In a letter to Prime Minister Stephan Weil Ernst August prince of Hanover massively criticized the sale of Schoss Marienburg agreed between the state of Lower Saxony and his son for a symbolic price of one euro. This is reported by SPIEGEL in its current issue, which contains the letter and other letters.

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He has "no understanding" for "burdening the taxpayer in the long term with the burden of preservation," according to the letter of 3 December. The heirs of the castle, Ernst August Erbprinz of Hanover, he had "sufficient supplies" to finance the receipt. His son, "like all generations before him", is well able to bear the costs of preserving the castle.

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Welfen estate in Lower Saxony: the one-euro castle

As SPIEGEL further reports, the 35-year-old son had informed his father on 29 November about the details of the planned sale of the castle. In the five-page letter, Ernst August junior reported high debts accumulated by the operating company EAC GmbH under the direction of the Welfen. There is a bank financing in the amount of 500,000 euros. It also concerns "loss financing" and "consulting expenses" for the project Marienburg. Overall, the EAC since 2011 have made about two million euros losses.

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Ernst August Hereditary Prince of Hanover (Photo from 2014)

Since the tax year 2014, the tax authorities no longer assume a "profit-making intent". The EAC GmbH should be settled. Ernst August junior has therefore agreed to sell 100 art and cultural objects to the Lower Saxony Foundation and the Lower Saxony Sparkassenstiftung with the state of Lower Saxony - this is intended to offset the losses suffered by the hereditary prince. If not enough money comes together, so the supplement to the castle sale, Ernst August junior should receive part of the lease income from the future castle operator.

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Prince Ernst August of Hanover (Photo from 2018)

The sale of the property to a Lower Saxon foundation, which was negotiated between the provincial government and the hereditary prince, is politically highly controversial. For in the 19th century built in the style of a neo-Gothic castle Marienburg Castle is dilapidated. It will be redeveloped for a total of 27 million euros with funds from the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony.

Lower Saxony has stopped the sale until the Welfs have resolved their family quarrel.

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