Baron Ludinghausen-Wolf.
Nikolay Evgenievich
Major General
Born on August 3, 1877. A native of the St. Petersburg province. From the nobles, the son of a captain. Orthodox. Graduated 1st cadet corps and Pavlovskoe military school. On August 15, 1897, he was promoted to second lieutenant and joined the 92nd Pechersk Infantry Regiment.
To the history of the von Wolf family
The most famous Italian novel turned out to be practically native to Latvia - its author got married in Riga in Orthodox Church like Joseph Yulievich, and for the Latvian servants Signor Giuseppe was Jazepa kungs.
Lampedusa got married in Riga
A sensation about the connections between the author of “Leopard” and Latvia was unearthed by director Gunars Piesis (now deceased, but remembered in the country for his films at least “Spriditis” and “Blow the Breeze!”).
It turned out that Duke de Palma was married to one of the Latvian representatives of the German-Russian family of barons von Wolff and before World War II he regularly visited their estate Stameriene near Gulbene, 200 kilometers from Riga.
In the mid-60s, Piesis filmed a newsreel about this.
But the no less great Italian Tomasi di Lampedusa undertook the same sacred rite in Riga. Moreover, the church is not Lutheran or Catholic, but Russian. In the Riga Annunciation Church, which still stands near the Central Market. And Gunar, having found a lot about this wedding and even the servants from Stameriene, hoped to break through to Italy.
Believing that the life and way of life of the von Wolf castle were later reflected in the novel and film, for it is rare that Visconti’s film is as close to the original source as “The Leopard.”
A neglected park surrounded by two lakes, where the remains of a luxurious landscape can still be seen... An Orthodox church next door, built by one of the barons in honor of his Russian wife, Princess Sofia Potemkina... A white stone palace in the style of the French Renaissance, which is being restored from ruins after popular revolt had to brothers Paul and Boris (father future wife Lampedusa) von Wolfham.
One cannot help but recall lines from the novel describing Donnafugata, the family estate of Don Fabrizio Corbero of Prince Salina: “...Next to the cathedral. The narrow façade with seven windows overlooking the square did not give any idea of the castle, for it also extended deeper into the interior, uniting buildings of different types...”
Gunar is right: the church, the facade, the park - everything is the same. Even the libraries are laid out the same way. And it’s easy to imagine the passion with which the surrounding Latvian men destroyed this splendor in 1905. Or in Italy their class brethren during the period of the Garibaldian revolutions of 1860-70, against which the action of The Leopard takes place.
A citizen of Russia, Baroness Alexandra Alisa Frettin von Wolf, the same one who married the writer in the Church of the Annunciation... The wife’s name sounds almost like music. But for her husband it is even louder: Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Duke of Palma.
Today it is already known that they met in 1925 in London, at the Italian embassy. Which is understandable: the baronial family of Wolff dates back to the Holy Roman Empire, and the first Lampedusa in Stamerien could have been the uncle of the future classic - a doctor of law, an Italian senator and ambassador of his country to Russian capital Pietro Tomasi Marquis della Toretta (our Alice's mother, pure Italian by birth and also Alice, married him in 1920, having been widowed during the February Revolution).
And this fully corresponds to the motives of the book recently published in Italy by 75-year-old Boris Biancheri, director of the Roman Institute of Research international politics, media mogul and nephew of Giuseppe. Yes, there are discrepancies in chronology and names. But this is understandable. And the Baroness has never been introduced in her almost hundred years of life, including her home names Lucy and Luci and even the English name Alice. And Stameriene has a lot of variations in names. Right down to the purely German Stomerze...
It’s fortunate that in the wedding registry of the Riga Annunciation Church dated August 24, 1932, no Alices appear. Otherwise, it would never be possible to unravel this biographical tangle. No, there is just order according to order - if the church is Russian, then everything else is ours. And the bride's name is Alexandra Borisovna. But the main thing is that the groom has been renamed! In... Joseph Yulievich. Absolutely in the Slavic manner.
On Italian O life together Giuseppe and Alexandra have already published a lot, even an opera called “The Mystery of the Leopard”. But, probably, the most interesting book for us is the book by Boris Biancheri, who is still alive (by the way, a great expert on Russia, the USA and the EU).
It is entitled “Return to Stomersee”. The heroine is the elderly Baroness Alexandra Alisa of Russian-German blood, who fled from the Bolsheviks to Italy during the revolution. Having visited the former estate in Latvia for the first time since those years, she runs away from those accompanying her in Riga and, a la Bunin or Nabokov’s heroine, dies on the bench of our railway station. To be buried in my native land.
Actually, not quite like that. Alexandra was actually born in Nice. She lived regularly with her Italian husband in Stamerien, especially in summer months, and until 1939. But she showed up in the war a couple of times alone. Did you hope to regain your possessions? But alas...
The place under the name Gulbana was first mentioned in 1224, in an agreement on the division of the Talovsky lands between the Bishop of Riga and the Order of the Sword. In 1340, by order of the Archbishop of Riga, the stone Schwanenburg Castle was built in Gulbene, i.e. "Swan Castle" Since then, until the beginning of the twentieth century, this place was called that way.
The castle was located on a small peninsula, which is washed by the Krustalice River. The first inhabitants of the city also settled on its banks. Alas, but in the 16th century during Livonian War the castle and settlement were destroyed, the inhabitants were killed or captured.
River Krustalice
In Swedish times, the surroundings of Schwanenburg first came into the possession of the Swedish general Gustav von Horn, and then went to the Swedish crown. Subsequently, the castle and the estate with it changed hands more than once; among the owners were such famous Baltic nobles as the Vietinghofs and Minikhs, but only the barons von Wolfs were able to turn the humble estate into a real family nest.
Coat of arms of the von Wolf family
The von Wolfs moved to Livonia from the Principality of Sagan, which was located on the territory of modern Poland. In the Baltic states they quickly became the most powerful nobles; in Livonia alone they owned more than thirty estates with total area about three thousand square kilometers.
Schwanenburg in the mid-19th century
Schwanenburg became home to the family of Johann Gottlieb von Wolf. It was he who founded the main building of the estate: the “White Palace”.
Johann Gottlieb von Wolf
The next owner of the estate was Rudolf von Wolf. He continued the work started by his father, developed the estate and rebuilt the manor house. At one time, he traveled half of Europe and chose the Italian neo-Renaissance style for his palace.
The White Palace during the time of Rudolf von Wolf
The baron's passion was horses, and a riding arena appeared in the estate especially for them.
Now there is a hotel here.
And with the money of Rudolf von Wolf, a new Lutheran church was built in Schwanenburg, on the site of the ruins of a medieval castle.
Unfortunately, Baron Rudolf was unable to complete the reconstruction of the estate; he died before he was forty years old. The baron's family lived in Riga, then in Germany. There his son studied at the university, and his daughter, Isabella, married Ferdinand, Count von Zeppelin, the same one who invented the world-famous airships.
Isabella von Zeppelin, née von Wolf
Left without a father early, Henry treated his legacy with great reverence and, after finishing his studies, decided to return to his homeland. Alt-Schwanenburg, as his estate was now called, was about to undergo great changes.
Heinrich von Wolf
Two luxurious towers were added to the old palace: one above the front porch, the second on the side of the arena.
The high three-story tower served observation deck, from where there was a view of the surrounding area.
The facade of the building was diversified with various sculptures: there was a figure of an angel, and Atlases supporting the arch of the main entrance, and swans, and statues of knights - the same as in the castle of the Romanian kings.
The entrance to the castle was guarded by figures of wolves, because the surname of the owners, Wolf, means “wolf” in German. The baron's guests were greeted by two wolves: a calm one and a grinning one; after all, guests are also different, good and evil.
Estate farming also developed. Not far from the arena there was a cheese factory and a large barn.
Its facade was also decorated with terracotta reliefs depicting domestic animals and peasants.
The figured medallion also decorates the sheep barn.
Allegories are also visible on the façade of the greenhouse.
The building was recently restored and the city museum is located here.
Until quite recently there was a wooden house near the greenhouse, which in the time of the baron was called the “Goethe Theater”. Alas, it was recently demolished.
In 1875, Heinrich von Wolf married Maria von Etingen, daughter of the Livonian vice-governor. Her family's name was Marisa. The Baron loved his wife very much and built a villa especially for her, the so-called. "Red Palace".
In honor of Baroness Maria, a large park was laid out in the estate. The “Holy Lake” appeared here. Its banks were decorated with numerous sculptures and stones, each of which was engraved with one letter, all together they formed the name “Marisa”. It was a gift from the baron to his wife for her birthday.
Even in the park, on the orders of the baron, they dug a pond in the shape of the letter “M”.
Alas, Marissa was not in good health and soon became seriously ill with tuberculosis. In 1883 she died, she died quietly during treatment in Rome.
