Leopold Lojka

Who was Leopold Lojka?

Leopold Lojka was the chauffeur of the car carrying Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand at the point of Ferdinand's assassination in Sarajevo in 1914.

Lojka was born in 1885 in the town of Znojmo in southern Moravia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He became a professional chauffeur in the service of Franz, Count Harrach, an Austro-Hungarian nobleman and close friend of heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Lojka accompanied his employer and the Archduke on their trip to Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 so as to serve as Ferdinand's chauffeur. Shortly after leaving the military barracks where Ferdinand had been inspecting the local Imperial garrison, the car was attacked by a Young Bosnia member, who threw a bomb at it. However, Lojka was able to swerve out of the way and the bomb bounced away, injuring several soldiers in the car behind.

Despite protestations from his wife Sophie, Ferdinand decided to visit the injured soldiers in the hospital. However, this was off the planned route and Lojka had not been informed of the change in plans and was not familiar with the new route.