William E. Lobkowicz

William Lobkowicz was born in Boston to an American mother and Czech father. He studied European history and music, graduating from Harvard University in 1984. After the fall of Communism in 1989, he decided to move back to Czechoslovakia permanently in 1990.

The Lobkowicz family traces its ancestry back over seven centuries as princes of the Holy Roman Empire and high chancellors of the kingdom of Bohemia. The family has been at the forefront of Czech history throughout the centuries, serving as soldiers, diplomats and imperial councillors.

They were also important patrons of the arts, most notably of Beethoven, who dedicated Symphony no. 3 (Eroica), 5 and 6 (Pastoral Symphony) to the 7th Prince Lobkowicz. The oldest and largest private collection in the Czech Republic, the Lobkowicz Collections were confiscated first by the Nazis and later by the Communists. Since returning to the Czech Republic, William has been responsible for reclaiming and managing his family’s cultural heritage for more than 25 years, making the collections and four historic family castles open to the public for the first time in history. The family’s mission is to preserve, study and share the Lobkowicz Collections with the world.

William is active in several business and cultural associations, including eight years as a board and executive committee member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Prague. The family has received several awards and recognitions for their efforts in advancing Czech cultural heritage, including the International Preservation Award from the Preservation Society of Newport County. William was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of West Bohemia in 2017. William works closely with his wife, Alexandra, on all aspects of their numerous cultural heritage, music and educational initiatives. They have three grown children.