The author of this article remembers after WWII, old residents of Lviv comparing the standard of living during the period of «second Soviets» with what it used to be. They said that life during the period of Polish rule was much better, and during Austrian rule – incomparably better. Many residents of Lviv remembered Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I warmly. It was the last emperor from Habsburg dynasty. He reigned his empire for 68 years – from 1848, when the Spring of Nations began in Europe, until his death in 1916. The empire outlived him only by two years… However, today we are going to speak not about the last emperor, but about one of his predecessors, Franz I.
Lviv Polytechnics have a special piety for this historic figure. Not so long ago, University Alumni Association initiated reviewing the date of the foundation of Lviv Polytechnic. It was decided that the biography of the higher educational institution should go back not to 1844 (the time of Technical Academy foundation in Lviv), but to 1816, when Franz I issued a decree on founding Emperor Royal Real School – the cradle of today’s Polytechnic. On the occasion of the University bicentenary, a memorial plaque commemorating such important event in the history of professional and technical education in Galicia was opened in the hall of the main building. Yaroslav Skakun, people’s artist of Ukraine, and professor Bohdan Cherkes, Director of the Institute of Architecture, are its authors.
Bohdan Cherkes is one of those Polytechnics, who know a lot about the figure of Franz I. He often visits Vienna and teaches at the local Technical University.
– Not so long ago, – says Bohdan Stepanovych, – an incredibly interesting exhibition dedicated to the last Emperor Franz Joseph I was opened in Schönbrunn Palace, the residence of Austrian emperors. It was he who claimed that Franz I had been his role model in ruling the empire. When Leopold’s II son, future Emperor Franz I, was born, Maria Theresia was at the theatre. On receiving this happy news, grandmother stood up and exclaimed, «A grandson finally! A grandson finally!». That is an heir to the throne.
Franz I was born in Florence on February 12, 1768. He reigned his empire until March 2, 1835, when he died of pneumonia. When he was 16, his uncle Joseph ІІ, who had no children of his own, took the young man to Vienna to prepare a future emperor. As a soldier, Joseph ІІ did not think much of his nephew, thin and too intelligent, who was not fit for the role of warrior and military leader. That is why he complained that it was very difficult for him to raise Franz as an emperor. However, it happened. In 1804, Franz І proclaimed Austrian monarchy, and in 1806, he eliminated Holy Roman Empire of German nation because it had already been weakened by Napoleonic Wars.
The full name of Franz’s I title was very pompous, «By the grace of God chosen Roman Emperor, life August, hereditary Emperor of Austria». His motto was «Justice is the foundation of the empire». These words were written on the entrance gates to Vienna. His people loved him because he provided peace in the country for a certain period of time, having defeated Napoleon and having summoned the well-known Congress of Vienna in 1814–1815.
Franz І understood that his subjects had to live not only politics and geopolitics. Since the future emperor was born in Florence (the capital of Renaissance), he appreciated art. He had an idea to create an art museum and a natural history museum in Vienna. The latter one was founded much later, but Emperor’s personal collections of rocks and butterflies, herbarium were the basis of its exhibits. If we look at the curriculum of the Real School founded by him, we can see that it included three types of drawing. They were technical drawing, architecture drawing and drawing of plants. The basis of life for him was in plants. I should also mention that Lviv Real School graduates were entitled to enter Vienna Technical University. In 1994, Lviv Polytechnic resumed its co-operation with Vienna Technical University, especially in the field of architecture. Our students do internship and widen their knowledge in Vienna, this real pearl of world architecture. We are not discovering Europe, we are returning to it…
I also asked Mykhailo Kril, a well-known Lviv scholar, Doctor of History, professor of Ivan Franko University, who has been researching the history of Austrian and Austro-Hungarian Empire for a long time, to add something to the political portrait of Franz I. He said,
– Lviv Polytechnics commemorated the figure of Franz I as the founder of Real School, the cradle of Polytechnic University, on a memorial plaque. But we should not forget the fact that it was Franz I who, in 1817, renovated the University, which 12 years later was lowered to the level of lyceum, in Lviv. The renovated university was named after Franz. Before talking about Franz himself, I would like to mention the foundations laid by his predecessors. I mean, first of all, Maria Theresia, Franz’s grandmother, and her son Joseph II. According to Ivan Franko, they «led Austria out of the Middle Ages». These state leaders kept to the doctrine of «educated absolutism». It meant that unlimited power had to be combined with caring for the welfare of people, comprehensive development of the society. Compulsory service for a landlord was limited to three days a week. Joseph II abolished personal dependence of peasants on a landlord. Schools became state (primary education was compulsory). There were more educated people and the development of science and technology stepped up in Austria and its provinces. Franz I pursued internal and external policy depending on his view of the situation in the country and in Europe, military and family alliances, but his predecessors’ good work continued to give results.
