lothringen, two grandsons of Zita of Bourbon-Parma (1892-1989), descendant of Louis XIV and last Empress of Austria-Hungary, via Zoom .

Lorenz and Simeon von Habsburg-Lothringen did not wish to disclose the monetary value of their jewels or reveal the name of the bank where they were stored, "a matter of discretion and security," they said.

But they do agree to tell us this: the lot includes exactly 14 "fairly substantial" gemstones. Among them is the legendary Florentine, a 137.27-carat diamond with 126 facets (a 1-carat diamond can be worth up to $40,000). This historic jewel is renowned not only for its pear shape and yellow hue, but also for its illustrious history.
Before becoming the property of the Habsburgs, it is believed to have belonged to Charles the Bold (1433-1477), the Medici family, then passed through Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, and even Empress Sissi (although this remains to be proven), and finally the last imperial couple of Austria-Hungary, Charles I ^and his wife Zita.

A well-kept secret
The crown jewels were officially declared missing in 1922. Since then, they have been the subject of much speculation, worthy of the best detective novels. It was known that Charles I ^had placed them in safekeeping in a Swiss bank in 1919 after the collapse of the Austrian monarchy in the aftermath of the First World War. But after that, their whereabouts were unknown. Had they been stolen? Lost? Sold?

Today we understand that they had never simply vanished. They had simply been secretly stored in a Canadian bank by Zita, wife of Charles I ^, at the time she lived in Quebec – which also suggests that the said bank was located in Quebec, or even in the Old Capital itself.

What was the Empress doing here? It's a long story, which we'll summarize in three lines: after the First World War, the deposed imperial couple lived in exile in several European countries. Fleeing the threat of the Nazis, who had issued an arrest warrant for the Habsburgs, Zita – by then widowed – sought refuge in Quebec City with her children, a choice motivated by the city's European and Catholic character.

She stayed there from 1940 to 1948. As a side note, the family settled at Villa Saint-Joseph in Sillery, a detail that is not insignificant, since it is the name that the Habsburg heirs gave to the Canadian trust that would manage and showcase the recovered jewels.
Zita reportedly confided in only two of her sons. According to Lorenz and Simeon, she asked them to wait 100 years after her husband's death in 1922 before revealing the information. Simeon believes this request was motivated by caution: "Austria only gained its independence in 1955. All the Central European countries that had belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire had become communist satellites of Moscow. So you can imagine that my grandmother was very skeptical about the political situation in Europe."

The secret was then passed down discreetly within the family. "The idea was that the less people knew, the more protected it would be," explains Lorenz. It was only later in life that Charles and Zita's children informed their own heirs. According to Lorenz and Simeon, the 32 cousins, descendants of the Habsburg family, then collectively decided that this unique collection would remain in Canada. Interestingly, the family had to seek the expertise of Austrian jewelers to verify the authenticity of the gemstones before announcing their existence.
Claimed by Austria, coveted by Quebec
For American Charles A. Coulombe, author of the recent book Zita: Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary , the reappearance of the Habsburg treasure is a "very pleasant surprise".
This expert on the monarchy believed, like many people, that the jewels – including the Florentine diamond – had been stolen by a Swiss banker in the 1920s. His delight is all the greater because neither Charles nor Zita sold any of their treasure, even though they lived in difficult circumstances during their exile, especially Zita who, according to rumor, had to eat dandelions during her years of relative hardship in Quebec.
What is clear is that they did not consider these objects as their personal property in the sense that they could simply sell them. They considered them as property belonging to their country and their people, as a sacred responsibility.
Charles A. Coulombe, expert on the monarchy
This, in turn, raises further questions. On Thursday, in response to the New York Times article , Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Culture Andreas Babler announced an "immediate review" to determine whether the Florentine diamond belonged to the Austrian state. "If it turns out that it belongs to the Republic of Austria, I will initiate the procedure for the jewel's return," Mr. Babler stated, adding that his office was already in contact with the Austrian Embassy in Canada.

When questioned on this point, the two archdukes were unequivocal: the Florentine diamond and the other jewels are the private property of the Habsburg family. Could Austria claim them? "I don't think so, because the situation is very clear," replied Simeon. "Besides, this particular diamond hasn't only been in Austria; it has also been in Florence, in Burgundy for 200 years, in Canada for 85 years, and it probably originates from India. It would therefore be more accurately described as a world heritage item."
It remains to be seen where these precious stones will be displayed in Canada. On Thursday, the Quebec government was quick to demonstrate its interest in this "truly unique story that unites Quebec with the Habsburg family."

The Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, indicated in a press release that he is already working with the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec "to find a way for these jewels to be exhibited and accessible to the public."

Regardless of the location ultimately chosen, the security stakes will be very high, as evidenced by the recent burglary at the Louvre which captivated the entire world...

Nice.

[Jacob]

That's a neat story

[Sheilbh]

On European royal jewels - just seen that the latest update on the theft of Napoleon's crown jewels is that apparently the password to Louvre security systems was "Louvre"

[Josquius]

Yeah, saw that, quite amazing.
Also seen some whinging that the Louvre wasn't designed to keep people out.... Really?

[Sheilbh]

Well I was in Paris recently and you couldn't get in for love nor fucking money - rammed. So I don't believe that for a minute.