Franz Künstler
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| Franz Künstler | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 24, 1900 (age 106) Soost, Hungary |
| Occupation | last living WWI soldier of Austro-Hungarian Army |
Franz Künstler (born July 24, 1900) is the last surviving veteran of World War I who served with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Künstler was born in Soost (Hungary)[1], and is a Hungary German.
He joined the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1918 at age 18. He was conscribed on February 6, 1918 to the First Riding Artillery Regiment in Szeged. After six weeks of training he went to the Italian front at Susegamo/Piare.
After the Second World War he was expelled from Hungary with other Hungary Germans, and lost his Hungarian citizenship - today he doesn't have a German citizenship, but is equated with German citizens. He sees himself as a German and connected to the German nationality. His life is an example for the fate of millions of displaced Germans after WWII. In 1919 he conscribed to fight against the communists, and was in the army until 1921. In 1942 he was a motorised courier for six months between General Staff and the front in Kiev, Ukraina.
Künstler already resides in Niederstetten, Baden-Württemberg, Germany since 1946. He has been a museum guide for more than 30 years, and is perhaps the oldest one in the world at the remarkable age of 106.
