20. November 2007.

Accompanied by his family, Otto Habsburg celebrated his 95th
birthday at the world-famous porcelain manufactory


The eldest son of the last Austrian emperor and Hungarian King, Charles IV, and Queen Zita, was born on November 20, 1912, in the lower Austrian village of Reichenau. He has been the head of the Habsburg family since the death of his father in 1922. He was the president of the Pan-European Union for 31 years, an organisation that he is the honorary president of today. As a representative of the Bavarian Christian Socialist Union (CSU) he had been a member of the European Parliament for twenty years from 1979 onward.
The relationship of the Habsburg family and Herend Porcelain is not recent; consequently, it is no surprise that the head of the family chose Herend as the site of the celebration!
Just for reminders, some notable dates:

1855: the first order, a tea service for Princess Sophie, Franz Joseph’s mother
1859: Gold Service Cross from Franz Joseph
1861: the Maria Theresa plate is made, earning the admiration of the court
1867: the compromise between Austria and Hungary, a gift of a double-walled, chipped-through decorative key to the emperor and king. Fischer receives the Hungarian noble title
1863: Mór Fischer becomes the recipient of the order of the knights of Franz Joseph
1872: Mór Fischer receives the title of official imperial and royal supplier after he completes delivery of the more than 3300 pieces of the court service. Shipments to the castle in Gödöllő
From 1873 onward, the continuous shipment of decorative objects and services to be used as diplomatic gifts

Otto Habsburg, residing in Pöcking, Germany, was escorted on his trip to Hungary by his wife, Princess Regina, and son, George, along with his children and wife, Eilika, as well as 8 other family members. Arriving in Herend, the 16 members of the Habsburg family first visited the mini manufactory, after which they received the manufactory’s birthday present from the director of the Herend Manufactory, Dr. Attila Simon at the Apicius Cafe; the gift was a Gödöllő-patterned quartet of porcelain shells, with a fish handle. The guest of honour stated that this was a beautiful day for him, as he could be with his family, to whom he has been wanting to show Herend for a long time, and the way wonderful things were created here.

Subsequently, the family had a private lunch at the Apicius Restaurant. The menu chosen by the guests included, among others, smoked foie gras and foie gras mousse, guinea-fowl essence, marinated veal, aged rump of venison, and naturally, strudel.

The program continued in Pannonhalma, where abbot Asztrik Várszegi greeted the family, and on the following day the visit to Hungary ended in Budapest, at the Sándor Palace; it was here that the President of the Republic, László Sólyom, also congratulated the royal prince on his birthday.

Related persons

Click on the name of the selected person for additional information.

• Franz Joseph
• Mór Fischer