Royal visits to Langenburg Castle

Langenburg received one of its most glamorous visits in 1909 from the German Empress Auguste Viktoria. The wife of the last German Emperor, Wilhelm II, was closely related to the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Her mother Adelheid was the sister of Prince Herrmann and thus a born princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

On 8 September 1909 at 11.44 a.m., the imperial court train arrived at Langenburg station. Received with great cheers from the population and welcomed by numerous delegations from the city and associations. In 1909, the first automobile was purchased for the Princely Family to accompany the Empress to the beautiful Hohenlohe region in the vehicle she had brought with her. And this probably laid the foundation for the family’s love of automobiles, which later led to the founding of the first German Automobile Museum. The empress’s very private visit was rounded off by gala dinners and excursions to Rothenburg and Weikersheim.
On 10 September 1909 at 3.30 p.m., the Empress leaves Langenburg in a court train to take part in the manoeuvre in the Tauber valley with her husband.

Apart from a few private visits, the last official visit of the Empress took place 4 years later in 1913. The occasion was the funeral service and burial of her uncle, Prince Herrmann.

20 April 1931 makes Langenburg Castle shine especially brightly. The civil marriage of Hereditary Prince Gottfried zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Margarita of Greece took place on 18 April.

On the evening of 19 April, the celebrations continued. The school youth, clubs and citizens organised a torchlight procession into the castle courtyard, where the singing club, music club and gymnastics club gave their best and the mayor of the town, Mr Lang, welcomed the guests to Langenburg in a heartfelt speech. Hereditary Prince Gottfried also addressed those present.

On the morning of 20 April, an Orthodox wedding took place in the smallest circle in the castle chapel, followed immediately by the Protestant wedding in the town church. This was well filled, because at the special request of the princely family, it was primarily Langenburgers who were to have the opportunity to take part in the service.

The guests, among them Queen Mary of Romania, Grand Duchess Victoria Fedrovna of Russia, Crown Princess Louise of Sweden, Princes Andrew, Nicholas, Peter and Philip of Greece, the latter the bride’s brother and later husband of England’s Queen Elizabeth II, then escorted the newlyweds into the palace to the cheers of the people standing at the roadside. After the ceremony, the bride and groom leave Langenburg for a honeymoon in Weikersheim.

Prince Kraft’s 50th birthday and the 18th birthday of his eldest daughter Princess Cecile in 1985 are the joyous occasion of a great celebration. Candles light up the festively decorated tables in the halls of the castle and good-humoured guests gather to celebrate the birthday children.

In addition to Queen Sophia of Spain, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, Princess Royal and the exiled Greek royal couple Constantine and Anne Marie also accepted the host’s invitation. Thanks to the friendly and familiar atmosphere, the evening will be long remembered by all participants.