CastleMemory: Burg Königstein

Let's have a walk down memory lane to the year 2013
and a visit to Burg Königstein in the Taunus region of Germany.

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CastleTalk: The Curious Case of the Thurn und Taxis Inheritance

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The death of Richard Fürst zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg earlier this week saw a surge in interest in my take on the (in)famous will of inheritance looming over the family. One point about the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg inheritance that many seem to find especially curious is the fact that the late Prince Richard never actually owned his family's fortune but that it was instead passed from his father - who went missing during World War 2 - to a yet unborn grandson - who was born in 1969 - (or anyone else, really, who would inherit after Prince Richard). The German nobility, however, isn't short of interesting inheritance constructions - case in point: The Thurn und Taxis inheritance.
The Thurn und Taxis family isn't just famous for their fabulous wealth, estimated at around $ 2.5 billion today - even though Princess Gloria of Thurn und Taxis says it less than a billion - but also for their lifestyle to go along with it. In fact, Princess Gloria of Thurn und Taxis may si…
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Leiningen/Prussia Wedding in Amorbach: The Guests (Part 1)

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On Saturday, Hereditary Prince Ferdinand of Leiningen and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia celebrated their religious wedding in the German city of Amorbach. As is the case when two royals get hitched, there were loads of royals and nobles in attendance. So without further ado, here's my first of - I'm sure - many, many posts of the wedding guests.  Prince Christian and Prince Philipp of Prussia, twin sons of Prince Adalbert.  On the left: Prince Christian-Ludwig of Prussia, son of Prince Christian-Sigismund.  Countess Marie of Limburg-Stirum.  Count Michael of Hochberg.  Prince Andreas and Princess Louise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. From left to right: (Probably) Princess Olga of Hanover, Prince Otto of Hanover, Prince Heinrich of Hanover, Princess Thyra of Hanover, Countess Marie of Hochberg (née Princess of Hanover), Princess Theresa of Leiningen and Princess Cecilia of Leiningen.  Another shot of the group.  Prince Otto of Hanover and Princess Theresa of Leiningen.  Prince…
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Schloss Heidecksburg

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When the monarchy in Germany ended about a century ago, there wasn't just a German Emperor but about two dozen states making up that Empire all with their own, oftentimes royal or noble rulers. One of the most obscure of those states, at least to yours truly, was the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. But even though it was a tiny state nestled away in the Thuringian woods, it did have a very impressive castle to boast: Schloss Heidecksburg - or simply "the Heidecksburg" (because Burg = castle). Originally, this Castleholic stumbled over this beauty of a palace in a stunning German coffee-table book called "Pracht und Idylle" and I simply knew I one day had to visit. Little did I realise at the time, that my visit would come sooner than expected. When I planned my castle hunting adventure to Coburg earlier this year, I noticed that Rudolstadt wasn't actually too far off my route to the much more famous and castle-rich Coburg. And I wasn't disappoi…
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