Johann of Norway

The scurrile inheritance dispute of Seeschloss Ort

In Gmunden in the summer of 2007, two Norwegians appear out of nowhere, claiming to be the grandchild and great grandchild of former Hapsburg Archduke Johann Nepomuk Salvator and the rightful owners of Ort Castle. According to them, Salvator did not die with his ship in the storm of Cape Horn, but rather under the name Hugo Köhler in Kristiansand in Norway in 1945.

And now, two generations later, the Norwegians are trying to substantiate their claim. In early 2009 Köhler’s body is exhumed and subjected to a DNA test. The final piece of proof is the counter sample, which requires the opening of the tomb of Johann Nepomuk Salvator’s parents in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. The Hapsburg family have yet to agree to this.

Even if a possible counter sample confirms the Norwegians’ assertion, their chances of taking over Ort Castle are slim. Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918, all Hapsburg estates are nationalised and henceforth belong to the Republic of Austria. Restitution to potential heirs is not provided for by the constitution.