It is past midnight on a Friday in the palace.
He wants to plug an extension cord into the wall. The story of his family will be told on a CNBC show in New York at 1 a.m., which will feature the power of the cord. He doesn't care if he is behind the camera or not. He wants to share a collection of masterpieces with the public.
A young prince in a castle with priceless art sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale, but his life is not like a Disney movie.
The palace is not like a normal building. At the height of the summer season, the humidity clings to our skin, and it is pitch black. Each time he comes to a door, he tries to get a key that looks like it belongs to a monk, but he can't because there are so many doors. The doors lead us deeper into the labyrinth.
William Rudolf Lobkowicz walking through the Prague Castle complex.He and his family don't live in any of their castles or palaces. They live in apartments ten minutes away. To stay past 10 P.M. on a Friday night, the military guards have to give special permission.
There are three castles, one palace, 20,000 artifacts, a library of approximately 65,000 rare books, 5,000 musical artifacts and compositions, as well as an early copy of Beethoven's 5. Twice, all of it was taken. The first two happened by the Nazis and the Communists.
The Habsburg Room is a portrait gallery on the second floor of the palace. Behind the scenes, we are protecting and preserving these things. We care more about these things than anyone else.
William Rudolf Lobkowicz examining old family photographs in the Lobkowicz Archives.His enthusiasm still shines through even though his voice is tired.
He embraced the future to protect his family's history. There is a collection of mathematical formulas running on computers all over the world in the world of cryptocurrencies. The young prince has turned to digital tools to safeguard and repair the artifacts that hold so much nostalgic value for the family, and he hopes that others will do the same.
William says that it's not just about selling NFTs to support cultural monuments, but also looking at how to preserve a record of our history. Preserving our cultural heritage on a chain is something that has never been done before and that is provided by the use ofBlockchain technology.
CNBC’s MacKenzie Sigalos tours Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle with William Rudolf Lobkowicz.The Hrad is where the palace is located and the name is given by locals to the castle. The complex was once home to kings. It is now home to the presidents of the Czech Republic.
The world-famous paintings by Bellotto, Bruegel, Canaletto, Cranach, Rubens, and Veronese are among the works in the collection. The Beethoven manuscripts and scores are marked with the composer's original edits.
They don't take this for granted. Two different regimes stole their castles and artifacts.
Lobkowicz Palace (part of the Prague Castle complex).William shared a translated quote from a former International Monetary Fund official in his first conversation with CNBC.
Since making this mission, William has turned over that line a number of times. The strength of a country is dependent on preserving its cultural roots.
In the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union, the president of the newly formed Czechoslovakia passed laws allowing Czechs to claim property that was taken under Communist rule. William Jr., who was 29 years old at the time, decided to leave his job as a real estate broker in Boston to go back to his native Czech Republic.
William Lobkowicz Sr. examining damage to the interior courtyard façade of Nelahozeves Castle.There isn't a "how to" manual on restoring stolen items. It can take decades to file thousands of different claims. Some of the claims don't work out.
When William returned to the Czech Republic with his father, he didn't have a business plan.
When the family's artifacts were taken by the Communists, William Sr. traveled the country in a small koda Favorit.
Alexandra Lobkowicz with a colleague observing the renovation of the Balcony Room of the Lobkowicz Palace, c. 2005.He said that they recovered tens of thousands of objects after taking them to over 100 locations. Hundreds of thousands of miles were covered by us.
The family had to find a way to restore the property. After cashing in his pension, William's grandfather told William to "try not to lose it all" and that was all upfront capital commitments.
The business of covering the costs of restoration is the family's business, and makes up a full-time job for each member of the family. There is no personal updates on Sunday.
Keeping the business afloat has been a lot of work.
The Lobkowicz family, 2019.The collections of the Lobkowiczes have been declared Czech cultural monuments so they can't be sold to raise money for the rest. As museum patronage continues to fall, traditional philanthropy channels are drying up.
The state has strict rules governing restoration protocols which can slow the renovation process and make it more expensive. There is a lot of competition for a limited amount of grants. The Czech Republic is one of the top destinations in Europe for the most castles per square mile. State governments and towns are selling castles because they don't have enough money to maintain them.
Castle tours, gift shop, and hosting events are some of the things that the Lobkowiczes have generated income from. It also involves applying for grants from the government and securing loans with high interest rates.
When his father first began restoring the family's castles and artifacts, he had to take out loans with 20% revolving interest.
Alexandra Lobkowicz organizing c. 17th-century hunting rifles from the Lobkowicz Collections onto new shelving in the Lobkowicz depository.There was a partner in the quest.
The elder William's girlfriend, who is now his wife of 30 years, flew over to help him after he moved to the Czech Republic. She left her job as a sixth grade teacher in Boston but never stopped teaching.
The junior curator program is one of the educational programs she has launched in connection with the collections.
She studied at the Sorbonne in Paris.
The couple's family histories go back hundreds of years.
In the early 1600s, their ancestors, who were diplomats and advisers to their respective kings, met in the Czech Republic to plan how to defeat the Turks. Fast forward to the early 1920s, when the elder William and his grandfather, Max, were both diplomats. During World War II, they were both stationed in London.
