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| Henry and Matilda, founders of the Twinning Group. |
This morning I visited the Schloss Museum in Braunschweig, where it was not permitted to take any photos. I will write up about the visit tomorrow, when I can find photos from other sources.
Left: Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, founder of Braunschweig and builder of the Cathedral, lies with his English wife Matilda on their stately tombstone. They are interred in the Cathedral crypt, with other members of the ruling Guelph family, who ruled Braunschweig until 1918. Here they have lain, stonestill throughout the centuries, with Henry holding a carved representation of the cathedral, and Matilda, her hands clasped in pray. Matilda was the daughter of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and died in 1189, and sister of King Richard I of England. A fuller history can be read on Wikipedia.
Yesterday in the Schloss Museum, I stood in front of the Guelph family tree, and traced it to the last Duke of Braunschweig, who said farewell in 1918 at the end of the First World War. Many Dukes and Duchesses had similar name combinations, and I was reminded of "Genesis 1-5" the begatting genealogy, where at the end who have no idea of who begat whom! I'm at a loss as to remember which Duke married which princess, the number of children they produced, and to whom, for property, financial and for reasons of continued power, they were married off!
Left: Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, founder of Braunschweig and builder of the Cathedral, lies with his English wife Matilda on their stately tombstone. They are interred in the Cathedral crypt, with other members of the ruling Guelph family, who ruled Braunschweig until 1918. Here they have lain, stonestill throughout the centuries, with Henry holding a carved representation of the cathedral, and Matilda, her hands clasped in pray. Matilda was the daughter of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and died in 1189, and sister of King Richard I of England. A fuller history can be read on Wikipedia.
Yesterday in the Schloss Museum, I stood in front of the Guelph family tree, and traced it to the last Duke of Braunschweig, who said farewell in 1918 at the end of the First World War. Many Dukes and Duchesses had similar name combinations, and I was reminded of "Genesis 1-5" the begatting genealogy, where at the end who have no idea of who begat whom! I'm at a loss as to remember which Duke married which princess, the number of children they produced, and to whom, for property, financial and for reasons of continued power, they were married off!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_the_Lion
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| Empress Matilda lies beside her husband Henry the Lion. |
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| Henry holding a model of Braunschweig Cathedral. |
The cathedral walls are hung with marble and carved wooden monuments, all in memory of the former wealthy families who lived in Braunschweig. Although badly damaged in the last war, the cathedral is complete again and these treasures rehung.
Originally there was another photo here, but it has suddenly disappeared into cyberspace. It showed a "Grinling Gibbons" type delicately carved wooden monument. I am using an updated Blogspot format, which is not as easy to use as the former. Maybe you have noticed that sometimes the print is of different sizes and it is impossible to standardize. Ahhh, the wonders of modern technology. Hi di ho!
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