Karel des Fours Walderode was a member of a noble family that owned extensive estates in the Semily, Jablonec nad Nisou and Liberec regions. After the Second World War he lost this property as a German under the Beneš decrees [1].
Restoration and loss of citizenship
On 16 December 1947, the Ministry of the Interior of the Czechoslovak Republic issued him a certificate of Czechoslovak citizenship [2]. Despite this, his confiscated property was not returned to him [1]. After the communist coup in February 1948 he emigrated and lost his citizenship again [1].
Restoration of citizenship and restitution claim
In 1992 the Ministry of the Interior restored his Czechoslovak citizenship, after which he applied for the return of his former family property, including Hrubý Rohozec Castle in Turnov [1]. He did not live to see his claim resolved, dying in 2000 at the age of 95 [1].
The case continues after his death
After his death, the restitution claim has been pursued by his widow and heir, Johanna Kammerlander [1]. In its ruling of 19 September 2024, the Constitutional Court stated that des Fours Walderode had not committed any offence against the Czechoslovak state during the Protectorate period, and that the courts must proceed from the 1947 Ministry of the Interior decision to preserve his citizenship [3][2]. Based on this ruling, the Okresní soud v Semilech decided in September 2025 to return part of the disputed land [2]. On 13 October 2026, the Krajský soud v Hradci Králové overturned this decision and remanded the case for a new hearing, requiring more precise identification of more than a thousand plots of land, while at the same time stating that it considered the question of the legitimacy of the restitution claim to be settled [3][4].
Stránky, které sem odkazují
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 13 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 13 October 2026
- ČT24 — 13 October 2026
- Echo24 — 13 October 2026