Noble dynasties in NRW

But when Franz Josef Count Beissel von Gymnich and his American wife Jeanette organized their first knights' games at Satzvey Castle in the early 1980s, they were still ridiculed in German aristocratic circles: A Hollywood spectacle at the traditional seat of a blue-blooded family?
Medieval markets and show tournaments?
But their success proves them right.
The Beissel von Gymnich family uses professionally staged spectacles to maintain the estate.

As part of the "Noble dynasties in NRW" series, Julia Melchior visits the Counts Beissel von Gymnich at Satzvey moated castle.
During a tour of the castle, Jeannette Countess Beissel von Gymnich gives her an insight into her everyday life between medieval castle romance and modern event marketing.
She talks about how she settled into her role as lady of the house and the obstacles she had to overcome.
As a trained advertising specialist, she was primarily responsible for marketing the jousting games and played a key role in making Satzvey Castle a national attraction.

In historical flashbacks, the film takes us through the exciting family history of the Counts Beissel von Gymnich.
It reveals how the ancestors were involved in the "sex scandal at Grunewald Castle" in 1891.
The family's private films, which date back to the 1940s, can also be seen for the first time.
The head of the house, Franz Josef Count Beissel von Gymnich, talks about his childhood at the castle, the challenge of taking on the family legacy and what ultimately prompted the organization of Germany's first knights' games.

First broadcast: Friday, June 22, 2012, 8:15 p.m., WDR.