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Grave of the Dark Countess

Grave of the Dark Countess

Highlight • Historical Site

Grave of the Dark Countess

Recommended by 39 hikers out of 40

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Location: Thuringia, Germany

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Best Hikes to Grave of the Dark Countess

4.8

(4)

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1. Grave of the Dark Countess – Keltenbank loop from Wallrabs

6.73km

01:56

160m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

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2. Grave of the Dark Countess – Nonnesruh Memorial Rest Area loop from Wallrabs

13.7km

04:03

380m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

5.0

(3)

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3. Grave of the Dark Countess – Keltenbank loop from Wallrabs

2.99km

00:55

110m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

Franzl wandert 🥾

July 22, 2023

There is a mysterious story behind the remarkable tomb of the Dark Countess.
Maybe everything stays in the dark? 😉

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Bärenspur

February 28, 2019

Who it was with the Dark Countess, is still surrounded by legends. It is only clear that she came to Hildburghausen in the early 19th century, accompanied by a Dutch diplomat. She got her mystical name because of the dark veil she was supposed to have worn. A genetic analysis of their remains was the supposition that it could not confirm the daughter of the French royal couple of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who were executed during the French Revolution. So their identity remains in the name of the name.

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Tevion1505 (Andreas)

August 28, 2021

Certainly not even the two mysterious gentlemen themselves would have ever suspected that their stay here would last more than thirty years when they arrived in Hildburghausen on February 7, 1807.
On that evening, an elegantly dressed couple came to the hotel "Englischer Hof" and from then on attracted attention because of their strange life as a hermit. This very noticeably withdrawn life intensified after the move to the castle in the neighboring village of Einhausen. Above all, the lady, who was always veiled, was never seen. She died in the solitude of Einhausen Castle on November 25th, 1837 and was - according to her will - buried on the Hildburghausen Stadtberg.

Numerous researchers and writers have since taken up the explosive topic. Most assume that the so-called Dark Countess is the "Madame Royale", the daughter of King Louis XVI, who was executed during the French Revolution. and his wife Marie Antoinette. A joint scientific project by the city of Hildburghausen and the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk is now supposed to solve the riddle, among other things with the help of a DNA comparison. But the story remains exciting ...

Source: thueringen.info/grab-der-dunkelgraefin.html

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Bärenspur

February 28, 2019

Below the tomb there is rock that emerges, showing a cave entrance. He leads narrow, but not deep into the mountain.

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Sopho, Micha, Frieda & Bella 🐶🐾

January 11, 2024

Dark Count and Dark Countess is the name for a mysterious couple who lived at Eishausen Castle near Hildburghausen from 1810 to 1837 and rarely appeared in public.
Because of their reclusive life and their unclear identity, they were known in literature as “the Dark Counts” (Comte et Comtesse des Ténèbres).
For a long time she was considered Marie Thérèse Charlotte of France, daughter of the executed French King Louis XVI. and his wife Marie-Antoinette, which has now been refuted through anthropological and molecular genetic analyses.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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Wandertourist

May 5, 2024

The year is 1807 and the mysterious count and countess arrive in Hildburghausen. Nobody knows who they are or where they come from. The countess hardly ever leaves the house. The count also avoids people as much as possible. The only thing that is certain is that the count and countess are very wealthy and use this money to support Hildburghausen. These donations also enable the count to keep his own identity and that of the countess a secret throughout his life. He himself lived under a pseudonym; no one ever found out the countess's name. After her death, she was buried in an anonymous sarcophagus in her favorite place. After her death, the count burned a number of documents which could probably have revealed her identity. In the estate proceedings, he gave her name as Sophia Botta. Theories according to which the Dark Countess was the daughter of Louis XVI. and had to flee due to the unrest of the French Revolution or was even exchanged for another woman, have been shattered since DNA samples were taken from the bones and compared with living descendants.

So it remains more of a mystery than ever before why the count - who later turned out not to be a count but a member of a Dutch merchant family - had to make such a big secret about his wife (or maybe just a lover? or a kidnapped woman?). 🧐 In any case, he succeeded: after various theories were refuted, the identity of the Dark Countess is more unclear than ever before!

On site, you only learn the story of the Dark Countess very briefly. If you are interested, it is definitely worth a visit to the Hildburghausen City Museum or doing your own internet research in the nearby refuge.

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Elevation 490 m

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Thursday 13 November

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Location: Thuringia, Germany

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Grave of the Dark Countess

1. Grave of the Dark Countess – Keltenbank loop from Wallrabs

2. Grave of the Dark Countess – Nonnesruh Memorial Rest Area loop from Wallrabs

3. Grave of the Dark Countess – Keltenbank loop from Wallrabs

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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