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Name: SCHWARZENBERG, Adolph Johann Maria Raphael Franz Joseph Hubertus Agaptt Prince
Birth Date: 18 Aug 1890 Hluboka, Czechoslovakia
Death Date: 27 Feb 1950 Bordighera, Italy
First Date: 1930
Area: Laikipia, Mpala farm
Married: At Chateau de Berg, Luxembourg 29 Oct 1930 Hilda Sophie Marie Adelaide Wilhemine b. 15 Feb 1897 Chateau de Berg, d. 8 Sep 1979 Chateau de Berg
Children: Heinrich (adopted)
Book Reference: Tom Lawrence
War Service: Czechoslovak army
General Information:
Tom Lawrence: Adolph was born into the wealthy and influential Schwarzenberg family and was educated to eventually take over the management of extensive landholdings, real estate and industry, as well as substantial art collections and extensive archives from his father. The family owned numerous noteworthy houses and residences. He completed a law degree at the Czech University in Prague and fought in the First World War; he later served in the Czechoslovak army.
Adolph had taken a trip to Africa in 1930 and adored the continent. The couple then decided to spend their honeymoon hunting there. Hilda and Adolph travelled to several different areas including Sudan and the Congo, but Kenya was by far their favourite.Three years later, the couple acquired a 999-year lease of a farm in Laikipia, Kenya from the Wilmots, a British family. Hilda and Adolph named the estate Mpala Farm. The couple put a great deal of work into the property, overseeing the construction of a dam, a powerhouse, an irrigation system, and a bridge (known as Princess Hilda Bridge) connecting the estate to the nearest town. Hilda and Adolph also spent considerable time at Mpala Farm with their relatives, including their large group of nephews and nieces. Although Hilda and Adolph did not have children of their own, they were devoted as aunt and uncle.Apart from bringing modern farming methods to the estate, Adolph built a hydroelectric power station there, some of the machinery being imported from his native Hluboká. He also made exceptional improvements to his workers' living conditions, and took on the protection of wildlife seriously. Adolph later published a report for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on his activities and experience in Kenya. The farm was sold after his death and became an important biodiversity conservation research centre.
He was anti-German in World War 2 and emigrated to the USA. During his stay in the United States, Adolph Schwarzenberg supported the Czech resistance and was an outspoken opponent of the Nazi regime, as confirmed by both Jan Masaryk and Consul General Karel Hudec. He enrolled at Columbia University to study for his second doctorate. His dissertation, a biography of Felix, Prince Schwarzenberg, was published in 1946. Adolph also worked with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, producing the report mentioned above and carrying out various activities in support of the organisation. After the war he found his Czech estates had been confiscated, and he made his home in Katsch, a village in Austria.
Gazette 2 Dec 1935 Under General Notice No. 464 and the Branding of Stock Ordinance (1907) Prince Schwarzenberg registers his brand in Nyeri and was issued with Cert. No. 2834
Gazette 1 June 1951 In General Notice No. 1446 notice is given for the application of Probate & Administration of the will of Prince Adolf Johann Maria Raphael Franz Joseph Hubertus Agaptt von Schwarzenberg LLD, usually known as Dr. uur Adolf Prince Schwarzenberg of Katsch an der Mei District Murua Austria.