The Kingdom of Saxony (Sachsen) and its Ruling Family

The 'new spirit of exchange' is a funny one in that the top art people, who one would think live above political issues, seem to be very possessive. There is ongoing discussions about the return of items, both from Russia to Germany and Germany to Russia. Most citizens and museum hierarchy would like to restore the "ownerships" to pre 1945 status, but it is an continuing discussion that has no end in sight.

QEII was in Dresden a few months ago, her second visit.

Thank you all for the pictures and info
Why was the succession od, and what did the treasures contain?
So nothing of the old Dresden before 1945 exist?

  Her eldest son George is interesting to me as he renounced his rights in 1923 and  became a Jesuit  priest and was perhaps murdered by the Nazis as he was an outspoken opponent (as were many of the Catholic royal houses it seems--Saxony, Wurttemberg, Bavaria).  

grandduchessella, do you have any more information about him, please? I have been trying to find out about him for some time but have not been able to find anything.

Right, Kmerov, the Dresden of pre 1945 was completely destroyed in February 1945. The damage, both in terms of structural losses and human life, was far greater than even the A-bombs dropped on Japan later that year.
Since Dresden was in the Soviet sector which ultimately became East Germany, the rebuilding was essentially a joke. Few original buildings were reconstructed, the notable exceptions were the Semper Opera house that took 40 years to rebuild and the Zwinger. Most of the other grand historical structures were left in ruin. In the mid 1980s, much of the inner city looked like the war just ended except for the weeds growing up in the rubble.
Most of the building completed during the communist era were communist style structures--large, looming rows of concrete boxes to house the population and commercial needs.
When the Wall fell, eastern Germany went on a mad rush to make up for 45 years of neglect and bad architecture/planning/rebuilding asap. It has worked out pretty well. The show piece of the reconstruction in Dresden is the largest baroque cathedral in the world rebuilt from ashes and due to be dedicated next October.

Although I did not see the exhibit, I do have a bokk [rather lacish] from that tour. The treasures were incredible, equal to the most exquisite  Faberge I thought. From that book alone I have always wanted to see them.

The items taken by the Soviets- are they being returned in this new spirit of exchange ?

I was lucky enough that the exhibition went through Mississippi *gasp!* The items were quite something--very baroque. Not really my style though a little _too_ much ala Versailles or Neuschwanstein. It's lovely to look at in small doses but too much makes you a little queasy.  :-/

bluetoria--I'll look around for some info on George. I've only found bare sketches--once when I was looking at info regarding German royal opposition to WW2 and another time in William Lalor's book Royalty Before the Wars where it's mentioned briefly in the caption.

Thank you!

Queen Victoria seemed extremely taken with a younger George of Saxony (1832-1904) who married Maria Ana of Portugal. QV's descriptions of him - v. musical, v. friendly, good-humoured & v. good with children - make him sound like an absent minded professor. She calls him 'excessively absent like his father'  & again 'his absence is very great.' He seems to lose himself in music, singing & playing 'like a great artiste.'
He sounds a very interesting character all in all!

I think that's him in this photo along with his wife--they are the couple standing at left.

He does look a bit absent minded professor- ish!

I think that's him in this photo along with his wife--they are the couple standing at left.

Oh, I guess I don't understand about WHICH Georg you told ,Ella and Bluetoria.The man of that photo is Prince Johann Georg,brother of King Friedrich August -next to him is his wife Maria Immaculata. You discuss King Georg,yes?

[European Royal History Journal]

The Royal House of Saxony is about to become extinct in the male line.  Keeping this in mind, Margrave Maria Emanuel of Saxony had hoped that his sister Mathilde's son, Prince Johannes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, would become the next heir.  Unfortunately Johannes died in a harrowing climbing accident in the Alps and that put a tragic end to this solution.

Then the Margrave consulted with his family and decided that the new heir would be his other nephew Alexander Afif-Gessaphe, raised in Mexico, and the eldest son of Princess Maria Anna of Saxony by her late husband Roberto Afif.  The Afifi family claim membership in a Middle eastern "royal" clan as Princes of Gessaphe.

Anyhow, Alexander was elevated to the title of Prince by his uncle the Margrave and made everyone extremely happy by finding himself a royal bride, Princess Gisela of Bavaria.  she happens to be the youngets daughter of Prince Rasso of Bavaria and Archduchess Theresia of Austria-Tuscany, a great-granddaughter of Emperor Franz Joseph.  Prince Rasso himself is a grandson of King Ludwig III of Bavaria' the country's last monarch.

Prince Alexander and Princess Gisela are the parents of four children.  The couple have lived in Dresden since the last 6 years and he works for the Saxon government's office of international investment.  It is his duty to attract foreign business to Saxony, a position he has fulfilled with great distinction.

Initialy all male and female members of the Saxon family (the Margrave, Prince Albert, Princess Maria Anna, Princess Maria Josepha, princess Mathilde and their cousins Princes Dedo and Gero) signed a document in which all agreed that Alexander would be the family's "dynastic" heir.  However, since then there have been problems and Albert, Gero and Dedo, decided to throw their support behind Herr Rüdiger Prinz von Sachsen, the morganatic son of the late Prince Timo of Saxony, the much-married brother of Dedo and Gero.  Rüdiger has had a checkered career to say the least, with prison stints, fraud, lawsuits and even the suicide of his poor suffering wife.

The Margrave has never wavered in his support of Alexander's cause however and to royal Europe, Alexander is the accepted heir.

Arturo Beéche

 Her eldest son George is interesting to me as he renounced his rights in 1923 and  became a Jesuit  priest and was perhaps murdered by the Nazis as he was an outspoken opponent  

I found from a Jesuit paper that he was drowned on May 14 1943 for sheltering Jewish people...but where and under what exact circumstances it didn't say...nor how he was caught. He is buried in Dresden.

[European Royal History Journal]

I found from a Jesuit paper that he was drowned on May 14 1943 for sheltering Jewish people...but where and under what exact circumstances it didn't say...nor how he was caught. He is buried in Dresden.

Rest assured that poor Georg was done in by the nazis

Arturo Beéche

Anything you'd like to add to that enigmatic statment?  

[European Royal History Journal]

No enigma at all...former Kronprinz Georg of Saxony, who became a Jesuit priest in 1924, was caught helping Jews by the SS, who quickly disposed of him and made it seem like a drowning. (Source: Prince Albert of Saxony, noted historian of the Royal House, as well as nephew of Kronrinz Georg)

Arturo Beéche