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The Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg at Berleburg Castle in the Wittgenstein region are among the largest private forest owners in Germany.
The family owns almost 13,000 hectares of forest.
Black storks, kingfishers, white deer, mouflons and, more recently, bison, a species of wild cattle threatened with extinction, populate the forests, making them unique in the whole of Europe.
Forestry is still the livelihood of the princely family, who live in seclusion at Schloss Berleburg and can look back on over 800 years of history.
The fact that the family still lives in the baroque castle today is thanks to their intergenerational contract: because only those who manage the forest sustainably can preserve it as a livelihood for future generations.
In this episode of "Noble Dynasties in NRW", Julia Melchior meets the head of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein, Prince Richard, and his son, Hereditary Prince Gustav.
Father and son guide her through the family's impressive forest and give her an insight into the unique flora and fauna.
While the men of the house spend most of their time managing the estate, daughter Nathalie can be found in the riding arena.
As a member of the Danish national team, the successful dressage rider trains in Wittgensteiner Land for the Olympic Games.
She shares her second great passion, horse breeding, with her mother, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, a sister of Queen Margrethe II.
As a member of the Danish royal family, Princess Benedikte holds numerous honorary posts in Denmark and regularly represents her sister at public appointments in her role as the imperial administrator.
Princess Benedikte talks exclusively about her life between the Danish court and the Wittgenstein estate in "Adelsdynastien in NRW".
