By Sharon Whitley Larsen
Although I've visited Germany several times, touring the larger, well-known cities of Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne and Munich (Berlin is on my bucket list!), I recently spent time in the smaller cities of Trier, Wiesbaden, Augsburg, Mainz and Dresden — all charming areas of historic highlights.
And being a sucker for love stories, I was intrigued with two romantic German gems that I came across — from Wiesbaden and Dresden.
My first stop was Wiesbaden (population 275,000), on the Rhine River in the center of Germany, which boasts forests, parks and gardens and is famous for its hot springs and spa.
Known as the "Nice of the North," it's also home to some 26,000 Americans who reside at the U.S. military base, where — speaking of love stories — Elvis Presley first met Priscilla Wagner, whom he later married.
But another love story also occurred here some 170 years ago. As I strolled by the city's elaborate onion-domed Russian Orthodox church, I was moved to hear the tale behind it from my guide, Marion Schoenherr.
"It is built on Russian soil," she said. "The minute you go inside you're in Russia!"
Constructed between 1847 and 1855, the landmark Russian Orthodox Church of St. Elizabeth was commissioned by the Grand Duke Adolf of Nassau to commemorate his late wife, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Michailovna, niece of Tsar Nicholas I. She had died following childbirth at age 19 and is interred here with the couple's stillborn daughter.
The happy pair had met in 1843 in St. Petersburg, where they were married on Jan. 31, 1844. Elizabeth, a great beauty, was 17, Adolf 26. They had been wed only a year when this tragedy occurred.
When she suddenly died, the duke was distraught and grief-stricken, in mourning for years. He selected the peaceful green Neroberg hillside for the church site so he would be able to view it from his royal residence. One million rubles — the dowry of the duchess — were used for its construction. It is modeled after a church in Moscow.
By candlelight on May 26, 1855, the coffins of the duchess and her infant daughter were interred in the sepulcher, where the grieving duke would point, lamenting, "There lies all my happiness."
Visitors can easily spend a day atop scenic Neroberg touring the church and adjacent Russian cemetery, visiting the Opelbad swimming pool complex, walking through the forest scenery and having lunch at Wagner Restaurant Opelbad while enjoying the gorgeous panoramic view of Wiesbaden below. The Nerobergbahn, a funicular built in 1888, ascends the Neroberg in just four minutes.
Continuing my search for romantic — albeit sad — stories, my next stop was in Dresden, a magical city of 535,000 that was greatly rebuilt after being heavily bombed in World War II. Just as Wiesbaden is known as "Nice of the North," Dresden is known as "Florence of the North" or "Florence on the Elbe."
Located on the River Elbe halfway between Berlin and Prague, this historic, cultural city's breathtaking beauty with baroque architecture, art, theater and sidewalk cafes is truly remarkable. As my guide and I strolled in Old Town past Taschenberg Palace (since 1995 a five-star hotel), she mentioned that Augustus the Strong had it originally built for his longtime mistress, Countess Cosel, between 1705 and 1708 with an underground passage conveniently connecting it to the nearby royal palace.
She also mentioned that it was rumored that Augustus II — king of Poland and elector of Saxony, born in 1670 — had fathered some 300 illegitimate children. He did seem to be quite a character and charmer (especially with women). His court in Dresden was renowned not only for its extravagance and lavish parties, fireworks, tournaments, masquerades, carnivals and feasts but also for his many liaisons.
Although Augustus II married Princess Christiane Eberhardine on Jan. 10, 1693, and they had a son (his only legitimate heir), the marriage didn't last long and he was off on his lifelong mistress mission.
Then in 1704 he met and fell in love with the charismatic, ambitious Anna Costantia von Brochdorff, a former lady-in-waiting who had been married and divorced and had a child out of wedlock. Rather headstrong, she was well-educated, proficient in languages (speaking several) and adept at hunting, firing pistols and sword-fighting.
In 1705 she became the "official mistress" of Augustus II, and in 1706 she was dubbed Imperial Countess of Cosel, expanding, in her mind, her rights in the royal court. She gave birth to three children with Augustus II and asserted her opinions and advice, welcomed or not.
She claimed to have in writing a promise from him to marry her, and she seemed secure in her royal position. However, over time people in the court grew to dislike her, thinking her arrogant, controlling and interfering too much in politics. The relationship's novelty was wearing off for Augustus II, as well, and he tired of her jealousy, threats and temper tantrums. Besides, he had fallen in love with Maria Magdalena Bielinski, Countess von Donhoff, so it was convenient for him, in 1713, to evict Anna and send her packing to Pillnitz Castle on the banks of the Elbe River.
Two years later she escaped to Berlin and attempted to retrieve the written marriage promise, said to be in possession of a cousin. When that failed she was arrested on Nov. 22, 1716, in exchange for Prussian deserters. A month later, on Christmas Eve 1716, at age 36, she was exiled to Stolpen Castle and imprisoned for more than 48 years. She died there on March 31, 1765, at age 84, outliving Augustus II by 32 years, and her tomb is in the former castle chapel.
Augustus the Strong, who had converted to Roman Catholicism supposedly more for political than religious reasons, was a visionary who wanted to make Dresden into an esteemed international city that would promote architecture, museums and the arts. He's also credited with the construction of other royal properties, including the remarkable Zwinger Palace, and founding the first European porcelain factory in 1710.
Today visitors can tour historic sites pertaining to the lives of Countess Cosel and Augustus II, which include royal properties, and view a golden equestrian statue (1736) of him in the Hauptstrasse, the main pedestrian area.
Augustus II died on Feb. 1, 1733, and is buried at Wawel Cathedral in Krakow, but his heart is housed in a plain copper vessel at the Hofkirche, Dresden's Roman Catholic cathedral. It's said that when a pretty woman passes by, it starts to beat.
WHEN YOU GO
Historic Highlights of Germany: www.historicgermany.com
For more information on Germany travel: www.germany.travel
German Rail Pass: www.raileurope.com
Wiesbaden: www.wiesbaden.de/en/index.php
Hotel Oranien: www.hotel-oranien.de/en
Wagner Restaurant Opelbad: www.wagner-gastronomie.de
Webers Wikinger Restaurant: www.webers-wikinger.de
The Opelbad swimming complex:
www.wiesbaden.de/microsite/mattiaqua-en/frei-hallenbaeder/freibad-opelbad
In Dresden: "Countess of Cosel" tour in Dresden: Visit Dresden Residential Castle, Pillnitz Castle and Park, Nossen Castle and Stolpen Castle:
www.schloesserland-sachsen.de/en/routes/tips_for_trips/countess_cosel_the_kings_mistress
Zwinger Palace:
www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/palaces-parks-gardens/zwinger-palace-dresden.html
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden Royal Palace):
www.skd.museum/en/museums-institutions/residenzschloss
Dresden Tourism: www.dresden.de/dig/en/index.php, cms.dresdeninformation.com/opencms/opencms/dresdeninformation/en/ch_news/index.jsp?, www.dresden.de/dmg/en/02/highlights_2014.php
Ibis Hotel: www.ibis-dresden.com/default-en.html
Restaurant der Lowe: www.derloewe.de/?language=eng
Elbe River cruise: www.saechsische-dampfschiffahrt.de/en
Sharon Whitley Larsen is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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