by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020
The Bergkirche St. Marien in Schleiz, Principality of Reuss-Gera, now in Thuringia, Germany, was the burial site for the Princes of Reuss-Gera, Younger Line. It served as a burial site for members of the House of Reuss-Schleiz and the House of Reuss-Gera since 1500. The first church on the site was built in the 12th century on an old trade route from Regensburg, now in Bavaria, Germany, to Naumburg, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In the 15th-17th centuries, the church underwent periodic renovations and new construction. Originally a Roman Catholic church and now a Lutheran church, the first Protestant service was held in 1533.
In 1639, the New Burgk Crypt was built, followed in 1676 by the Princely Crypt. It was in these two crypts that members of the House of Reuss were interred. Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera who died in 1913 was the last burial in the Bergkirche St. Marien. Gravesites and tombs are also located in the sanctuary of the church. Another renovation of the church occurred from 1896 – 1911. However, the renovations of the crypts at that time were faulty and resulted in much damage over the years.
In 2005, air analysis showed a high level of mold spores. The crypts were a health risk and could only be entered by those wearing protective clothing. For this reason, the crypts were closed to the public. The New Burgk was in danger of collapsing so it was demolished. In 2009, the coffins that were originally buried in the New Burgk were re-interred in a crypt where the New Burgk stood in 2009. Renovations in the Princely Crypt started in 2009 and were completed in 2015.
On May 6, 2015, the renovated Princely Crypt with twenty-four restored coffins was opened. More than 90 members of the families of the Counts and Princes Reuss are buried at the Bergkirche St. Marien. Only the twenty-four restored coffins in the Princely Crypt are visible today. The other family members are buried in crypts under the nave of the church.
- Website of the Bergkirche St. Marien in Schleiz (link in German)
- Wikipedia: Bergkirche St. Marien in Schleiz (link in German)
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Note: All males of the House of Reuss were named Heinrich plus a number. In the Reuss-Greiz (Older Line), the numbering covered all male children and the numbers increased until 100 was reached and then started again at 1. In the Reuss-Gera (Younger Line), the system was similar but the numbers increased until the end of the century before starting again at 1. This tradition was seen as a way of honoring Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich VI (reigned 1191 – 1197) who had benefitted the family. Therefore, the Roman numerals seen after names are NOT regnal numbers.
Princes of Reuss-Gera
- Heinrich XLII (Reigned Count of Reuss-Schleiz 1784 – 1802, Count of Reuss-Schleiz and Gera 1802–1806, 1st Prince Reuss of Gera 1806 – 1818)
- Heinrich LXII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Gera (reigned 1818 – 1854)
- Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera (reigned 1854 – 1867)
- Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera (reigned 1867 – 1913)
- Heinrich XXVII, 5th Prince Reuss of Gera (reigned 1913-1918)
All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.
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Heinrich XLII, 1st Prince Reuss of Gera
Heinrich XLII was the first 1st Prince Reuss of Gera. Previously, he was Count of Reuss-Schleiz and Count of Reuss-Schleiz and Gera. In 1806, the County of Reuss-Schleiz and Gera was raised to a principality and Heinrich XLII then used the title of Prince Reuss, Younger Line, or Prince Reuss of Gera. Heinrich XLII married Princess Caroline of Hohenlohe-Kirchberg (1761 – 1849). All but three of their eight children died in childhood. Heinrich XLII died on April 17, 1818, aged 66, in Schleiz, Principality of Reuss-Gera. He was buried at Bergkirche St. Marien now in Schleiz, Thuringia, Germany. His wife died on December 22, 1849, aged 88, in Schleiz, Principality of Reuss-Gera and was buried with her husband.
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Heinrich LXII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Gera
Born in 1785, Heinrich LXII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Gera was the son of Heinrich XLII, 1st Prince Reuss of Gera and Princess Caroline of Hohenlohe-Kirchberg. He never married and upon his death, he was succeeded by his brother Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera. Heinrich LXII died on June 19, 1854, aged 69, in Gera, Principality of Reuss-Gera and was buried at Bergkirche St. Marien now in Schleiz, Thuringia, Germany.
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Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera
The son of Heinrich XLII, 1st Prince Reuss of Gera and Princess Caroline of Hohenlohe-Kirchberg, Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera was born in 1789. He married Princess Adelheid Reuss of Ebersdorf and they had eight children but only three survived childhood. Heinrich LXVII died on July 11, 1867, aged 78, in Gera, Principality of Reuss-Gera. He was buried at Bergkirche St. Marien now in Schleiz, Thuringia, Germany.
Princess Adelheid Reuss of Ebersdorf, Princess Reuss of Gera
Princess Adelheid Reuss of Ebersdorf was born in 1800, the daughter of Heinrich LI, Prince Reuss of Ebersdorf and Countess Luise of Hoym. She married Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera in 1820. Adelheid survived her husband by thirteen years, dying on July 25, 1880, aged 80, in Gera, Principality of Reuss-Gera. She was buried with her husband at Bergkirche St. Marien now in Schleiz, Thuringia, Germany.
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Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera
Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera was born in 1832 in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany. His parents were Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera and Princess Adelheid Reuss of Ebersdorf. Due to the mental and physical disability of Heinrich XXIV, 6th Prince Reuss of Greiz, Heinrich XIV served as Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz from 1902 – 1913. He married Duchess Agnes of Württemberg in 1858 and they had two children. Four years after his first wife’s death, in 1890, Heinrich XIV was married morganatically to Friederike Graetz, known after her marriage as Frau von Saalburg. They had one son who had been born fifteen years before their marriage. Heinrich XIV died on March 29, 1913, aged 80, in Schleiz, Principality of Reuss-Gera. He was the last person buried at Bergkirche St. Marien now in Schleiz, Thuringia, Germany.
Duchess Agnes of Württemberg, Princess Reuss of Gera
Born in 1835, Duchess Agnes of Württemberg, Princess Reuss of Gera was the daughter of Duke Eugen of Württemberg and Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern. She married Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera and they had two children. Agnes predeceased her husband, dying on July 10, 1886, aged 50, in Gera, Principality of Reuss-Gera. She was buried at Bergkirche St. Marien now in Schleiz, Thuringia, Germany.
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Heinrich XXVII, 5th Prince Reuss of Gera
The 5th and the last Prince Reuss of Gera, Heinrich XXVII, was born in 1858, the son of Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera and Duchess Agnes of Württemberg. Due to the mental and physical disability of Heinrich XXIV, 6th Prince Reuss of Greiz, he served as Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz from 1913 – 1918, when the German monarchies were abolished after World War I. Heinrich XXVII married Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg in 1884. He died on November 21, 1928, aged 70, in Gera, Germany and was the only Prince Reuss of Gera not to be buried at the traditional burial site, Bergkirche St. Marien. Instead, Heinrich XXVII was buried in the Castle Park of Schloss Ebersdorf (link in German). The Reuss-Gera family came into the possession of Schloss Ebersdorf after the German revolutions of 1848, when Heinrich LXXII, Prince Reuss of Lobenstein and Ebersdorf abdicated. Lobenstein and Ebersdorf then were untied with Reuss-Gera.
Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Princess of Reuss of Gera
Born in 1864, Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Princess of Reuss of Gera was the daughter of Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Leopoldine of Baden. On November 11, 1884, she married Heinrich XXVII, 5th Prince Reuss of Gera. The couple had two daughters and three sons. Elise survived her husband by only four months, dying on March 18, 1929, aged 64, in Gera, Germany. She was buried with her husband at Schloss Ebersdorf.
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