They were both refugees and young adults living in the same area.
The first time she saw her husband was from the window of her apartment. He was getting ready to perform in the area with the hopes of becoming a professional opera singer one day, when he heard the lyrics to "Chanson d'Amour" on his Walkman.
Alexandra and William Lobkowicz with baby William Rudolf opening their first exhibition in 1995.The cultural legacy they fought to restore, as well as the memories of their ancestors, is where their son wants to go.
The younger William explained that they were able to get their collections back through the receipts they kept.
Both regimes tracked the process and the history of these pieces, so William Sr. was able to trace ownership. Cryptocurrencies are an updated version of the lists kept by authoritarian regimes.
The rightful owners control the power to track these artifacts.
Nazi officers observing plans during their occupation of Roudnice Castle in 1939. The castle was turned into an SS training camp.I think what I'm doing is the same as what my predecessors have done. William said that each prince did something different when they were younger.
Each of the princes has been a rebel in their own way.
The seventh prince made a big bet on Ludwig van Beethoven when he was a relative unknown. When Beethoven included a French horn in his orchestra for the Eroica symphony, people thought it was offensive.
Joseph gave the composer an annual stipend, as well as musicians and concert spaces, which almost bankrupted the House of Lobkowicz. Beethoven was free to compose music when he was the prince's patron. Some of Beethoven's greatest works would be dedicated to the Prince.
Renovated Beethoven Room at the Lobkowicz Palace.There was a time when the world of princely predecessors was becoming obsolete. The fall of the Austo-Hungarian Empire and the rise of independent nation states occurred after World War I.
Max supported the ideals of the new republic. With the abolition of hereditary titles, he gave up his title of aristocracy. Ferdinand Zdenko refused to speak to Max for a decade because of his break from tradition.
William has a paternal line that goes back to an ancient and noble Romania boyar family. The world's most famous fictional vampire was based on a real world noble.
CNBC’s MacKenzie Sigalos tours Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle with William Rudolf Lobkowicz.He is a descendant of noble families across Europe. After marrying a dentist's daughter from Kentucky, his paternal grandfather became a door-to-door salesman.
At the age of seven, William dropped his British accent and went to Harvard to get money for his college education.
The prince doesn't own a car or take a tram, even though he made the Forbes "30 under 30" list last year.
During the day, he gives castle tours in free time to bank money for the restoration fund, while also running the digital innovation initiatives for House of Lobkowicz.
William Rudolf Lobkowicz welcoming guests at Non-Fungible Castle 2021.He wants to learn everything he can about the technology he believes can help his family.
The world's top developers and cryptographers descend on Paris to hack, code, and talk. The flagship event is a conference called EthCC, but the main attraction has given rise to dozens of ancillary gatherings.
Lobkowicz went to Paris again this year because of the variety of programming. He doesn't attend parties at places like the Moulin Rouge. He likes to sit at the back of an audience but still listen intently.
He needs to speak with developers on the ground in order to create technical solutions to real-world problems.
The things we are doing are being worked on with the help of cryptocurrencies. He said it was like a membership card for a world of history and culture.
NFT Gut Shot on display (next to the original painting) at the Lobkowicz Palace, the sale of which financed the restoration of several portraits of officers in the Lobkowicz Collections.The prince has tried out a few different ways to use the technology. Most of the time, NFTs have been sold to support conservativism.
A painting that needs restoration is taken by the family and an image of it is displayed. The provenance of the donation is on the chain. The cost of the restoration of the physical work tied to the token was set by them. At the end of the restoration process, a second NFT is given to the person who buys it.
William said that they were trying to bring people on the journey of philanthropy and be transparent with them.
A 17th century painting, "A Wild Boar in a Landscape," which was featured in Wes Anderson's film "The Grand Budapest," is one of more than 50 art restoration projects funded by the House of Lobkowicz.
Paintings from the Lobkowicz Collections awaiting their restoration in an atelier, financed by the sale of NFTs during Non-Fungible Castle 2021.The family has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through the sale of NFTs.
Lobkowicz said that the boom and bust cycle of the market doesn't affect their business model and that he wasn't worried about the price of NFTs falling off a cliff. The cost of a restoration is the same as the cost of the piece itself.
NFTs can be used to reach a more diverse audience and create a community of patrons and supporters who are interested in interacting with their collections in a more innovative manner.
It's important for people to understand that this isn't about just JPEGs attached to a digital receipt - we're talking about different applications that can change the way we build communities of people who care about culture and see the potential of using web3 technology to preserve it
Non-Fungible Castle 2021 Exhibition at the Lobkowicz Palace.Proof of attendance protocol is a subset of NFTs that serve as a sort of attendance sheet for events. Non–Fungible Castle is an annual exhibition and conference that bridges the biggest names in traditional art to the world of web3 and cryptanalysis.
We will create POAPs for experiences that you have there, whether you are getting bread and salt as you enter the birth house of the world- renowned Czech national composer, or you are listening to a string band.
Museum memberships could be upgraded using POAPs.
