Last of the Habsburgs buried: Body in Vienna, heart in Budapest
(CBS) Following a long-standing family tradition and his personal wishes, Otto von Habsburg, last heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was laid to rest this week, his body with his ancestors in Vienna and his heart in an abbey in Hungary.
The 98-year-old heir, who died on July 4, was the eldest son of Charles I, the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. He was the last crown prince of the Austria-Hungary, holding the title from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in 1918. He remained crown prince of Hungary until 1921.
Pictures: Habsburg funeral traditions
After services at a church in Munich, Habsburg's body was taken to Vienna, where it was buried July 16, 2011, with his ancestors in the imperial crypt in the Austrian capital. Royalty from around the world and leaders from all over Europe attended the funeral.
Guards in Habsburg-era uniforms marched behind his coffin in solemn procession through the historic district of Vienna. The imperial anthem was played.
By tradition, Hapsburg hearts are buried separately. Most are kept in copper urns in Vienna's Augustiner Church, a short distance from the imperial crypt in the Cappuchin Church.
Otto chose to have his heart buried in Hungary, in the Benedictine abbey where he was sent to study as a young boy. His two sons, Karl and Georg, carried the urn after services in the abbey on July 17 down to the crypt to be buried under a marble slab.
