Carl Gregor Herzog zu Mecklenburg (14 March 1933 – 23 July 2018) was a German historian of music and art. He served as director of the Museum of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart for a period of 18 years, and was noted for his books on music and art. He was a member of the former Mecklenburg ducal family.

Early life and education

Herzog zu Mecklenburg was born on 14 March 1933 in

Remplin Remplin is a village and a former municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Since 7 June 2009, it is part of the municipality Malchin. Palace Complex The town includes the remains of a once lar ...

, Mecklenburg, in the northeast of Germany. Although he was born on the former grand ducal estate, his relative Frederick Francis IV abdicated from rule in 1918 upon the defeat of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

in World War I. Thus, Herzog zu Mecklenburg (( en, Duke of Mecklenburg) serves as a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

, rather than a current title. His father was

George, Duke of Mecklenburg George, Duke of Mecklenburg (german: Georg Herzog zu Mecklenburg; – 6 July 1963) was the head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1934 until his death. Through his father, he was a descendant of Emperor Paul I of Russia. Early life He wa ...

, and his mother was

Irina Mikhailovna Raievskya Irina Mikhailovna Raievskya (russian: Ирина Михайловна Раевская; 18 August 1892 – 22 January 1955), was a Russian and German noble. She was Duchess of Mecklenburg by her marriage to her second husband, George, Duke of Meckl ...

. Herzog zu Mecklenburg spent his early years at

Remplin Palace Remplin Palace (german: Schloss Remplin) is located in the village of Remplin, part of the municipality of Malchin in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The palace was one of the residences of the Grand Ducal family of Mecklenburg-Strelitz unti ...

, until the palace was burned in 1940. His family then moved to the Berlin area until the end of the war. In 1945, the family moved to Sigmaringen and

Hechingen Hechingen ( Swabian: ''Hächenga'') is a town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about south of the state capital of Stuttgart and north of Lake Constance and the Swiss border. Geography The town lies at the foot of the ...

, in southwestern Germany, where Mecklenburg remained for much of the rest of his life. Herzog zu Mecklenburg stayed in the area for his education. He studied music at the Zimmermann Conservatory in Konstanz. He then went on to the University of Tübingen, where he completed a masters degree in art history and

musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

in 1964, and a PhD in art history in 1968.

Career

After completing his PhD, Herzog zu Mecklenburg worked as an assistant in the department of art history at the

University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart (german: Universität Stuttgart) is a leading research university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized into 10 faculties. It is one of the oldest technical universities in Germany wit ...

. He then served at the State Monument Preservation office in Tübingen. As a member of this commission, he helped campaign to save the castle and other historic buildings of

. In 1974 he was appointed the director of the Museum of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, a position that he held until his retirement in 1992. Herzog zu Mecklenburg is noted for his bibliographies on musical literature, particularly those on jazz.

Personal life and death

Herzog zu Mecklenburg married Princess Maria Margarethe of Hohenzollern, the daughter of Franz Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern-Emden, in a civil ceremony on 18 February 1965 in

. They had a religious ceremony on 23 April 1966 in the Chapel at Burg Hohenzollern. Herzog zu Mecklenburg died on 24 July 2018 at the age of 85, in his home at the Villa Silberburg in Hechingen.

Selected books

* * * * *

Ancestry

References

External links

*
House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carl Gregor, Herzog zu Mecklenburg 1933 births 2018 deaths House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz German art historians University of Tübingen alumni Directors of museums in Germany German male non-fiction writers German music historians 20th-century German male writers People from Mecklenburgische Seenplatte (district)