The Central European Nobility Under 20^th Century Totalitarian Regimes international academic conference was hosted by the Charles University Faculty of Arts on October 19 – 20. The conference opened with a welcome toast at the Pantheon of the National Museum.

The conference was jointly organized by the Faculty of Arts, The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and the National Museum under the auspices of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Karel Schwarzenberg. During the two days, talks were given by renowned historians and experts on social and political history from Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Germany, Poland, Austria, Romania and Slovakia.

The speakers mostly focused on the following five topics: nobility in the resistance against Nazism, nobility and collaborationism with Nazism, the disintegration of the world of nobility – expropriation, nationalization and other effects of the World War II on Central European nobility, nobility in the exile, and nobility under the communist regime. Two speakers represent Charles University: doc. PhDr. Jan Županič, Ph.D. with a talk titled The Colloredo-Mansfelds in the 1940’s – from persecution to persecution, and doc. PhDr. Václav Horčička, Ph.D. with a talk called Confiscation of the Property of the Princes of Liechtenstein in Post-World War II Czechoslovakia.

The organizers aim to create the so much needed space for discussion comparing the historical role and the fate of nobility in different countries and nations in Central Europe in the times of Nazi and Communist regimes. All the talks presented will be collected in a book of proceedings.

 (Lucie Kettnerová)

Translation: Jaroslav Švelch