Following the end of
World War II, when the communists seized power, the Eltz Croatian estates were seized by the state. He then went to live in
West Germany, where he studied law, took over the family's winery estate in
Eltville, and became a professor of viticulture at
Mainz University. He was a member of the Sovereign Council of the
Order of Malta and the representative of the order, with the rank as an ambassador, in Germany. He was further known for his charity work and pilgrimages to Lourdes during this time. He inherited the 800-year-old family seat,
Burg Eltz in
Rheinland-Pfalz, as the 32nd generation, which he made available to the public for visitation.
Politician in Croatia Eltz returned to Vukovar in 1991 after Croatia declared independence from
Yugoslavia where he began working with political leaders to help reconstruct the government. In 1991, he was appointed by Croatian President
Franjo Tudjman as an honorary representative of the Republic of Croatia in Bonn. That same year,
war broke out and Vukovar became the prime target of shelling by the heavily armed Serbs. He was present during the beginning of the
Battle of Vukovar helping with the city's defence (the Eltz Manor was destroyed during the battle and the tomb and bodies of the Eltz family desecrated). Due to his popularity, he was persuaded to run for office, and was elected to the
Croatian parliament in 1992 as an independent candidate for Vukovar. He also became a member of the parliamentary assembly of the
Council of Europe where he promoted Croatia's case for joining the European Union. He continued serving in the Croatian parliament until his retirement in 1999, and was so highly regarded that he was asked to continue as an honorary member in his own right. He spoke six languages:
Croatian,
German,
English,
French,
Italian, and
Latin. ==Personal life==