''Das Erbe der Guldenburgs'' ("The legacy of the Guldenburgs") is a German television series that originally aired on

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

from 1987 to 1990 and revolves around the destiny of the Guldenburgs, a wealthy aristocratic family, and their nouveau riche enemies, the Balbecks. While panned by critics during its original run, the show was very popular with the audience. However, reviews have been more positive in recent years, acknowledging its strong female characters and juicy dialogues.

Plot

Martin Count von Guldenburg, head of an old aristocratic and seemingly wealthy dynasty known for its brewery, celebrates his 60th birthday on the family's estate north of

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. Shortly after, he dies in a car accident however, leaving behind his wife Christine with huge debts and the bitter realization that he had betrayed her with his Italian mistress Carina di Angeli for years. That relationship even produced an illegitimate son. While Christine tries to save the family empire, she not only has to fight its worst enemies, the Balbecks, a nouveau riche clan owning a big brewery in Hamburg, but also her stubborn mother-in-law Hertha, the dowager countess; her estranged stepson Thomas; and Achim Lauritzen, her dysfunctional stepdaughter Evelyn's shady husband.

Cast and Characters

Christiane Hörbiger Christiane Hörbiger (13 October 1938 – 30 November 2022) was an Austrian stage, film, and television actress. Her first major film role was Mary Vetsera in '' Kronprinz Rudolfs letzte Liebe'' in 1955. She appeared on the stage of the Burgthe ...

as Christine Countess von Guldenburg *

Brigitte Horney Brigitte Horney (, 29 March 1911 – 27 July 1988) was a German theatre and film actress. Best remembered was her role as Empress Katherine the Great in the 1943 version of the UFA film version of '' Baron Münchhausen'', directed by Josef von ...

as Hertha Dowager Countess von Guldenburg (season 1-2) *

Karl-Heinz Vosgerau Karl-Heinz Vosgerau (Kiel, 16 August 1927 – 4 January 2021) was a German actor, mostly in television. Selected filmography * ' (1970, TV miniseries) * ''Eight Hours Don't Make a Day'' (1972, TV series) * ''World on a Wire'' (1973, TV film) ...

as Martin Count von Guldenburg (pilot only) * Wolf Roth as Thomas Count von Guldenburg (season 1-2) *

Iris Berben Iris Renate Dorothea Berben (, born 12 August 1950) is a German actress and voice actress. Biography Berben was born in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia. She grew up in Hamburg, where her parents ran a restaurant. Berben has appeared in about ...

as Evelyn Lauritzen *Wilfried Baasner as Achim Lauritzen *

Jochen Horst Jochen Horst (born 7 September 1961 in Osnabrück) is a German film, TV and theater actor. Horst graduated in 1986 from the state Academy of Music and Performing Arts (''Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst'') in Graz, Austri ...

as Alexander 'Sascha' Count von Guldenburg (season 1-2) *

Katharina Böhm Katharina Böhm (born 20 November 1964) is a Swiss-born Austrian actress. Between 1999 and 2002 she played the role of Livia Burlando in the Italian TV series ''Il commissario Montalbano'', based on the character Salvo Montalbano from the novels ...

as Susanne 'Nane' Countess von Guldenburg *

Jürgen Goslar Jürgen Goslar (26 March 1927 – 5 October 2021Traueranzeige
Nordwest Trauer, 16 October 2021, ...

as Dr. Max von Guldenburg (season 1) *

Ruth Maria Kubitschek Ruth Maria Kubitschek (; born 2 August 1931) is a retired German actress born in Czechoslovakia. At the end of World War II her family fled to Köthen. Ruth Maria went to the University for Theater and Music (Hochschule für Theater und Musik) ...

as Margot Balbeck *Sigmar Solbach as Jan Balbeck * Susanne Uhlen as Kirsten 'Kitty' Balbeck *

Friedrich Schütter Friedrich Schütter (1921–1995) was a German film and television actor. He was the German dubbing voice of Lorne Greene. Selected filmography * ''Operation Sleeping Bag'' (1955) * '' The Heart of St. Pauli'' (1957) * ''Doctor Crippen Lives'' ...

as Kurt Kröger *

Ingeborg Christiansen Ingeborg Christiansen (born 12 November 1930) is a retired German film and television actress.Dimmitt p.85 Selected filmography * '' Professor Nachtfalter'' (1951) * ''The Mosquito'' (1954) * ''The Fisherman from Heiligensee'' (1955) * ''The For ...

as Johanna Kröger * Alexander Wussow as Tobias Kröger *

Sydne Rome Sydne Rome (born March 17, 1951) is an American-Italian film actress. Her first name is often misspelled ''Sydney'' or ''Sidney''. Biography Born in Akron, Rome grew up in a wealthy, Jewish family in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Her father was preside ...

as Carina di Angeli *

Christopher Buchholz Christopher Buchholz (born 4 February 1962) is a German actor, who has appeared in more than 50 films since 1986. He is the son of actors Horst Buchholz Horst Werner Buchholz (4 December 1933 – 3 March 2003) was a German actor who appear ...

as Claudio Torres (season 3) *

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

as Jack Brinkley (season 1) *

Ute Lemper Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Velma ...

as Peggy Brinkley (season 1) *Monika Peitsch as Aenne Günther *

Karl Schönböck Karl Schönböck (4 February 1909 in Vienna – 24 March 2001 in Munich) was an Austrian actor.Friedrich von Thun Friedrich Ernst Peter Paul Maria Graf von Thun und Hohenstein (born 30 June 1942) is an Austrian actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films since 1958. His son Max von Thun Maximilian Romedio Johann-Ernst Graf von Thun und Hohenstein (born ...

as Johannes von Merungen (season 2-3) *

Bernhard Wicki Bernhard Wicki (28 October 1919 – 5 January 2000) was an Austrian actor and film director. Life and career Wicki studied in the city of Breslau such topics as art history, history and German literature. In 1938, he transferred to the d ...

as Friedrich von Guldenburg (season 3)

Trivia

*The majority of episodes were shot in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

and

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

, but filmimg also took place in other European countries and even

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. While Wotersen Castle was used for exterior shots of the fictional Guldenburg Castle, a mansion later belonging to music producer

Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...

served as the backdrop for the Balbeck estate. *

died only two days after finishing the filming of season 2. As she played one of the leading characters, scripts for season 3 had to be rewritten. *The show was a big ratings success for public network

, garnering up to 18 million viewers, and is considered one of its last blockbusters before the rise of privately owned networks in Germany.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Erbe der Guldenburgs German television soap operas Television shows set in Hamburg 1987 German television series debuts 1990 German television series endings German-language television shows ZDF original programming

Plot

Cast and Characters

Trivia

See also

External links