Prince Konstantin zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst

Prince Konstantin Viktor Ernst Emil Karl Alexander Friedrich zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (8 September 1828 – 14 February 1896) He was seen as the perfect courtier, always in agreement with the political views of the Emperor. As the highest court official, Hohenlohe had many administrative and representative duties and was at the centre of the political and cultural life at the Austrian Court. After the Ausgleich of 1867, the term k.u.k. was added to his title signifying that his duties were to both parts of Austria-Hungary.

Involvement at Hofburg In 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria issued the decree "I have resolved to command" (Es ist Mein Wille at Wikisource) ordering the demolition of the city walls and moats. In his decree, he laid out the exact size of the Ringstrasse, the new representative boulevard, as well as the geographical positions and functions of the new buildings. Hohenlohe was responsible for buildings and properties of the Royal Court along the Ringstrasse as well as the completion of the Hofoperntheater, and the new construction of the Hofburgtheater and of two new museums, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum. The construction of the Neue Burg at the Hofburg was not completed until the First World War. Hohenlohe participated in the development of the Wiener Prater where the World Exhibition took place in 1873. The Konstantinhügel in the Prater is named after him. Hohenlohe also oversaw work for the Vienna Danube regulation.

Hohenlohe worked until his death in 1896 and was succeeded by Rudolf von Liechtenstein.

Personal life On 15 October 1859, Konstantin married Princess Marie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (1837–1920) at Weimar. She was the daughter of Fürstin Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (1819–1887) who after her divorce lived with Franz Liszt since 1848 at Weimar. In 1861 he bought in Vienna, and the couple moved in the following year. His wife became a sponsor of Vienna's cultural life and a supporter of its social institutions. The couple had six children:

Prince Franz Joseph zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1861–1871), who died young. Prince Konrad of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1863–1918), who became the Prime Minister of Austria (Cisleithania); he married Countess Franziska von Schönborn-Buchheim, a daughter of Erwein, 4th Count of Schönborn-Buchheim, and Countess Franziska von Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg, in 1888. Prince Philipp zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1864–1942), Pater Konstantin OSB Prince Gottfried zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1867–1932), who became Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to Germany; he married Archduchess Maria Henrietta of Austria-Teschen, the daughter of Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen and Princess Isabella of Croÿ, in 1908. Prince Wolfgang zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1869–1883) Princess Dorothea zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1872–1954)

Prince Konstantin died in Vienna on 14 February 1896.

Honours and dedications Orders and decorations

Civil appointments Honorary member of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, 1870 Honorary Kurator of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, 1873 Honorary Kurator of the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna, 1873 Member of the Herrenhaus of Austria

Johann Strauss Jr. dedicated his waltz Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald to Hohenlohe in 1868 and Anton Bruckner dedicated his Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major to him in 1873.

Ancestry

Literature

Martina Winkelhofer-Thyri: Prinz Constantin zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1828–1896). Der große Unbekannte am Wiener Hof. In: Alma Hannig, Martina Winkelhofer-Thyri (Hrsg.): Die Familie Hohenlohe. Eine europäische Dynastie im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert. Verlag Böhlau, Köln 2013, , S. 181–198.