There is a to-do list for the next few months. quadratic funding is a way to crowd-raise a central crypt treasury that is then used to fund public goods projects in the ethereum platform with the help of an algorithm.
William Rudolf Lobkowicz explains to CNBC’s MacKenzie Sigalos the renovation process of the Chinese Belvedere room inside Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle.He's been testing applications in the metaverse.
One of the rooms in the palace in the Czech Republic was put into the metaverse.
The three-month restoration of the Chinese Belvedere was the reason why the family sold the NFT.
A look inside the Chinese Belvedere room in the metaverse.A look inside the Chinese Belvedere room in the metaverse.As the family moves to restore other properties in urgent need of repair, it is a test case that may prove useful.
Roudnice Castle is 40 minutes north of the Czech Republic. It would take tens of millions of dollars to bring the palace back to its former glory.
It takes a lot of money to heat the castle in the winter to keep the pipes from freezing. During my stay in the Czech Republic, there was a leak on a Saturday morning. Major damage, mold, and even collapsing ceilings can be caused by that.
Changes made during the 41-year Soviet occupation have complicated the ongoing maintenance and renovations.
Roudnice Castle, the former ducal seat and residence of the Lobkowicz family.Another execution, though still in its infancy, is turning Renaissance portraits of gowns worn by ladies of the court into gaming skins, a market worth billions of dollars.
William is considering selling the family's historic weapons as NFTs, complete with the story of their provenance, to be used in a game setting.
The $400,000 price tag to catalog and restore their inventory is one of the most important private arms collection in Europe.
CNBC’s MacKenzie Sigalos and Ileana Lobkowicz leaving the Arms Room of the Lobkowicz Palace, featuring 17th–18th century military and hunting rifles and a three-quarter suit of armor.I am on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean and talking to Ileana, William's younger sister, on a Friday night at almost midnight in the Czech Republic. Sophia is a rising junior at Trinity College and is closely connected to her family.
The 25-year-old princess embraces all of the ethereal qualities one might associate with aristocracy, easily stepping into her birthright and assuming the old world responsibilities which accompany it.
Ileana and her mother, Sandra, giving a historical tour of the Lobkowicz Collections, highlighting the heroine stories that shaped its history.These titles are not used in our day to day lives. She says that it doesn't change the work we're trying to do or the values we have.
Ileana embraces the title of Writer and Storyteller for House of Lobkowicz, which covers the non-profit initiatives of The Lobkowicz Collections, as well as the events management company, winery.
She works well in the role. Ileana began her writing career with the online student magazine 'The Gavel', where she was unafraid to speak truth to power and offer a platform to contrarian voices. In her free time, she is currently developing a lifestyle blog that builds upon her experience of custodianship through stories, as well as sharing hidden stories of Bohemia in a column called "In Search ofPrague."
Ileana Lobkowicz in the Baroque Music Room at the Lobkowicz Palace.Ileana wants to bring the stories of her female ancestors who were quietly saving the day while letting the spotlight fall on their male relatives to be known.
Polyxena Lobkowicz was a prolific and politically active figure. One of the bloodiest conflicts in European history that killed one-third of Europe's population was caused by an angry mob of members of the Protestant estates not crossing Polyxena's path. The princess' presence proved to be powerful.
The wife of a noble who dropped his title in order to support the birth of democracy in the Czech Republic. The German officers on the train talked about the invasion of Czechoslovakia. Two days before the Nazis invaded, she wired Max to warn him, and he escaped to England.
A letter from an Italian composer and violinist Francesco Geminiani addressed to Ferdinand Phillipp, 6th Prince Lobkowicz, dated 1748.There is an exchange of letters between Princess de Lamballe, the lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette, and Karl Emanuel He, her cousin.
The exchange, which hasn't been seen before, provides first-hand accounts of what it was like during Marie Antoinette's final days in jail.
My role in our family's work is to be the voice through which stories from the past, present, and future can be shared and celebrated. Ileana says it's the best way to honor her ancestors and her descendants as well. We can't be stuck in the past but we can't forget.
She and William have launched a series of NFTs that take advantage of source material that wasn't given it's due in its day.
The piece of music known as "Forgotten Menuet" was composed by Anna Maria Wilhelmina Althann and has never been heard before.
In addition to bringing to life the music itself, it also pays homage to the unrecognized ancestor, because at the time, she didn't receive any acknowledgement for her musical talent.
There is a virtual museum in the metaverse.
Menuet, an early 18th-century lute tablature composed by Anna Maria Wilhelmina Althann, wife of the 4th Prince Lobkowicz, displayed at the Lobkowicz Palace.This is a piece of music that hasn't been played in 250 years and would only have been performed in very small private spaces. William said that it has the ability to be all around the world.
You can see through the invisible layers of the canvas with the help of another NFT from this series. The 16th-century faade of Nelahozeves Castle is the subject of a virtual rendering.
Ileana says that we need to make our history relevant today.
William Rudolf Lobkowicz and CNBC’s MacKenzie Sigalos in the Baroque Concert Hall of the Lobkowicz Palace featuring 17th-century frescoes.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
