Austrian duke's nephews visit the city of his murder

April 5, 1997
Web posted at: 10:31 p.m. EST (0331 GMT)

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNN) -- Two relatives of the Austro-Hungarian duke whose 1914 assassination in Sarajevo sparked World War I visited the city for the first time Saturday.

Otto von Hapsburg and his son, Karl, were part of a European Union delegation traveling to Bosnia to study the country's bid to join the union.

Hapsburg's great uncle, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in June 1914 by a Serb opposed to Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia.

"[The archduke] was certainly somebody very interested in Bosnia," Hapsburg said. "I and the others are here because we have been supporting Bosnia from the very beginning."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.  

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• The Yugoslav Labyrinth
• Franz Ferdinand
• The European Union

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

Tell us what you think! You said it...

© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.