House of Hohenberg

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House of Hohenberg

Titles:	Duke of Hohenberg
Founder:	Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
Current head:	Georg, Duke of Hohenberg
Founding year:	1900

The Castle of Artstetten commemorative coin

The Ducal House of Hohenberg is an Austrian noble family, patrilineally descended from Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, Heir Presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg.

The House of Hohenberg was created by imperial decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria when upon the couple's marriage in 1900, he created Sophie Princess of Hohenberg (Fürstin von Hohenberg) with the style Her Serene Highness (Ihre Durchlaucht). In 1909 the Emperor raised Sophie to the more senior title Duchess of Hohenberg (Herzogin von Hohenberg; ad personam) with the style Her Highness (Ihre Hoheit). As their marriage was a morganatic one, none of their four children were in the line of succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne.

The title Duke of Hohenberg was created for Prince Maximilian of Hohenberg in 1917 by Emperor Karl I of Austria, three years after his parents' assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 which resulted in the outbreak of World War I.

The Head of the Family was titled Duke with male members titled Prince and female members titled Princess. All members held the rank of Serene Highness. Following the collapse of the Monarchy, all Austrian titles were abolished by law in 1919 and from there on the names consists only of prename and surname, without von or title.

Descendants of the House of Hohenberg as well as being descended from, and since married into, the Imperial and Royal House of Habsburg-Lorraine of Austria and Hungary, are also through marriage related to other European dynasties including the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg and the Princely House of Liechtenstein.

In 1938 several members of the family who were opposed to Adolf Hitler were arrested by the Nazis and sent to Dachau concentration camp but were released on liberation in 1945. The current Head of the House, Georg Hohenberg, was Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Holy See under part of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II.

The Hohenberg family has left such a legacy behind that their Castle of Artstetten was selected as a main motive for a very recent commemorative coin: the 10 euro The Castle of Artstetten commemorative coin minted in October 13, 2004. The reverse shows the entrance to the crypt of the Hohenberg family. There are two portraits to the left, showing Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg.