Adel in Deutschland: Leichtes Leben oder schweres Erbe?

We have been living in a democracy in Germany for a long time, so the nobility officially has nothing more to say. Nevertheless, there are still rich noble families here today, such as the Hohenzollern family. In this video we want to show you the crazy life of the Hohenzollern family, who are the direct descendants of the last German emperor Wilhelm II. In order for you to know who it is about, we will briefly introduce you to the current members of the Hohenzollern family. Their chief has been the 47-year-old Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preußen for around 20 years. The great-grandson of Emperor Wilhelm is responsible for the family business, and all other princes must obey his word. His wife is the 45-year-old Sophie Prinzessin von Preußen. The couple has three small sons and a daughter, who are all between 7 and 10 years old. The fortune of the noble family is estimated at at least 120 million euros. Now you are probably wondering what the current members of the Hohenzollern family, which has been one of the most important dynasties in Germany for centuries, are actually doing these days and how they live, after there has been no emperor in this country since 1918. In fact, the first fact should surprise you right away. Despite their wealth, the family does not live in a castle, but in a rented house in the Potsdam district of Babelsberg. In an interview, the prince revealed that he simply does not need a castle to define himself. Instead of resting on the wealth of the family, he studied business administration after school and then worked as a business consultant. But of course that's not all, because nobility is obligatory, and that's why Prince Georg Friedrich von Preußen and Princess Sophie also live a rather unusual life, apart from their rather ordinary jobs. Among other things, the prince is, for example, the managing director of the Prussian beer manufacturer that brews the Prussian mushroom. He and his wife also engage in voluntary work. Therefore, many public appointments are part of their daily life, where they help socially disadvantaged people. As board members of the Prinzessin Kira von Preußen Stiftung, which is named after the grandmother of the prince, they organize charity concerts, for example, with their income over 250 poor children are financed for free travel abroad every year. In addition, Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preußen is a big Lego fan and together with the company Blue Bricks brought a kind of Lego version of the castle Hohenzollern as a building set to the market. The management of the real castle itself is also in the responsibility of the prince. But although the Hohenzollern today seem quite modest and live in a normal rental house, they could also theoretically move into an apartment that is more decent. Because the family also owns two-thirds of the castle Hohenzollern, in addition to several other properties. It is located on a mountain over 850 meters high in front of the Swabian Alps, and here you can still feel the splendor of old times in every corner. Among other things, there is a huge own chapel here, where services to God can be held, or a gigantic family tree hall, in which paintings of all family members hang. The nobles do not have to do without noble salons and an event hall. The whole castle with its 300 rooms is decorated with valuable souvenirs of the Hohenzollern family, such as paintings or the original desk from Emperor Wilhelm II. However, the highlight is the treasury. In addition to other jewellery, you can also admire the crown of Emperor Wilhelm, which is occupied with 18 diamonds and 142 diamonds. Instead of living there, Prince Friedrich von Preußen, however, keeps his castle open to historians and tourists, and in fact around 300,000 visitors come here a year to immerse themselves in the history of the Hohenzollern. Sometimes he and his family also go on holiday here, for which they have their own private quarters in the castle. In addition, the nobles also own the so-called Prinzeninsel in the large Plöner Lake in Schleswig-Holstein. There is also a free bath here, where the children of the family, and of course the prince himself and his ancestors, learned to swim, which is why it is called Prinzenbad. Although the Hohenzollern live relatively ordinarily today, this is not the case for their ancestors. Georg Friedrich's great-great-grandfather Wilhelm II enjoyed huge luxury as the last German emperor and also lived literally like an emperor. However, Emperor Wilhelm II was also very revolutionary politically and did so much good for his people. He already implemented numerous social reforms at that time. For example, he ensured that children under the age of 14 only had to work limitedly, that women did not have to work at all at the end of their pregnancy, or that most workers were released on Sundays. His grandfather, Wilhelm I, founded the German Reich, and his ancestor Friedrich the Great was responsible for the widespread cultivation of potatoes in Germany. Compared to earlier times, Prince Georg has almost no influence today and is officially considered a completely normal citizen. He also had significantly fewer heirs than his ancestors. The noble family lost a lot of valuable property after the Second World War. As part of the so-called land reform, the nobles lost, among other things, 70 properties such as the castle of Reinfels near Koblenz or the castle of Rheinsberg in Brandenburg. In addition, there are about 10,000 art objects, including very valuable paintings. Most of these properties are currently officially owned by the Federal Republic of Germany, which is sometimes a thorn in the side of the nobles. The Hohenzollern family wanted to regain access to their former property and therefore went to court several times. Although Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, has submitted many complaints in recent years and demanded property in millions, the grandson of the last German emperor recently surprisingly dropped all the charges. Nevertheless, the prince continues to hope that he can somehow agree with the different federal states and Germany in order to be able to own certain castles again. By the way, all of this does not mean that the Hohenzollern do not still have moments today that remind of the classic, pompous nobility life of yesteryear. When Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, married his wife Sophie in 2011, for example, this special day really took place as it should, because Sophie, Princess of Isenburg, as she was called before, comes from an ancient noble family. The high noble family of Isenburg dates back to the 11th century and once reigned over large countries. Since noble families communicated a lot with each other, the two of them already got to know each other as little children. And that means there are actually children's pictures of us, where I am one and a half, my husband three, and we play together. Of course, he was not simply married in the registry office, but Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, and his wife Sophie celebrated in the magnificent castle complexes of Sanssouci in Potsdam after the wedding. The couple drove there in a horse-drawn carriage and received more than 1,000 guests, of which about 700 were representatives of all important noble families from all over Europe. German politicians such as the Prime Minister of Brandenburg could not avoid the pompous celebration and more than 100 journalists from all over the world came to report on the wedding. The event was even broadcast live on television and the guests were also offered a lot besides a luxurious gala dinner. Among other things, there was a huge concert. The Hohenzollern family itself is also regularly visiting other nobles at pompous weddings, such as in Monaco at Prince Albert's or at ceremonies in Sweden, and meets there with other well-known nobles or politicians such as the Federal President. If you liked this video about the life of the last German noble family, be sure to watch our video about a mysterious family that belongs all over Europe. Otherwise we'll see you next time here at Wissenswert. Take care!