Does Czech President Petr Pavel want to give back assets and properties to Liechtenstein? No, that's not true: Pavel prefers an agreement of common management with Liechtenstein.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published by @montenegro0791 on TikTok on October 28, 2023. Another example of the misinformation can be seen here.
The text of the TikTok video says, translated from Czech to English by Lead Stories:
Petr Pavel wants to return the estates to Liechtenstein out of court!! And where did Liechtenstein take the properties from us? !!
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Oct 31 08:17:40 2023 UTC)
The Royal family of Liechtenstein held property in today's Czech Republic since the mid-1200s. Liechtenstein lost property in 1945 on the basis of the Beneš decrees. The decrees labeled the Royal House of Liechtenstein and 38 other families in Liechtenstein as collaborators of the German Nazi regime during World War II which the Royal family of Liechtenstein contested. The Principality of Liechtenstein has been fighting for three years before the European Court of Human Rights over the property worth 375 million euros.
Now Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic are considering an out-of-court settlement. According to the PR service of the Czech news agency CTK, Liechtenstein made a new proposal to settle the case. According to this information, Liechtenstein proposes a foundation with a fund where the properties are placed and a common management of the properties together with the Czech Republic. Liechtenstein is neither asking for returning property nor for financial compensation. Czech President Pavel who is cited by the Czech website Denik N supports such a solution.
Liechtenstein sits between Germany and Austria, and the main language is German. Liechtenstein's then-Prince Franz Joseph II was considered a Nazi collaborator by post-war Czechoslovak authorities. The country of Liechtenstein, however, remained neutral during the war. The House of Liechtenstein disputes that there was any collaboration.
The up-until-now unsuccessful lawsuits of Liechtenstein against the Czech Republic included properties that belong to the Czech state, not those that belong to individuals, churches, municipalities, or schools. Among the disputed properties are the castles in Valtice and Lednice in South Moravia, Šternberk Castle in the Olomouc region, and Bučovice and Velké Losiny castles in the Šumperk region.
