In the family dispute over the future of Schloss Marienburg there is a new twist. Ernst August Prince of Hannover junior renounced for the time being on the sale of the castle to the state of Lower Saxony.

He had "decided after careful consideration to remain the owner of Marienburg until such time as a legally binding and feasible final solution for all parties is ready for implementation," the hereditary prince said. For now he refrains from his plans to sell the castle for the symbolic amount of one euro to the state of Lower Saxony.

However, it remains his goal, the lock including inventory "as soon as possible" in a charitable foundation to convict. For this purpose he stands with the state government in "a close exchange," it said in the statement of the prince.

Within the famous aristocratic family, there is a dispute over the future plans for the renovation and maintenance expensive Marienburg. While Ernst August junior wants to separate because of high costs in the maintenance and operation of the castle of the property, the father of the Erbprinzen, Ernst August of Hanover, vehemently rejects the intended sale for the symbolic amount.

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Helena Lea Manhartsberger / THE SPIEGEL family feud in the House of HanoverThe Welfen-Erbprinz and the one-euro-castle

He had also doubted that his son is entitled to a sale to the land and referred to donation and inheritance contracts, which he had concluded with his son.

Ernst August junior claims to find a viable solution for the expensive maintenance of the castle. He rejected his father's objections to his plans. "In my view, they have no basis whatsoever and must not stand in the way of timely steps to preserve Marienburg and its jobs," he said. The planned change of operator for the catering and sightseeing business will therefore be completed.

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Welf estate in Lower Saxony: dispute over the Marienburg

The Marienburg is the old summer residence of the Princely House of the Guelphs. The castle was built between 1858 and 1867 in neo-gothic style and is located about 20 kilometers south of Hanover. It serves today as a destination.

The Welfs call themselves the oldest princely family in Europe. One of them in the twelfth century was the famous Duke Henry the Lion. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Welfs reigned in personal union at the same time also the Kingdom of Great Britain.