Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 45. (1997)
AGSTNER, Rudolf: Von Chandos House zum Belgrave Square. Österreichs Botschaft in London 1815–1997
XIII. The Austrian Legation 1920-1938 On May 8, 1920, the Austrian Foreign Ministry informed the Swedish Legation in London of her intention to establish a legation there and requested information about the costs for establishing and running a legation, which was to consist of a minister plenipotentiary, a head of chancery, and two chancery staff. In addition, another diplomat with the rank of first secretary became part of the legation from the very beginning. Adolf Kunz arrived in London on August 12, 1920, while George Franckenstein, who was to remain Austrian minister to the Court of St. James until 1938, arrived two days later. In his memoirs „Facts and Features of My Life“, Franckenstein recalls: As the smooth stream of traffic bore me back to Belgrave Square, memories flocked back. The doors were opened for me by the faithful Bateman and Hoy, the English servants we left behind us in 1914, and it was with deep emotion that I took possession of the house where so many distinguished ambassadors, and my father before me, had lived and worked. From the walls of the staircase I was greeted by the large handsome portraits of Maria Theresia, the Emperor Joseph, the Emperor Leopold, the Emperor Francis and the Emperor Francis Joseph. This historical atmosphere of 18, Belgrave Square I was careful to preserve; it formed the background of my reconstructive work. Franckenstein resisted all attempts by the Hungarian legation in London to obtain part of the furniture. The silver cutlery of the former Austro-Hungarian embassy in London, worth 2 500 LSt., remained with the Austrian legation, while the silver of the Austro-Hungarian embassy in Paris was handed over to the Royal Hungarian legation in France. XIV. Austrian - Hungarian dispute over the rights to the Westminster lease The question as to who owned the lease of the building remained unresolved for many years, Austria being in the favourable position of beatus possidens. In 1923, the Austrian and Hungarian governments agreed to establish a court of arbitration to settle a number of unresolved problems concerning various properties formerly administered by Austro-Hungarian authorities. It was, however, not until 1934 that the matter of the Westminster lease was solved. On January 12, 1934, Austrian and Hungarian representatives met in Rome to sign an „Agreement concerning endowments administered by former Imperial and Royal authorities, the Consular Academy building, the embassy palace in London and Bosnian-Herzegovinian assets“. Art 5, al. 1 of the agreement stipulated that „all claims by Hungary are completely and definitely settled“, while in al. 5, Hungary „gave her approval that the long lease of the former embassy building 18, Belgrave Square be transferred to Austria or her representative“. The agreement entered into force on April 5, 1934. Fifteen and a half years after the dismemberment of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy the case of the London embassy had finally been settled. During the long negotiations with Hungary, the Austrian Federal Chancellery - the Foreign Ministry had been dissolved and integrated into the Federal Chancellery Austria (-Hungary) and her Diplomatic Mission in London 1815-1997 55
