Lucie von Hardenberg

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Lucie Fürstin von Pückler-Muskau, colored photo, around 1853

Lucia Anna Wilhelmine Christina Countess von Hardenberg-Reventlow (born April 9, 1776 in Hanover ; †  May 8, 1854 at Branitz Castle ) was the daughter of the royal Prussian State Chancellor and Prince Karl August von Hardenberg . Her first marriage was to Karl Theodor von Pappenheim and her second marriage to Hermann von Pückler-Muskau . She devoted many years of her life to creating the Fürst-Pückler-Park in Muskau and the Branitzer Park .

Lucie von Hardenberg-Reventlow

Lucia Anna Wilhelmine Christina Countess von Hardenberg-Reventlow, called Lucie , was born on April 9, 1776 in Hanover . She was the second child of Karl August von Hardenberg , who later became the royal Prussian state chancellor, and his wife, Countess Christiane Friederike Juliane von Reventlow (1759-1793). Her brother Christian Heinrich August von Hardenberg-Reventlow was born in 1775. The parents divorced in 1788. At first Lucie lived with one of her aunts, in 1790 she moved in with her father, who was a minister in Ansbach and Bayreuth .

Lucie von Pappenheim

On June 26, 1796, Lucie von Hardenberg-Reventlow married Count Karl Theodor Friedrich zu Pappenheim, who was five years his senior . Of her three children, two died in early childhood. They stayed with their daughter Adelheid von Pappenheim (* March 3, 1797, † April 29, 1849). The family was supplemented by the foster daughter Helmine, whose origin is unknown.

Lucie von Pappenheim separated from her husband in 1802. She received Dennenlohe Castle near Ansbach, where she lived with her daughters Adelheid and Helmine until 1817. Lucie von Pappenheim cultivated friendships in Hamburg, Altona and Berlin. During her stays in Berlin, she was a frequent guest in Elisabeth von Staegemann's literary and musical salon . In this city, Lucie probably first met Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, who was nine years his junior (born October 30, 1785, † February 4, 1871). A relationship began that would last for 37 years until Lucie's death. In 1817 Lucie von Pappenheim divorced in order to be able to get married to Pückler.

Lucie von Pückler-Muskau

Hermann von Pückler-Muskau (1840),
colored pencil drawing by Moritz Daffinger

On November 16, 1816, the engagement and on October 9, 1817 the wedding of Lucie von Pappenheim and Hermann von Pückler-Muskau took place. The two shared a sharp mind, humor and common interests. The connection was advantageous for both partners: Pückler was able to realize his dream of transforming his land around the town of Muskau into a landscape garden with the help of Lucie's considerable dowry. The marriage with the owner of one of the largest Upper Lusatian class lords gave the divorced Lucie a status corresponding to her origin. Hermann von Pückler and Lucie were elevated to the rank of prince in 1822 .

Since their first meeting, the couple has had a lively exchange of letters. Hermann von Pückler's letters have survived in large numbers, but Lucie's letters are not. Whether she or Pückler wanted her letters to him and even the corresponding copies to be destroyed cannot be determined in retrospect. Often it is only possible to guess from Pückler's answers to Lucie what she told him about in her letters.

As early as 1820, Pückler considered selling the Muskau rulership because the assets Lucie had brought with him had been used up. Lucie von Pückler made an unusual suggestion to her husband to dissolve the marriage so that he could go looking for a wealthy woman again. The marriage ended in divorce in February 1826. The couple's childlessness was given as the official reason. Shortly before, in January 1826, Pückler had given his wife the Pückler-Muskau class rule in order to save his property from possible seizure.

In September 1826, Pückler actually went to England to look for a bride. Since word of his intentions quickly got around, the search was unsuccessful and was even commented on with derision in the English press. The prince stayed in England for two years . During this time he got new ideas for his park and wrote amusing letters to his divorced wife about English society. Lucie picked up all the letters and prepared them for publication. After Pückler's return, the letters appeared in two volumes.

During Prince Pückler's multi-year trip to the Orient, his friend, the writer Heinrich Laube, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment , which was reduced to one and a half years following a petition for clemency. Through his father's contacts, Lucie von Pückler was able to get Laube to spend this prison sentence in Muskau. There he lived in the Old Castle and was even able to take part in hunting trips, including the hunting castle in the zoo in Muskauer Heide . After the imprisonment he dedicated a publication to the princess.

