William Lobkowicz

William Lobkowicz is a Czech nobleman from the House of Lobkowicz who grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and then returned to the Czech Republic to manage the ancestral lands.cite news |first=Jason |last=Feifer|title=The Prince Is a Pauper |url= http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/the_prince_is_a_pauper/|publisher= |location= Boston Magazine|date= May, 2008|accessdate=2008-10-11 Boston Magazine, August 2008] . As the current heir to the House of Lobkowicz William Lobkowicz is technically titled "Prince". However, he eschews this title.

Early life

Lobkowicz's family fled the Communist government in 1948 and settled in Boston. William Lobkowicz first returned to then Czechoslovakia in 1976 when he was 14. Lobkowicz went to Harvard University as an undegraduate where he majored in European history.cite news |title=CNN News Room, January 5, 2000 - 4:30 a.m |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0001/05/nr.00.html |format= |agency= |work= |publisher=CNN |date= 2000-01-05|accessdate=2008-10-11 ] Lobkowicz went on to become a successful businessman in Massachusetts.

Restoration work

After the fall of the Communist government in 1989 returned to manage the family's former lands and castles. Lobkowicz's initial work focused on having the property legally restored to the family, a project which took much money and time.http://meetingsnet.com/financialinsurancemeetings/mag/live_royalty_0908/] Lobkowicz has since focused on the restoration, maintenance and upkeep of the castle's now under his ownership. Of the over ten castle's and palaces originally controlled by the House of Lobkowicz, William Lobkowicz now oversees four of them, with some of the remainder having been sold off to finance the restoration and long-term maintenance of the four controlled by Lobkowicz. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/prague.html ] http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2008/01/16/royalty-runs-in-lobkowicz-family.php] Additional financing has been attained by using some of the family lands, including the ancestral seat Lobkowicz Palace, as hotels and restaurants. Lobkowicz Palace includes a restaurant and guided English-speaking tours. [http://www.lobkowiczevents.cz/palace/sample-of-program.html] [http://www.lobkowiczevents.cz/palace/cafe-restaurant.html ] Lobkowicz also runs the family's brewery which was originally founded in 1466 and was returned to the family in 1992. [http://www.allaboutbeer.com/features/206.czechindy4.html] [http://www.czechbeer.com/lobkowicz.htm]

References