Anna Magdalena Appel

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Anna Magdalena Appel

Anna Magdalena Appel , Baroness of Hochstädten (born March 8, 1846 in Darmstadt , † December 19, 1917 in Wiesbaden ), was a German ballet dancer and second wife of Grand Duke Ludwig III. (1806–1877) from Hessen-Darmstadt , with whom she was married in an morganatic marriage .

Life

Anna Magdalena Appel was the youngest daughter of Johann Heinrich Appel and his second wife, Louise Christiane d'Amour , on March 8, 1846 in Darmstadt . She was just eight months old when her father died on November 21, 1846. Eight children remained from his two marriages.

Louise Christiane Appel now had to earn a living for eight children. She worked as a ballet dancer at the court theater in Darmstadt from 1848 to 1861 . The daughters shared a passion for the theater , and especially for ballet , with their mother. Around 1860 Anna Magdalena worked as the ballet dancer "Appel, Helene" with her sisters at the Darmstadt Court Theater .

During this time she met the ruling Grand Duke Ludwig III. from Hessen-Darmstadt, an enthusiastic theater lover. Ludwig III. was married to Princess Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria (1813–1862) for the first time since December 26, 1833 . On June 8, 1868, the widowed Grand Duke elevated Helene to the baronial status as “Freiin von Hochstädten” and morganatically married the 22-year-old . Due to her professional background, Anna Magdalena exercised her influence primarily at the grand ducal Darmstädter Hoftheater.

When the Grand Duke's health deteriorated, Anna Magdalena's main job was to look after her husband and to be at his side. She carried out this task with devotion until the death of her husband. For this caring care she gained great recognition from some members of the grand ducal family.

After the death of Ludwig III. her presence in the residence was no longer wanted by some of the relatives of her deceased husband. The announced will of Ludwig III. could not be found. Anna Magdalena had already been given money and a house in Darmstadt during her husband's lifetime and, after his death, was also financially secured with an annuity . She left Darmstadt and moved to Wiesbaden on October 9, 1878 . So she completely disappeared from public life in Darmstadt. She lived in Wiesbaden at Taunusstrasse 1 and died there on December 19, 1917. Her burial took place on December 22, 1917, "at 4 pm", in the old cemetery in Darmstadt. Her grave has been preserved to this day.

literature

  • Friedrich Johann von Reden-Esbeck: German stage lexicon. The life and work of all outstanding German stage directors and artists from the beginning of the art of acting to the present . Eichstatt 1879
  • The Grand Ducal Court Theater in Darmstadt 1810-1910 by Hermann Kaiser in 1946
  • The House of Hesse , Eckhart G. Franz
  • From the court theater to the house of history 1819-1994 , Hessian Historical Commission Darmstadt 1994, S: 15
  • Anna Magdalena Appel - Baroness of Hochstädten (1846-1917) . In: Hessische Familienkunde Bd. 31, 2008, Sp. 1–12, Claudia Sosniak
  • From the life of the Baroness of Hochstädten. On the 100th anniversary of Anna Magdalena Appel's death , Bergsträßer Anzeiger, December 19, 2017
  • Ludwigs Lust, improper love affairs in the home of Hessen-Darmstadt , S: 73–95, Barbara Hauck, 2010