Günther von Schönburg-Waldenburg
Günther Alexander Johann Wilhelm Prince of Schönburg-Waldenburg (born August 30, 1887 in Potsdam , † March 18, 1960 in Salzburg , Austria ) was a German prince and head of the House of Schönburg since 1914 . With his death in 1960, the main branch of the Schönburg-Waldenburg line went out.
Life
Prince Günther was the son of Hereditary Prince Otto Karl Victor von Schönburg-Waldenburg (1856-1888) and Princess Lucia zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1859-1903). As a child he attended the Vitzthumsche Gymnasium in Dresden . He then studied law in Cambridge and Leipzig . From 1906 to 1908 Günther did military service in Potsdam, in 1909 he went on a big trip to America. After the death of his older brother in 1914, he became head of the Schönburg-Waldenburg family and master of Waldenburg Castle (Saxony) , Lichtenstein Castle (Saxony) , Belgershain Castle and Pomßen Castle and co -lord of Stein Castle (Saxony) . After the House of Wettin, the princes of Schönburg-Waldenburg were considered to be the largest Saxon landowners with 8,640 hectares of agriculture and forestry.
He built Waldenburg Castle into a center of art and culture. Members of the intellectual elite of the Weimar Republic and famous musicians were guests in Waldenburg. In addition to the top-class concerts and the Waldenburg Round Table, the prince also initiated the German Art Society in Berlin , of which he was president.
After his arrest and expropriation in 1945, Prince Schönburg initially lived in Celle , but planned to move to the USA .
family
From his marriage to Mrs. Hertha Roetzschke (1890-1959) he had no children. His sister Sophie was Princess of Albania for six months , his older brother Otto Viktor II fell on September 14, 1914 while exploring near Reims .
literature
- Michael Wetzel : Günther Prince of Schönburg . In: Institute for Saxon History and Folklore (Ed.): Saxon Biography .
- Robby Joachim Götze : Günther Fürst von Schönburg-Waldenburg (1887-1960): a biography with special consideration of his influence on the cultural and intellectual life during the Weimar Republic and the German National Socialism , Glauchau 1997.
- Robby Joachim Götze: Günther Fürst von Schönburg-Waldenburg: a pictorial biography , Oberwiera: Artis Causa, 2015.
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Schönburg-Waldenburg, Günther von |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Schönburg, Günther von; Schönburg-Waldenburg, Günther Alexander Johann Wilhelm von |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Prince of Schönburg-Waldenburg |
DATE OF BIRTH | August 30, 1887 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Potsdam |
DATE OF DEATH | March 18, 1960 |
Place of death | Salzburg |