The garden designer

Pückler-Muskau

Muskau Castle in Pückler's time

From his first trip to England (1814–1815) Hermann von Pückler brought with him an enthusiasm for English-style landscape gardens. As soon as he returned, he began to transform Muskau, the maternal inheritance. Even during the engagement time, Lucie was infected by his enthusiasm and was ready to give a large part of her fortune to the design of the park. While Pückler traveled a lot, Lucie stayed on site and oversaw the design of the park. Even after the divorce, Lucie continued her life and work in Muskau. Some parts of the park were named after her at Pückler's request, for example Lake Lucie and the Schnuckental (after her nickname Schnucke ). Lucie von Hardenberg was assisted by the small Wilhelm Heinrich Masser .

Lucie von Pückler had a spa built on the grounds of the park in 1822, which was inaugurated in 1823. The hoped-for income, which was urgently needed to finance the park, did not materialize despite intensive advertising for the mineral bath. Although it can be seen from Pückler's letters that he and his wife created Park Muskau on an equal footing, this is not mentioned in his Hints on Landscape Gardening published in 1834 . How big her contribution was to the creation of the park can be estimated, as she continued the work during Pückler's long travels. In 1834 Hermann von Pückler embarked on his longest journey, which took him to Egypt and Greece, among other places. He did not return until 1840. A few years later, the sale of the rulership of Muskau with the palace and park had become inevitable due to the great financial difficulties. It found a new owner in 1845.

Branitz

Branitz Castle

Hermann von Pückler's father's family seat was in Branitz . After the estate was sold, Lucie and Hermann von Pückler made Branitz Castle their new home. Lucie initially supervised the construction work on the castle and began planning the Branitz Park, but with increasing age she withdrew more and more.

Last years of life

Palais Bürgerwiese 17
Burial place in Branitzer Park

Lucie von Pückler spent the last years of her life in Dresden (in a corner house on the Bürgerwiese ) and Branitz. She died at the age of 78 on May 8, 1854 in Branitz. Lucie von Pückler was first buried in the cemetery in front of the park. A few years after Hermann von Pückler's death, she was buried next to him in Branitzer Park.

literature

in alphabetical order by authors / editors

  • Heinz Ohff : The Green Prince. The adventurous life of Prince Pückler-Muskau . Piper, Munich / Zurich 2002, ISBN 3-492-23715-0
  • Astrid Roscher: Lucie von Pückler-Muskau. Secret main actor in the shadow of the green prince? In: Die Gartenkunst  21 (2/2009), pp. 187–197.
  • Beate Schneider: Sweetheart. Biographical notes about Princess Lucie von Pückler-Muskau . In: Between Dream and Science - Aspects of the Age of Romanticism = Publication of the scientific contributions of the Romanticism Conference at the Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus from autumn 2002. Regia-Verlag, Cottbus 2005. ISBN 3-937899-54-5 , pp. 121–128
  • Foundation Fürst-Pückler-Museum, Park and Schloss Branitz (ed.): The green princess: Lucie von Hardenberg - the wife of Prince Pückler ; on the occasion of the exhibition Die Grüne Fürstin. Lucie von Hardenberg - Prince Pückler's wife from May 20 to October 31, 2010 in Branitz Castle. Branitz 2010, ISBN 978-3-910061-10-1

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Genealogy of Countess Christiane Friederike Juliane von Reventlow. geneanet.org
  2. ^ Roscher, Astrid: Lucie von Pückler-Muskau. Secret main actor in the shadow of the green prince? In: The garden art . Worms: Werner. Vol. 21, 2009 ISSN  0935-0519 , Issue 2, pp. 187-197
  3. ↑ Hermann von Pückler-Muskau: Letters from a deceased . Franck, Munich 1830
  4. ^ Heinrich Hubert Houben:  Laube, Heinrich Rudolf Constanz . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 51, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1906, pp. 774-777.
  5. ↑ Hermann von Pückler-Muskau: Hints about landscape gardening, connected with the description of their practical application in Muskau . Hallberger, Stuttgart 1834
personal data
SURNAME Hardenberg, Lucie von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hardenberg-Reventlow, Lucia Anna Wilhelmine Christina Countess von (full name); Hardenberg, Lucia Anna Wilhelmine Christina von (maiden name); Pappenheim, Lucie von; Pückler-Muskau, Lucie von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Garden designer
DATE OF BIRTH April 9, 1776
PLACE OF BIRTH Hanover
DATE OF DEATH May 8, 1854
Place of death Branitz Castle near Cottbus