The Esterhazy Foundations will celebrate three significant anniversaries in 2024: the 35th anniversary of the death of Prince Paul V. Esterházy, the 30th anniversary of the Esterhazy Foundations and the tenth anniversary of the death of Melinda Esterházy on August 27th. The Esterhazy companies take this as an opportunity to look back on the achievements of these extraordinary personalities and the Esterhazy foundations.
The last royal couple
Princess Melinda Esterházy died on August 27, 2014 at the age of 94 in Eisenstadt. Born in Budapest in 1920 as the daughter of Dezső and Rosa Ottrubay, her dancing talent was discovered at an early age. In 1945 she received the title of prima ballerina assoluta from the Budapest Opera. In addition to her appearances in the spotlight, Melinda Ottrubay led a middle-class life in which education was given a high priority. She read a lot and graduated from high school in 1938. In the summer of 1946 she was on stage for the last time to swap the world of opera for private happiness: On August 3, 1946, Melinda Ottrubay married Paul Esterházy (1901-1989), the twelfth master of the house. However, the young couple’s happiness did not last long: Paul Esterházy was arrested at the end of 1948 and convicted in a show trial. In the years that followed, Melinda was largely on her own. After Paul was granted amnesty during the Hungarian Revolution in October 1956, the couple fled Hungary.
Paul V. Esterházy was born in the family castle in Eisenstadt in 1901 and took over the majorate at the age of 19 after the early death of his parents. To fulfill this task, he studied law in Budapest and spent most of his time in Hungary. Remaining connected to his birthplace, he made important contributions to the creation of infrastructure for Burgenland, which was created in 1921, and the new state capital Eisenstadt. He also campaigned for the preservation and modernization of the family property. Despite political and personal setbacks, including expropriation and imprisonment by the communist regime in Hungary, he and his wife Melinda managed to escape to Switzerland in 1956. From there he managed the estate until his death on May 25, 1989.
30 years of Esterhazy Foundations
In 1986, Paul Esterházy, whose marriage to Melinda had remained childless, named his wife sole heir in his will, transferring responsibility for the historic property to a person of middle-class origin for the first time. After the death of Paul V. Esterházy, the last lord of the magnate house, on May 25, 1989, Melinda Esterházy took over the management of the domain and continued the legacy with the support of her brother Josef Ottrubay. She familiarized herself with all relevant areas and was in close contact with Eisenstadt. Her winning and benevolent nature quickly earned her the sympathy of the population in Burgenland. She supported numerous social and regional initiatives – fire departments, kindergartens, music groups. However, preserving the unity of the historical heritage of the Esterházy family was also of great concern to her. In order to preserve the cultural heritage and make it accessible to the public, Melinda incorporated it into three indissoluble foundations starting in 1994
“The founding of the foundations by Melinda Esterházy was certainly forward-looking. This decision made it possible to secure the historic family property as a unit. The royal couple’s assets were already very much anchored in the region and should remain so through the establishment of the foundations,” so Stefan Ottrubay, Chairman of the Esterhazy Foundation.
Esterhazy is now in the five corporate divisions Real estate, PANNATURA (Forestry, agriculture and nature conservation agendas), Weingut, Hospitality as well as Tourism, culture and events operates and employs around 630 people. Since the foundations were founded, 256 million euros have been invested in the development of pioneering projects in Burgenland. In addition, the foundations are also involved economically and culturally in Hungary in order to promote regional development beyond Burgenland and to contribute to the preservation, research and promotion of historical cultural assets. Through sustainable investments, Esterhazy is setting trends for the future. Climate protection and resource conservation as well as transparency and a high sense of responsibility are the firm premises of every single project, as was the case most recently with the opening of the New Beach on Lake Neusiedl.
Life has given me a lot
The exhibition in Esterházy Palace “Melinda Esterházy. Life has given me a lot” shows the stages in the life of an extraordinary woman. With touching objects and documents, but also rare film material, visitors gain an insight into the life of the last royal couple. Act 5 (The Legacy) in particular honors the achievements and aspirations of Melinda Esterházy, which are still felt in the region today. Information about the exhibition: www.esterhazy.at/ausstellungen/ausstellung-melinda-esterhazy