The ancient but obscure seat of the Princely Family of Altenwald straddled the border between the Kingdom of Bohemia, to the north, and the Archduchy of Austria, to the south. The particular holding was not extensive, a mountain or two, several valleys, a rather unkempt forrest, a fortification, a town, a community of nuns. Altogether a rather unremarkable place, Altenwald. The Family held the Principality as an Imperial Immediacy first under the Holy Roman Empire and, after Napoleon, under the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
Legend has it that the forrest was bought as a wedding present for a crusader who, having defended the Tomb of Christ, found one of his own in that other far-off land before he could return home to marry his betrothed. The bereaved Lady may have married an extra brother, or convenient cousin. In any case the Principality was born, and descendants (in three tightly related families) of that long forgotten Karl Otto, who fought the Goths have held this tiny scrap of territory from that day to this. That's how stories begin, long ago and far away—all the details completely obscured and unreliable, at the best of times. Not always poor, and often fabulously wealthy, the Altenwalds have spent history perched on an obscure mountain top quietly watching as the world's rich pageant passed by.
The Altenwalds maintained peace by keeping their families tight-knit, fair, and far flung. Enterprise was always supported, from the very first when Hedwig used her forrest to acquire a replacement for Karl Otto, and failure always overlooked. They kept peace for Altewald by a strict policy of non-acquisition regarding neighboring lands and territories. They acquired and lost lands and holdings all over Europe and later the world. At the close of the Second War, Altenwald holdings still existed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, and along the Andean coast of South America.
Following the collapse of the Empire at the close of the Great War, the sovereignty of Altenwald passed out of the hands of the Fürst and into the hands of the short-lived Czechoslovak Republic. The Family maintained its residence in Altenwald and were known to support the new Republic. Altenwald was later annexed by the Germans along with the other of the Sudetenlands. After the Second War, Altenwald, together with the rest of Czechoslovakia, fell into Soviet hands and today forms part the free Czech Republic.
HSH Carl Heinz-Ludwig, Fürst von Altenwald-Wandel de Gothe, the recognized head of the Altenwald Family, has never attempted to visit post-war Altenwald, or any of the family holdings remaining in in Austria or Germany.
Other members of the Weust and Wandel branches of the family have recently visited the environs of Altenwald. The family seems to remain attached to the idea of Altenwald. Perhaps the Schloss or the forrest will be regained.
The incredible story of Sophie-Maria Octavia Celeste, wife of Stephan-Bertholdt, Fürst von Altenwald-Weust de Gothe forms just part of this stirring history.
