The Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg at Berleburg Castle in the Wittgenstein region are among the largest private forest owners in Germany. Almost 13,000 hectares of forest belong to the family. Black storks, kingfishers, white deer, mouflons and, most recently, bison, a wild cattle species threatened with extinction, populate the forests and make them unique in all of Europe.
Forestry is still the livelihood of the princely family, which lives very secludedly at Schloss Berleburg and can look back on a history of over 800 years. The fact that the family still lives in the baroque castle today is thanks to their intergenerational contract: because only those who manage the forest sustainably preserve it as a livelihood for future generations.
In this episode of "Noble Dynasties in NRW", Julia Melchior meets the head of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein, Prince Richard, and his son, Hereditary Prince Gustav. Father and son guide her through the family's impressive forest and give an insight into the unique flora and fauna.
While the men of the house spend most of their time managing the property, daughter Nathalie can be found in the riding arena. As a member of the Danish national team, the successful dressage rider is training for the Olympic Games in the Wittgenstein region. She shares her second great passion, horse breeding, with her mother, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, a sister of Queen Margrethe II.
As a member of the Danish royal family, Princess Benedikte holds numerous honorary offices in Denmark and regularly represents her sister at public appointments as imperial vicar. Princess Benedikte talks exclusively about her life between the Danish court and the Wittgenstein estate in "Adelsdynastien in NRW".
