The "Dark Countess" story of Hildburghausen is a legend with no basis in fact. The town, however, does keep the tale alive---there are booklets, etc, one can purchase in the small museum there. The lady's grave can still be seen on a hillside outside of town. I visited Hildburghausen about two or three years ago.
According to the legend, Marie Therese was substituted for another girl upon her release from the Temple Tower in December, 1795. Well, Fersen saw and spoke with her in Vienna in 1796, carefully noting his impressions in his journal. He recognized her as the girl he last saw in 1791. Later, when she joined her uncle in Mittau in 1799, Louis XVIII wrote a private letter to the Comte d'Artois, in which he stated, "She so perfectly recalls both her mother and her father...." Then in 1814, upon returning to France, she met again Pauline de Tourzel, Comtesse de Bearn, daughter of her old governess, and exclaimed, "Oh, it's Pauline!"---an imposter probably wouldn't have recognized Marie Therese's old childhood friend. Finally, one need only examine the portraits at Versailles by Baron Gros and other artists---she most definitely resembles both Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Also, keep in mind, that her cousin, Francis II, would NEVER have turned over to an imposter the money and jewels smuggled out of the country by the King and Queen of France in 1791.
The Hildburghausen mystery is interesting. But the "Dark Countess" definitely was not Marie Therese Charlotte de France.
As for Frohsdorf and its contents----
Prince Don Jaime de Bourbon (1870-1931), Duc de Madrid, inherited the entire estate and the contents of the chateau upon the death of the Comtesse de Chambord in 1886. He took up residence there in 1909, upon his father's death---which made him the Head of the Royal House of Bourbon. He was not especially wealthy, so maintaining the vast building, the grounds, the royal collections, etc, was often difficult. One of the first things he sold was the magnificent silver service of Charles X, as well as the adjoining property of Katzelsdorf.
Many items were stolen during World War I. When Don Jaime died in 1931, he left Frohsdorf and the remaining collection to his sister, Princess Beatrice de Bourbon-Massimo. Almost immediately, another sister, Archduchess Blanca of Austria, brought suit in court for what she believed to be her share of the estate. After much needless expense, the property of Pitten was turned over to Blanca (Katzelsdorf, Frohsdorf, and Pitten all belonged to the Duchesse d'Angouleme, then the Comtesse de Chambord, etc). The library of the Comte de Chambord was removed from Frohsdorf in 1935 and sold by Maggs Brothers of London. Then, in 1937 at Sothebys in London, Marie Antoinette's magnificent diamond necklace was sold by the two sisters. Finally, in 1938 (also at Sothebys in London), the art and paintings were removed from Frohsdorf and sold by Princess de Bourbon-Massimo. The sale was a disaster, with extremely low prices realized. Also, many items held back for exhibition only were completely destroyed when the Germans bombed London.
Princess Massimo and her daughters remained at Frohsdorf through Hitler's Anschluss, but they saw the writing on the wall and finally sold the entire property to the German Reichpost in April, 1941. What remained (and it wasn't much) was smuggled to Italy and Vienna. When WWII ended, they returned to Frohsdorf (part of the grounds and a few outbuildings still remained in the Princess' possession). Unfortunately, Austria came under foreign occupation and Frohsdorf was in the Russian zone. Russian soldiers plundered Frohsdorf and many remaining Bourbon possessions were burned in the courtyard of the chateau, including the large crucifix of the Duchesse d'Angouleme and portraits of the Comte and Comtesse de Chambord. The family then left Austria for Italy. When Princess Massimo died in 1961, her youngest daughter, Countess Blanca de Wurmbrand-Stuppach, took up residence in a large house that was once part of the Frohsdorf estate. She died there in 1999. Princess Massimo had three other daughters. These four girls inherited what remained of the French Royal collection. Very little escaped both World Wars and the Russian occupation in 1945. And, of course, there were the sales at Sothebys, as well.
