Bad Berleburg Castle was built in 1258 by Count Siegfried I of Wittgenstein. Von Sayn was added to the family name when the Wittgensteiner counts died out and the castle was inherited by Salentin von Sayn, who was married to Countess Adelaide of Wittgenstein. A partition in the 1600s meant the family name evolved into Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, with three other branches. The castle underwent several building projects over the years and it evolved into the castle that you see here today.
Perhaps the most famous royal woman associated with the castle actually still lives there. The sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Princess Benedikte, was married to Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in 1968. They had three children together before his death in 2017. Princess Benedikte and her daughter Princess Nathalie still live in the castle, alongside her son Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and his longtime partner Carina Axelsson.
Guided tours through the castle are available twice a day throughout the summer (in German only). The tour was actually quite nice and there are many amazing portraits to see. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside. See more information about visiting the castle here.
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