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Marianne, Princess zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn

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Marianne
Dowager Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
BornBaroness Marianne von Mayr-Melnhof
(1919-12-09) 9 December 1919 (age 104)
Salzburg, Austria
SpouseLudwig, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
(m. 1942; died 1962)
IssuePrincess Yvonne, Edle von Kronstätt
Alexander, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
Princess Elisabeth, Baroness Schuler von Senden
Princess Teresa, Countess von Kageneck
Prince Peter zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
HouseSayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (by marriage)
FatherBaron Friedrich von Mayr-Melnhof
MotherCountess Maria-Anna von Meran

Maria Anna, Dowager Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn,[1] (born Baroness Maria Anna Mayr von Melnhof; 9 December 1919) is a German noblewoman, socialite, a professional photographer, member of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and the mother of Alexander, 7th Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (born 1943).[2]

Early life and ancestry

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Family Coat of arms of Barons Mayr von Melnhof in the Austro-Hungarian Empire granted by Franz Joseph I of Austria (1872)
Glanegg castle, near Salzburg, where Marianne spent her childhood was owned by her father, Friedrich Adalbert Baron Mayr von Melnhof (1892–1956)

Maria Anna, commonly known as Marianne was born on 9 December 1919 in Salzburg, the eldest daughter of Baron Friedrich Adalbert Mayr von Melnhof (1892–1956), owner of the Glanegg Castle near Salzburg, and his wife, Countess Maria-Anna of Meran (1897–1983), granddaughter of Franz, Count of Meran, head of a morganatic branch of the imperial House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Through her mother Marianne is a direct descendant of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa.[3] The Mayr von Melnhof family were Catholic Styrians since the 15th century and, having become industrialists, were ennobled in 1859 with the title of Edler von Melnhof. In 1872, they were granted the hereditary title of Baron in Austria by Franz Joseph I of Austria.[4] Apart from Schloss Glanegg, Mayr von Melnhof family owned town palaces in Graz and Vienna, as well as several other castles across Austria, such as Kogl, Neu-Pfannberg, Jagdschloss Hochalm, which served as their country residencies.[5][6][7]

Career

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She started a career as a professional photographer and archived about 300,000 of her photos until her 100th birthday in December 2019. She photographed celebrities from Maria Callas to Gianni Agnelli to Luciano Pavarotti and published travel reports.

She was given the name "Mamarazza" based on the word "paparazzo" as a nickname from Princess Caroline of Monaco, who once said to her: "Manni, you are a real Mamarazza." In contrast to paparazzi, she never took indiscreet or derogatory photos: "I always photographed my friends as friends."[8]

Marriage and children

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Baroness Marianne married Ludwig, 6th Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn on 12 March 1942 in Schloss Glanegg, who was born in 1915 and died accidentally at Sayn in 1962.[4] They had five children:[2]

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ In 1919 royalty and nobility lost their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the surname, according to Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution.
  2. ^ a b Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XIX. "Sayn-Wittgenstein". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2011, pp. 331-334. (German). ISBN 978-3-7980-0849-6.
  3. ^ https://www.genealogics.org/pedigree.php?personID=I00110054&tree=LEO&parentset=0&display=standard&generations=8
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 292, 300-301. (French). ISBN 2-908003-04-X
  5. ^ https://www.schlosskogl.at/
  6. ^ https://www.alleburgen.de/bd.php?id=23797
  7. ^ https://www.routeyou.com/de-at/location/view/50687913
  8. ^ https://www.westwoodgallery.com/the-sayn-wittgenstein-collection
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