The dispute between the heirs of the pre-war owners and the Żywiec brewery goes back to the early 1990s. The brewery was nationalized after World War II and was never returned to the family of its previous owners. It was quickly privatized by the Treasury Ministry, and in 1991 it entered the bourse as one of the first large companies to debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
According to the deal, the descendants of the Habsburgs have granted the current owner of the brewery the full rights to use the family's coat of arms as well as permission to refer to Habsburg history and traditions in marketing activities.
"This agreement closes a circle drawn by history," president of Grupa Żywiec, the Hans Van Zon, said.
Both sides were enigmatic about the amount of compensation that the Habsburgs received. Phrases such as "symbolic compensation" and "an amount comparable to a consolation prize" were used to describe the sum.
Michał Pakulniewicz
A dispute over ownership of the Żywiec brewery which lasted for more than a decade has finally come to an end. According to an agreement between the heirs of the Habsburgs and Grupa Żywiec, the Habsburg family, who owned the brewery before World War II, have agreed to drop all claims to the brewery and the land on which it stands.
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