“We have always been very fruitful here,” Knut Kreuch, the mayor of Gotha, recently told the star. The pretty small town in Thuringia advertises with the slogan “Gotha Adelt”, and for once the advertising here keeps what it promises. The once resident family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha actually had an extraordinary talent for producing blue-blooded children practically every year – 18 in the case of Ernst I, better known as Ernst the Pious, nine in the case of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in Great Britain, a direct descendant of the Gotha clan.
The offspring married into all the royal families of Europe and Russia. Especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, this meant that Saxe-Coburg and Gotha found themselves on both sides of many conflicts – from the Schleswig-Holstein crisis to the First World War.
Unfortunately, King Charles’ first official state visit to Germany is too short to take a look at the cradle of Europe. Well, maybe next time. Here is a small travel guide with pictures for “our” king and all those who are interested in this part of Anglo-German history.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
