Alexander Count von Hachenburg

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexander Graf von Hachenburg (born Graf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein ; * July 4, 1847 in Paris ; † August 12, 1940 in Wissen ) was an author and honorary citizen of Hachenburg . After the resignation of his brother Friedrich, he became the 4th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, but resigned himself in 1883 in favor of his son.

origin

His parents were Ludwig Adolf Friedrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and his second wife Princess Leonilla Ivanovna Barjatinskaja (Bariatinski) (born May 9, 1816, † February 1, 1918). His father was a Russian lieutenant colonel and wing adjutant to the tsar and became rich through his first marriage to the Russian princess Radziwill .

Life

At the age of eighteen the young prince joined the 7th Royal Hussar Regiment in Bonn as a volunteer ; a year later he received his lieutenant's license and fought in the German-Austrian War in 1866. In Paris, in 1870, he married the Comtesse Yvonne, the daughter of Duke Pierre-Louis de Blacas d'Aulps , who died in 1881 and left him with four children. On September 30, 1879 he took over the Fideikommiss Sayn, founded by his father in 1860, with the title of Prince Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn . Because of his second marriage to Helene von Królikowska (d. 1933), who was not befitting of his rank, he had to give up the Fideikommiss Sayn, the associated title of prince and the hereditary manor house, to his eldest son Stanislaus and took the title of Count von Hachenburg, Prince of Sayn and Wittgenstein . From then on , the couple lived in Hachenburg ; the marriage has two sons.

In 1895 Count Alexander moved to the Friedewald Castle, which he had rebuilt ; However, in 1912, for financial reasons, it had to be sold to Prince Otto zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg with all its inventory and a collection totaling 1350 numbers. As a war volunteer, the 67-year-old registered with the Active Jäger Battalion No. 8 in December 1914 and was deployed in Belgium , Russia, Romania and the Vosges during the First World War . In December 1918 he left as a major and then lived alternately in Godesberg , Berleburg , Pfaffendorf , Bad Ems and, from 1937, again in Hachenburg. As a writer, he dealt with the Saynian family history and published several books, such as 1929 Die Saynische Chronik , 1932 From Hachenburg's heyday , 1934 the biographical portrait of Imperial Russian Field Marshal General Ludwig Adolf Peter Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein , 1935 the necrology of the Sayn Princely House . His last work in 1936 was the collection of documents about Count Heinrich III. At the age of 93 he died in a hospital knowledge of flu and pneumonia; He was buried in the Abbey of Marienstatt .

Because of his unconventional way of life, which fell outside the scope of any court etiquette , he was considered an original of his time and was very popular in Hachenburg. His life's work is the reconstruction of the Friedewalder Castle , which he bought for five thalers from the Prussian domain administration and personally managed the construction work. For this purpose he temporarily moved his residence to Daaden . The palace complex was restored in 1895 and is now considered a showpiece of German Renaissance architecture .

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

Count Alexander also did a lot for the city of Hachenburg. He was a member of the rifle club and in 1892, 1894 and 1911 Hachenburg rifle king. In 1888 he set up the local museum "Alexandrinum" in Hachenburg Castle, but took its collections with him to Friedewald. In 1936, however, he arranged for a new local history museum to be set up in Hachenburg Castle . He also worked as a monument builder and initiated the erection of the Kaiser Wilhelm monument on the Old Market in Hachenburg as early as 1888. A little later he also arranged for a bust for Emperor Friedrich to be erected , on whose base the names of fallen warriors were engraved. He brought about the erection of the Sayn'schen lion with the Hachenburg coat of arms on the fountain in the old market, today a landmark of the city of Hachenburg. On July 14, 1937, Count Alexander was made an honorary citizen of Hachenburg.

family

He married Marie Auguste Yvonne de Blacas d'Aulps on June 14, 1870 in Paris (* January 2, 1851, † October 21, 1881). The couple had the following children:

  • Luise (born October 3, 1871 - † June 4, 1882)
  • August Stanislaus Peter Joseph (born September 23, 1872 - † March 27, 1958), 5th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
⚭ 1911 Countess Marie Gabriele von Schönborn-Wiesentheid (* January 20, 1872; † July 9, 1920)
⚭ 1922 Donna Elena Ruffo dei Principi della Scaletta (born April 3, 1883 - † June 10, 1968)
  • Friedrich Gottfried Maria (* November 23, 1875; † March 23, 1950) ⚭ 1914 Karoline Luise Schultheiss (* December 7, 1870; † May 3, 1943)
  • Ludwig Heinrich Gustav Alexander (* October 4, 1880; † September 22, 1953) ⚭ 1914 Freiin Walburga von Friesen (* July 31, 1885; † May 10, 1969)

After the death of his first wife, he morganatically married Helene Królikowska in London on March 31, 1883 (* July 17, 1854, † November 29, 1931). Since the marriage was not befitting, the children were given the name von Hachenburg . The couple had two sons:

  • Johannes-Ludwig Maria Alexander von Hachenburg (* July 31, 1886) ⚭ 1927 Josefine Prior (* October 4, 1896)
  • Heinrich Eberhard Stanislaus Leon von Hachenburg (1888–1914), favored by Somme-Py

Works

literature

  • H. Bartolosch: Alexander Graf von Hachenburg . In: Pictures of life from the Altenkirchen district . Altenkirchen, 1975.
  • Franz Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein: The castle is indispensable - memories of the youth of Friedewald . In: Merian 5 / XXI. (May 1967)
  • Hildegard Sayn: In the footsteps of Count Alexander von Hachenburg . Hachenburg, 1993, 84 pp.
  • Bruno M. Struif: Hachenburg - Traces of time of a Westerwald residence city . Hachenburg 1999, pp. 164-173

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hachenburg, Alexander Count of
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sayn-Wittgenstein, Alexander Graf (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Author and rebuilder of the Friedewalder Castle
DATE OF BIRTH 4th July 1847
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH August 12, 1940
Place of death Knowledge