What's Up Wednesday (Reichenthal returns Historic Treasures to their rightful owners.)

The content of jewellery found in the secret Reichenhal vault was listed and described in a previous post on one of our Tiaras and Trinkets on Tuesday. For those details follow this link:

http://daniel-s-world.blogspot.com/2014/08/tiaras-and-trinkets-on-tuesday.html

Since the full disclosure and probe into the case and history of the discovery, the Grand Duke of Reichenthal has begun officially returning the historic pieces to their "rightful"owners. Where appropriate, some pieces have been afforded ceremony in keeping with their symbolic value. In other case they were merely delivered to those who rightfully claim them Some pieces however ended up having no contemporary link and as such have been placed in regional museums as close to their historic ties as possible. Today's post will document the most important of these returns.

The first and one of the most historically significant pieces to be sent home was the Imperial Throne of Scot-Britania. It coincided beautifully and seamlessly with the Crown Prince Imperial's official taking up residency in the Scot-Britanian Isles. The Syldavian Ministry of Foreign affairs was happy that the events surrounding the throne's return only strengthened the bonds between the three countries of Syldavia, Scotney and Britania. The throne was returned to its own official home, the Cathedral of the Lion Heart.

The Nuptial Coronet of Scotney went with the Imperial throne and was received by the Crown Prince Imperial to again become a part of the vast Imperial Crown Jewel Collection.

Next on the list of historically important pieces to be returned was the Sword of the Lion Heart and the Crown of Cataljone, belonging to the Crown Jewels of Hispania.

The Princess of Cataljone , heir to the Kingdom of Hispania(pictured above) flew to Reichenthal to receive the sword officially on behalf of the nation of Hispania. A small hand-over ceremony was held in Reichenthal Castle.

Grand Duke Lothair personally handed the medieval sword over to the Princess.

The Crown of Catajone was still undergoing some repairs at the time of the hand-over ceremony but did fly back with the Princess of Cataljone to Hispania the next day to find its place once more alongside the other Crown Jewels of Hispania.

The Crown of Romagna, considered to be the single most intrinsically valuable piece to have been found in the Reichenthal vault was secretly sent by to the Princess Donatella, Duchess Di Giorgio by armoured car.

The Crown of the former Kingdom of Romagna is back home photographed next to the pretender to the same Kingdom. The Duchess Di Giorgio, like so many other pretenders have found themselves welcomed back to their native countries of late in order to become ceremonial custodians of those countries' Royal history.

The very beautiful Crown of Romagna will be exhibited in a new display especially being designed for it in the former Royal palace of Romagna.

The Arch Duke of Fulco D'Este is set to release a State Portrait of his wife wearing the restored Consort Diadem. It was also sent by armoured car to the Democratic Republic of Fulco DÉste where it was received by the Minister of the Interior. The Diadem will be kept in the same vault as the Steel Crown of Fulco D'Este but will be used for the first time in the official portrait and may be used in future for State Events.

The very unusual Dodecahedron Statue found in the Reichenthal Vault has received no media coverage as yet but is to feature in State Portrait of the Duke of Swann to be released somewhere in the near future.

 The Enlightened Manuscript featuring a Scripture from the Book of Romans has also been returned to Duke's Court Palace  in the Principality of Swann. the Duke of Swann is seen above standing next to the Medieval manuscript said to have been created at the request of the first Duke of Swann upon his investiture. The current Duke said that this piece is very dear to his heart for its symbolic meaning.


The greatest and also most politically volatile set of jewellery is also the oldest and posed the most problems in their return to their homeland. Made in 1250 the Crown Jewels of Serbieski is an awesome find for its historic value but politically pose a conundrum. Their return to Serbieski has the potential to incite civil unrest due to their almost relic-like status. The Grand Duke of Serbieski is the legal owner of the jewels which by tradition is the personal property of the ruler of Serbieski. Diplomatic negotiations and high security surrounded their return and to afford them the proper respect a full State Ceremony of their hand over was held in Reichethal castle attended by the King of Syldavia.  

The Grand Duke of Reichenthal (at left) gathers with his Serbieski counterpart (at right)for the hand over ceremony. The official event is legally witnessed by Princess Augusta as history expert and overseen by the King of Syldavia.

The beautiful and very old Crown Jewels of Serbieski, include the Crown, Scepter and the Demi Parure of the "Queens" of Serbieski.

The Grand Duke of Reichenthal made a poignant speech explaining the value and controversy surrounding the jewels:

"When the historic find of Royal Jewellery was discovered here in Reichenthal my family and I were as surprised and indeed amazed as the rest of the world. To have grown up, unaware of the treasure literally hidden on the other side of a mere brick wall seems very surreal. Yet now, the Imperial throne, historic jewellery and art and the controversial Crown Jewels of Serbieski have been found. The symbolic nature of these far outweighs their monetary value and the return of these relics to their proper context in this new millennium is our greatest concern.

Today we as apparently secret Reichenthalian custodians of these treasures until now are humbled to present to the great people of Serbieski with their Crown Jewels. We are keenly aware and sensitive to the controversy posed by these “national symbols” and their potential affect on the people they represent. We all as Syldavian citizens have to foster a broader perspective however. Where these symbols represent the past and the very proud accomplishment of a regional people these symbols may also hold the keys to a bigger and more prosperous future. It is that key with the potential to unlock a future which concerns us here and now. Serbieski, our proud and strong neighbours and Syldavian compatriots, today you stand at the brink of a decision. Though lost, the crown jewels, glorious symbols of unity, strength, solidarity and your place in Europa has tied you together as a people for centuries. Throughout a very difficult history that lead us to today you continued to exist, indeed continued to make your mark as a proud nation albeit like Reichenthal your neighbours, making sacrifices to continue to do so.

We share your sentiment; Reichenthal like Serbieski is a proud, fruitful, strong people. The sacrifices made were not easy. By laying down our independence, we thought all was lost. But in actual fact: more was gained. Today we are more than the small, unknown “Kingdom” we used to be. Our unique identity, Regional solidarity and our dignity have been preserved within our new Syldavian electorate. We continue in our traditions as we have done for centuries. You as honoured member of this new electorate have come to see the same benefits over the last two years. People of Serbieski, the choice is yours. We're all aware that the return of the Serbieski Crown Jewels stirs deep emotions that may tilt the scales towards an even more prosperous and stable future or one where clandestine opportunists incite revolt against it.

Therefore place this crown and sceptre on your secured freedom established on righteousness. Place it on the altar of sacrifice and continue to sacrifice for the greater good of yourselves, Syldavia and indeed all Europa. May your children and grandchildren look back to this historic day, and say: The day our crown jewels returned, was the day when Serbieski chose peace and freedom, but above all, LIFE."

The official transfer of the jewels was sealed with a handshake as the footage of the event was published live on television and the internet.

The Grand Duke of Serbieski posed for an official photo opp with the jewels in a kind of State Portrait pose.

The Serbieski Crown Jewels handover made international news and the world sighed a breath of relief as another potential local unrest was avoided in the south of Syldavia. We wish the people of Serbieski all the best.