Duchy hat of the Princes of Liechtenstein

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The ducal hat in the Liechtenstein National Museum before moving to the treasury (2014)

The ducal hat of the Princes of Liechtenstein is an insignia from the 17th century. The original ducal hat was made of gold , diamonds and pearls from the princely treasury of the House of Liechtenstein . After its temporary disappearance, the ducal hat is now available again in the form of a replica .

history

The original ducal hat

Illustration of the ducal hat along with other insignia on a gouache from 1756

In 1614 Prince Charles I of Liechtenstein acquired the Duchy of Opava . Thereby he became sovereign and wanted to express this dignity through insignia. However, due to political difficulties, the new Duke of Troppau could not finally assert himself until 1622. After he also received the Duchy of Jägerndorf as a man's fief on May 13, 1623 , he ordered a ducal crown and sword from the jeweler and dealer Daniel de Briers in Frankfurt am Main in the same year .

The finished crown was delivered in autumn 1626. The lily crown was set with pearls, rubies and diamonds. A diamond point was attached to the red hat. The browband was lined with a row of pearls at the top and bottom, interrupted by rectangular rubies. Four lily-shaped prongs, leaning forward, rose from the browband, each flanked by two flower-shaped prongs. In the middle of the prongs was an octagonal ruby ​​surrounded by pearls. From the final bill it can be concluded that the headband originally had a fur trim .

The family contract of September 1, 1756 is the last mention of the duchy. He has been missing at the earliest since the death of Prince Josef Wenzel in 1772. At that time, the entails authority was reported that two rings were missing from the family jewelry. The inventory does not show that the ducal hat was missing at the time. When his successor Franz Josef I died in 1781, however, the crown no longer existed. In the inventory of the entails authority, next to the ducal hat, there is the laconic note "is missing".

Later replica

In 1976, the state government and Liechtenstein municipalities presented the then Prince, Franz Josef II. , With a replica of the ducal hat on his 70th birthday. It was exhibited in the Liechtenstein National Museum. In 2015 the ducal hat received its own showcase in the newly established Liechtenstein treasury .

Liechtenstein anniversary stamp

On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Principality, the Liechtenstein Post issued an embroidered postage stamp in the shape of the ducal hat in 2019 . This edition was limited to 70,000 pieces. In addition, a special edition was issued in 2019 at a purchase price of CHF 300. These stamps were decorated with 24-carat real gold thread and eight Swarovski crystals . Both had a face value of 6.30 francs.

literature

  • Gustav Wilhelm: The historic Liechtenstein ducal hat , in: Yearbook of the Historical Association for the Principality of Liechtenstein , Vol. 60, Vaduz 1960, pp. 5–20.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gustav Wilhelm: The historical Liechtenstein ducal hat , p. 7.
  2. ^ Gustav Wilhelm: The historic Liechtenstein ducal hat , p. 14.
  3. ^ Gustav Wilhelm: The historical Liechtenstein ducal hat , p. 18/19.
  4. ^ Prince Franz Josef II. , In: Fürst und Volk - Eine Liechtensteinische Staatskunde , accessed on June 17, 2019.
  5. ↑ Liechtenstein Marketing: Anniversary Magazine 300 Years of the Principality of Liechtenstein , p. 37.
  6. ↑ Handover of the anniversary stamp to the Prince , philatelie.li, February 5, 2019, accessed on June 12, 2019.