Michal Plavec - Ulrich Ferdinand Kinsky: A Nobleman, Aviator, Racing Driver and Sportsman in the 20th Century
Abstract
Ulrich Ferdinand Kinsky (15 August 1893 – 19 December 1938) came from a noble Czech family but, unlike many of his relatives, sided with the Nazis and played a key role during Lord Runciman’s mission to Czechoslovakia in 1938. He embraced the Munich Agreement and was happy to see his farm near Česká Kamenice becoming part of Nazi Germany. He died in Vienna before World War II started. It is a lesser known fact that he served in the Austro‑Hungarian Air Force during the Great War, first as an observer and later as a pilot. Flying was his great passion; he owned three airplanes and often flew them all over Europe between the two wars. He had private airports built near the manors on his property – in Klešice near Heřmanův Městec and in Dolní Kamenice near Česká Kamenice. He also served as the President of Austria Aero Club. He was even a successful race car driver in the 1920s and remained a passionate polo player until death. Although he was the progeny of the youngest son of the 7th Prince Kinsky, he became the 10th Prince Kinsky after the death of his two uncles and father. In addition to a palace in Vienna and the two aforementioned farming estates, he also owned large farms in Choceň, Rosice and Zlonice. Kinsky divorced his first wife Katalina née Szechényi likely because he believed she was guilty of the premature death of their son Ulrich at age eleven. The Roman Catholic Church did not recognise the divorce. Despite opposition among the nobility, Kinsky married Mathilda von dem Busch‑Haddenshausen. Two daughters and the coveted male heir came of this marriage. Widow Princess Kinsky with the son and daughters left for her native Argentina during the war. Their son František Ulrich tried to reclaim the family property from the Czech Republic in court until his death in 2009. The Constitutional Court rejected his claims in 2005 but individual court cases were pending until his death. He claimed his parents had never been Nazi sympathizers, although the opposite is true. While his father’s membership in the NSDAP has not been proven, his mother joined the party immediately after the annexation of German‑speaking parts of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany. According to Austrian Police reports of 1949, she was an avid national socialist in Argentina even after the end of World War II.