The Austro-Swiss Border 90 Years Ago

90 years ago today, the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Family arrived at the Austro-Swiss border in an Imperial train and departed Austria – under the protection of the icon of this weblog, Lt.-Col. Edward Lisle Strutt.

Stefan Zweig reported in The World of Yesterday that he met the Imperial train when reentering Austria. Also, Stefan Zweig committed suicide in the Brazilian Imperial City of Petrópolis in 1942.

Stefan Zweig was at the Austro-Swiss border, at Feldkirch, when the Imperial-Royal Family departed the land. He regretted the loss of the old European culture. He departed this world in the Imperial City of Brazil, the town that above all represents the old order of Brazil, seeing no hope for civilization.

At Feldkirch, the Emperor-King issued the Feldkirch Manifesto, declaring the November 11 power renunciation – so often referred to as an abdication, but erroneously so – null and void, and denouncing the authority of the republican government. It was thanks to the Lt.-Col. that the Emperor could leave as Emperor. The power renunciation was bad enough. The republican Chancellor, however, had demanded an abdication as a condition for departure. Strutt put him in his place.



Previously.