Lecture by Prof. Dr. Václav Horčička, Prague, on the background and context of the confiscation of the estates of the Prince of Liechtenstein in Czechoslovakia in 1945.

The speaker, Václav Horčička, is a professor of general and global history at Charles University in Prague and head of the Institute of World History and the Department of Contemporary History. In numerous publications, he has examined the history of the Central European elites in the twentieth century, including the Liechtenstein family. He is a profound expert on the confiscation of the extensive property of the Prince of Liechtenstein in 1945, the reactions on the princely side as well as the arguments of the state authorities in Czechoslovakia. The attitude of the Czechoslovak authorities towards the Liechtenstein family had historical, political, national and economic reasons. In his lecture, Vaclav Horčička will reveal the controversial events and arguments that continue to shape interstate relations between the Czech Republic and Liechtenstein on a political and legal level to this day.

The lecture concludes the series initiated in 2024 by of the Liechtenstein-Czech Historical Commission and carried out in cooperation with the Steinegerta Seminar Center in Schaan (Liechtenstein). It aims to contribute to a better understanding of the shared history of the two states and the Princely House of Liechtenstein. Three lecture evenings, a film evening and a literary reading were held as part of the series.

H.S.H. Prince Hans-Adam II, Prof. Václav Horčička and Dr. Manuel Schädler, Managing Director of Stein Egerta

Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic a special relationship - Invitation (PDF)