Prince Henry (Heinrich) of Prussia, his family and descendants

[Tdora1]

If I could stretch the point to compare other cars I've been through, I'd say there was a Nicky in there, a QV and two thirds of the Whispering Wales' too. I'm almost done making a Yugo 45 I got (for free of course) roadworthy again. Any suggestions? Its properly Slovenian now (made iin Ljubljana pre-Balkan conflicts) - maybe the Montenegrin and Serbian courts could spare a controversial candidate..?

Not one of my better ideas 

We are going to a music festival nr Neustrelitz in a few weeks' time - we went last year and of course I tried to take in as much of the town as I could given its royal connections (mostly known to me re QM's Aunty Augusta).

This time I want to take a couple of extra days and give Hemmelmark a go Is there anything there or in the Kiel area I ought to see or would it be a wasted journey when it comes to the royal landmarks? Sorry if any of this has been gone through before but I'd rather ask here before trying out the more general tourist websites.

ANy info - and especially impressions and personal ratings - gratefully received.

[Helen]

Heinrich's and Irene's Herrenhaus at Hemmelmark is private property, but the estate is on the route of the Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt old-timer race and it seems participants are welcome for tea and sandwiches or something of the sort on the day of the race. Somewhere on the Internet, it says that those who don't have an old-timer themselves can 'participate' in an old-timer coach. Don't know when the next race will be held.

[Tdora1]

Ah - don't know anything about oldtimer car rallys/races but my other half is the one in the motor racing scene so I'll get him to find out something. Not that we'll have any chance of joining in anything of the sort - the Yugo will not count will it? - but one can never know. We might try sneaking over the wall while everyone's making for the tea urn and the bathroom. I've gatecrashed a few functions over the years (pre the ultra security days anyway) by wearing canape-carrier black-and-whites and looking Purposeful.
I expect its wise to that kind of kiddy stunt though. 

[Helen]

On second thoughts, I'm not entirely sure about the racing aspect. It's called a Fahrt in German, which suggests a drive rather than a race.
According to the information at http://www.classics-eckernfoerde.de/html/home.html, the next Eckernförde Classics will be held on 20-22 July 2007.

[Tdora1]

Thank you so much Helen for the  link and info.

I'd really like to do the bonus visit to Hemmelmark after Neustrelitz this year, even if its just to tour the general area (and nurse my hangover somewhere serene). Lets see what there is.

[Eric_Lowe]

Don't know if it open to the public ? 

[grandduchessella]

The site svetabel mentioned on the Pictures of Henry & Irene's family thread also yielded these:

[Eddie_uk]

Fascinating!! Thank you so much GD Ella. She looks very determined in the first one and sweet and kind in the second  - I wonder if she was opening a hospital.

[Helen]

The above photo was probably taken at some function of the "DRK-Heinrich-Schwesternschaft e.V." (Henry Sister Organisation of the DRK - Deutsches Rotes Kreuz / German Red Cross). According to its website at http://www.heinrich-schwestern.de/heinrichs_geschichte.php, Irène founded the Gesellschaft Heinrich-Kinder-Hospital (Heinrich Child Hospital Society) at Kiel in 1906 after the death of her son and then set up an associated training college for nurses during WWI. The sister organisation joined the German Red Cross in 1937.

GARF, Moscow, has a postcard from Irène to Alix that mentions a hospital: "...We opened the Hospital on 30th May + it is already much in request + promises to be a great success. Yr. lov. sis Irène."

[Keith]

Is that second photo dated 1952? It looks like it, and nice to see Irene at age 86 looking so full of life. Does anyone know her cause of death?

[Olishka~ Pincess]

Is it true Irene was trying to look for Alix and her family after the revolution?

[Eddie_uk]

Where did you read that dear? 

Why would she? She was a sensible woman and no doubt Victoria wrote to her.

She did meet AA and was disgusted by her manners. Apparently the subject so upset her that Henry eventually forbid any mention of it.

[grandduchessella]

Is it true Irene was trying to look for Alix and her family after the revolution?

I'm sure she was searching for information on them, there were so many rumors flying around in the immediate years, trying for absolute proof.

[Eric_Lowe]

Also Irene herself was not sure of AA. As later when asked about her she said " She was similar...But it doesn't mean anything if it wasn't she ?". Later still she admited that it might be Anastasia after all and she made a mistake. 

[Olishka~ Pincess]

I read that information from a book !!! The Romanov family albums. Irene was trying to look for her sister Alix because the last time they saw each other was in 1913. She defantly disapproved of her sister Ella she decieded to leave Lutheranism and convert to Russian Orthodox with she married Sergei, Alix also did the same thing too after she was married to Nicholas. But still she cared about them and keep contact with them. Irene has not heard from them since but she was living around the time where many where spreading rumors and people claiming to be members of the imperial family she could not have believed all these survivor rumors. But she did believe that the imperial family and Ella was murdered by bolsheviks. Later in her life Anna Anderson was claiming to be Anastasia who she last saw 8 years ago from 1921 but Irene did not believe her dispite her giving out correct facts about Anastasia's life she though of her as nothing but a fraud.