Boarded Corridor / 1 @museum.de

"The Bretterner Gang in the castle’s south wing acted like a flue. Due to the suction, additional rooms and furnishings were covered with a layer of soot and had to be restored at great expense,"...

... recalled Baroness Charlotte von Twickel, née Croy. She was Prince Philipp’s mother and invested a great deal of energy and expertise into the reconstruction of the castle.

You’re now standing in that “Bretterner Gang”, the Boarded Corridor, which in 1963 operated like a flue. The windows were only added when the castle museum opened in 1960, so that the corridor could be used as part of the museum.

The first display case features the festive liveries worn by the castle staff – and some coachmen's hats. In the next showcase, there’s a christening robe with lace jacket, a tiny hat and a christening cushion. The robe was a gift from Queen Victoria to her half-sister Princess Feodora, who had six children in all. A christening robe just like this one is still worn by all the princely families’ new-borns.

The cradle is a small-scale model of a lifeboat from an English sailing yacht. It found its way into the museum via Baroness Charlotte von Twickel, née Croy, the mother of Prince Philipp, the current lord of the castle.

If you’re interested in the history of the aristocracy, you’ll probably find the showcase with photographs of the princely family especially fascinating. The display includes photographs of family members and their visitors. Among the latter was Queen Elizabeth the Second, who visited in 1965. To this day, the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg is closely linked to the British royal family.

The other showcases feature a number of 19th and 20th century honours. Among them is the British Order of the Garter, probably the highest-ranking chivalric order, and the House of Hohenlohe’s own Order of the Phoenix.

Now, please retrace your steps to the display case with the christening robe, where you can find out more christening rituals at the princely court.