Wittekind Adolf Heinrich Georg-Wilhelm, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (''Wittekind Adolf Heinrich Georg-Wilhelm Fürst zu Waldeck und Pyrmont''; 9 March 1936 – 16 December 2024), was a member of the

German nobility The German nobility () and Royal family, royalty were status groups of the Estates of the realm, medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain Privilege (law), privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the Ger ...

who from 1967 to 2024 was head of the

House of Waldeck and Pyrmont A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh Hugh John Massingberd (30 December 1946 – 25 December 2007), originally Hugh John Montgomery and known from 1963 to 1992 as Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, was an English journalist and genealogist. He began his career at ''Burke's Peerage''/''Bur ...

. " Burke’s Royal Families of the World: ''Volume I Europe & Latin America'', 1977, p. 287. A life-long champion of the Waldeck region's cultural and environmental heritage, he served as president of the Hessian Forest Owners Association from 1978 to 1999.Hessian Forest Owners Association (Hessischer Waldbesitzerverband), "Waldbesitzer trauern um Ehrenpräsident Wittekind Fürst zu Waldeck und Pyrmont"
(in German), 19 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.

Biography

Born in

Arolsen Bad Arolsen (, until 1997 Arolsen, being the German name for ''Spa'') is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck (state), Waldeck-Pyr ...

(now Bad Arolsen) in

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

, Germany, Wittekind was the only son of Josias Georg Wilhelm Adolf, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1896−1967), an SS officer later found guilty of

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

, and Duchess Altburg Marie Mathilde von Oldenburg (1903–2001), daughter of

Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg Frederick Augustus II (16 November 1852 in Oldenburg – 24 February 1931 in Rastede) was the last ruling Grand Duke of Oldenburg. Frederick Augustus was the eldest son of Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg. He grew up with an interest in the ...

. His godfather was

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

. He was the great-nephew of

Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Adelheid Emma Wilhelmina Theresia; 2 August 1858 – 20 March 1934) was Queen of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as the wife of King-Grand Duke William III. An immensely popular member of the Dutc ...

(later

Queen of the Netherlands The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the country's charter and constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and abdication; the roles and duties of the monarch; the formalities of communica ...

and

Grand Duchess of Luxembourg The territory of Luxembourg has been ruled successively by counts, dukes and grand dukes. It was part of the medieval Kingdom of Germany, and later the Holy Roman Empire until it became a sovereign state in 1815. Counts of Luxembourg House of Arde ...

) and thus a second cousin of Queen

Beatrix of the Netherlands Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix was born ...

, whom he welcomed to

Arolsen Castle Arolsen Castle () is a baroque-style ''schloss'' in Bad Arolsen, Hesse, Germany. The castle is now a museum, and is still inhabited by Carl-Anton, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, and his family. As a result, it continues to serve as a residence ...

in both 2008, on the 150th anniversary of Queen Emma's birth, and 2016, to celebrate his own 80th birthday. After studying

business economics Business economics is a field in applied economics which uses economic theory and quantitative methods to analyze business enterprises and the factors contributing to the diversity of organizational structures and the relationships of firms wit ...

Goethe University Frankfurt Goethe University Frankfurt () is a public research university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt ...

and the

University of Cologne The University of Cologne () is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in 1388. It closed in 1798 before being re-established in 1919. It is now one of the largest universities in Germany with around 45,187 students. The Universit ...

, he served in the

German army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

, eventually holding the rank of lieutenant colonel. Wittekind became head of the

on his father's death in 1967. Until 2016 he was chair of the foundation that managed the estate, museum and library at

, where he lived with his family. He worked to preserve the Hesse region's historical and architectural heritage and was president of the Hessian Forest Owners Association from 1978 to 1999, promoting the interests of private and communal forest owners at the regional and federal levels. He also inherited

Schaumburg Castle, Rhineland-Palatinate Schaumburg Castle (German: ''Schloss Schaumburg'') is a schloss in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, south of Balduinstein near Limburg an der Lahn. It was owned by the former ruling family of Waldeck and Pyrmont, and it served as the retirement re ...

, which he sold to an investment group in 1983. Wittekind died in Bad Arolsen on 16 December 2024, at the age of 88. In a statement, the Minister-President of

Boris Rhein Boris Rhein (born 2 January 1972) is a German lawyer and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as Minister-President of Hesse since 2022. He has been active in the politics of Hesse since the late 1990s. After ...

, paid tribute to Wittekind's achievements in promoting the region's cultural heritage.

Marriage and family

On 19 May 1988, in

Frohnleiten Frohnleiten () is a town in the district of Graz-Umgebung in the Austrian state of Styria. Rathaus_Frohnleiten.JPG, Town Hall of Frohnleiten Frohnleiten Baroque gables 264.jpg, Baroque gables at the main square of Frohnleiten Frohnleiten_Oktober_ ...

, Wittekind married Countess Cecilia von Goëss-Saurau (born 1956), with whom he had three sons, including Carl-Anton, who succeeded him as Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Honours

On 9 August 2001, Wittekind was awarded the

Federal Cross of Merit The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

Roland Koch Roland Koch (born 24 March 1958) is a German jurist and former conservative politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He was the 7th Minister President of Hesse from 7 April 1999, immediately becoming the 53rd President of the Bund ...

, Minister-President of Hesse, in recognition of his decades of work with the Hessian Forest Owners Association. In 2011 he was also awarded the for his forestry work.

Ancestors

Notes

1936 births 2024 deaths People from Bad Arolsen Princes of Waldeck and Pyrmont House of Waldeck and Pyrmont Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German Army personnel Military personnel from Hesse Pretenders {{Germany-royal-stub