– Could you tell us in brief about the Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 and Franz’s I role in this historic event.
– At this Congress, the states that had defeated Napoleon decided to change the map of Europe, establish their spheres of interest. At the beginning of September 1814, the so called «Great Migration to Vienna» began. The representatives of more than 20 countries arrived in the capital of Austria. Balls, performances, hunting sessions were held for the monarchs and ambassadors. Austrians could do it in a luxurious way. In fact, the «Committee of Four» from the representatives of the winning countries – England, Russia, Austria and Prussia – determined everything at the Congress of Vienna. Franz I, the host of the meeting, practically did not take part in the affairs of the Congress. He relied on his Chancellor Metternich, who was one of the main leaders at the Congress. It was a talented and energetic person.
– It is said that the Congress of Vienna provided peace in Europe for the whole 19th century…
– It is not really true. There was only rest from devastating wars. 1848 is the year of revolutions known as the Spring of Nations, 1853–1856 are the years of the Crimean War, then French-Prussian War of 1870–1871. Should we go on with this list?
– Coming back to the figure of Franz I, we have an important question of his popularity among people. What else, apart from the Congress that brought peace to the country, was positive?
– Franz I wanted to be considered a kind person that takes care of his subjects. When he talked to people, he assumed patriarchal simplicity. Being fluent in many languages, he was willing to speak with common people in Vienna dialect. It was Franz I who issued a decree that every civil servant had to speak the language in which his visitor spoke. In Galicia, such civil servant had to speak German, Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish languages. It is not surprising that there were so many Slav civil servants, for example, Czechs, Croatians and Poles, here. It was easier for them to communicate with the local population than it was for Germans or Austrians. At that time Roman Catholicism was official religion. But the empire attempted to provide equality to all religious creeds. I would like to remind you that in 1774, the name Uniate Church was substituted by Greek Catholic Church. And Maria Theresia founded a seminary for Greek Catholic clergy in Vienna.
– My friends who visited Vienna told me about law abidance of the Austrians, their respect of the police. Apparently this goes back to the time of Franz I, who was an advocate of strict discipline in the country…
– You are right. In 1784, Franz I founded state police in Vienna. In two years, there appeared regional police institutions in the main cities of Austria, including Lviv. At that period, police were subdivided into safety police, road police, fire police, sanitary police, trade police, in this way controlling every aspect of life in the country. In Lviv, in modern Hryhorenko square, there was erected a building for the police, which is now the headquarters of the Regional Police Department.
– There is very little information about Franz’s I personal life. What do you know?
– I haven’t studied the biography of this emperor in detail. I know he had four wives. Nothing is known about his love affairs. It looks that he loved all his wives, although in Habsburg dynasty marriages were not based on love. They were marriages of convenience. Emperors had no right to divorce. His first and second wives died at childbirth. His third wife died of tuberculosis. He had eleven children, including four sons, from his second and third marriage. His fourth wife outlived her husband. The Emperor had to bear humiliation for the sake of peace – he married his daughter Marie-Louise to his greatest enemy Napoleon I.
– When the memorial plaque to Franz I was opened in Lviv Polytechnic, some people doubted this commemoration…
– I idealize neither Austrian Empire, nor the figure of Franz I. All empires collapse sooner or later. But empires are different. For instance, we cannot compare the empire of Romanov dynasty in Russia. Habsburg dynasty wanted their empire to have a «human face».