Melinda Esterházy

The legacy of Burgenland’s last first lady

30 years ago, Princess Melinda Esterhazy transferred her assets to foundations.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Reinhard Judt)

Ten years ago today, Melinda Esterházy, Burgenland's last princess, was laid to rest. The country still benefits from the value of her achievements today.

Esterházy General Stefan Ottrubay recently celebrated his 70th birthday. The doctor of law has been managing the business of the Esterházy private foundations with great success for 30 years. Since then, around 224 million euros have been invested in the maintenance and restoration of the cultural monuments of Forchtenstein Castle, Esterházy Palace and Lackenbach Palace. Turnover is expected to increase to around 100 million euros in the 2024 financial year. 

Ottrubay has his aunt Melinda, his father's sister, to thank for this life's work. Born into a bourgeois family in Budapest, she married Prince Paul V, 19 years her senior, in 1946 to join the 400-year-old, highly aristocratic Hungarian magnate family. After her husband's death in 1989, she took on the role of manager as universal heiress before establishing the first three foundations in 1994 and entrusting her nephew with the management due to her childlessness.

The princess as a climate protection pioneer 
"Princess Melinda was a forward thinker, visionary and far-sighted planner and administrator who was at least 20 years ahead of her time with her vision," says Florian Bayer, Head of the Historical Collections at Esterházy Palace.

"We all know that here in Burgenland, the name Esterházy was used in politics on a massive scale to create ideological division and hostility. Time and again, parties tried to capture votes by denouncing the family's large landholdings. It was therefore important to her to set the course in such a way that it would benefit the country and the population. For example, the Princess had a decisive influence on the establishment of the Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park 30 years ago. In doing so, she laid the foundations for today's eco-tourism."

The foundations were intended as a guarantee that the gigantic legacy would be preserved in the future and create an identity for posterity. In fact, to this day, no other noble house in Austria offers visitors from Austria and abroad such a comprehensive insight into its history, culture and art treasures. "The Esterházy cultural monuments, as well as the numerous cultural and concert events, are an enormous visitor magnet and tourism factor for Burgenland," says Bayer.

In this photograph from 1960, the First Lady of Burgenland looks strikingly similar to the late Lady Diana.

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

1938 on horseback on her horse "Goodwill"...

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

...and in a scene from the ballet "Romeo and Juliet", the Prince's declared favorite ballet. After a performance, the first bouquet of flowers from His Serene Highness was waiting in Melinda's dressing room.

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

When Hungary's most coveted bachelor married in 1946, he did not choose a noblewoman befitting his station like his predecessors, but instead sent out a bold, progressive signal and opted for the commoner Melinda Ottrubay. Here while cycling on vacation at Lake Balaton.

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

The princely couple in the 1970s...

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

... and at their silver wedding anniversary in August 1971.

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

Melinda Esterházy at a council meeting in Zurich in 1988.

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

Testimonial for "Odol"
Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Princess's death. As part of special guided tours at Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, you can immerse yourself in the life of the passionate horsewoman, who was celebrated as prima ballerina assoluta at the Budapest Opera before her marriage and was nicknamed "Miss Fan" due to her passion for pirouettes.

We learn, for example, that she advertised the mouthwash "Odol" at a young age, always remained modest and down-to-earth despite her social rise, ran the princely household herself and preferred to travel by public transport in her second home of Zurich rather than with a chauffeur. Apparently, Burgenland's last First Lady was already aware of the need to rethink climate change back then.