Henry was heartbroken. He buried his wife in the family cemetery and seven blue lanterns burned on her grave day and night, one for each year they lived together.
Since then, Heinrich has been involved in the estate's parks. The baron dedicated each of them to one of his relatives.
Not far from the Red Palace, Rudolf Park appeared in honor of the baron's father. A wooden footbridge led there.
A luxurious gate appeared at the grave of Baroness Marisa, and a pond with an island in the shape of a teardrop in the center was dug nearby.
The park in front of the palace was also transformed: a pond in the shape of the letter “M” was dug here, and flower beds with the initials of the late baroness appeared on the shore.
As in big park, there were sculptures and figured benches near the palace.
The park also had pavilions, artificial ruins and decorative lanterns. Today there is none of this anymore. Only the foundation stone with the name of Baron Heinrich still reminds of the past.
Among the memorial buildings in the park were monuments. The baron dedicated one of them, in the form of a woman with ears of corn in her hands and the inscription “Agricultura”, to his gardener named Grabe.
The second monument was dedicated to Otto von Bismarck, with whom Heinrich von Wolf studied at the university. This monument was made in the workshop of August Volz and although it has not survived to this day, everyone can admire a similar sculpture on the facade of the Aldaris brewery in Riga.
Martin Luther's quadcentenary was celebrated in 1883. In honor of him, an oak tree was planted near the church and a sculpture of the great reformer was installed. It was made at a terracotta factory in Charlottenburg near Berlin. Most likely, the baron also ordered the rest of the sculptural decorations of the estate there.
Baron Heinrich von Wolf died in 1897. The luxurious estate went to relatives, but it turned out to be of no use to anyone.
The palaces of Alt-Schwanenburg with all their furnishings burned down in the fire of the 1905 revolution.
Later they were restored, but the former luxury was no longer there. The white palace was given over to apartments, and the red one was rebuilt into a school.
Interestingly, the decline of the estate coincided with the rise of the town itself, which after the declaration of independence of Latvia began to be called Gulbene. Back in 1902, a branch appeared here railway and Gulbene became important transport hub Latvia.
Old buildings of Gulbene
The town suffered during World War II; during the retreat, the Germans blew up the tower of the town church and severely damaged the White Palace. Traces of destruction are still visible.
Today Gulbene is a quiet provincial town with post-war buildings in which everything, in general, is in the past.
The well-groomed streets are empty and only life still glimmers near the estate.
In 2005, the White Palace acquired owners. Reconstruction of the park began, the skeleton of the palace was preserved, the greenhouse and arena were updated. It was planned to gradually recreate the former luxury of the park and restore the palace building.
Unfortunately, the company went bankrupt last year. The owners managed to save the hotel, located in the arena, but, alas, they cannot count on continuing restoration work.
Nevertheless, there is a reconstruction project and I really want to hope that someday it will come to life!
In the meantime, the memory of the baron and his beloved Marissa is preserved by the ancient parks of the city and... workers of the Gulbene-Aluksne narrow-gauge road, but perhaps more on that next time.
This is Lieutenant Colonel Burgrave Tsu Don. He was the commander of the 1st Don Cossack Regiment.
Tsu Dona with captain Erich Dienenthal.
Officers with military friends.
Erich Dienenatel himself. By the way, he died in 1990.
And this is Helmut von Pannwitz, awarding the Cossack Ivan Kononov the Iron Cross, 2nd degree.
Here he is Ivan Kononov, commander of the 5th Don Regiment.
Officers of the Cossack Cavalry Division pose for a photo.
Helmut von Pannwitz, commander of this division.
Ivan Kononov, commander of the 5th Don Regiment in Croatia.
German lieutenant colonel Baron von Wolf, one of the leaders of the Cossack division, dressed in a Circassian coat. It has iron Cross first class. The medal bar indicates that he is a veteran of the First World War. There are Cossack shoulder straps. The symbols of the Third Reich are combined with the attributes of the Cossacks. This is how the Germans assimilated the Cossack warriors.
Hans Freiherr von Wolf
Captain K. Langfeldt, officer of the 3rd Kuban Regiment. He was born in December 1918 and died in 1980.
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Lutheranism
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Biography
In 1883, after graduating from the Zinka gymnasium in Riga, he entered St. Petersburg University, from which in 1885 he moved to Yuryev University. He graduated from the latter with a candidate of laws degree in 1889.
After graduating from the university, he entered the service as a candidate for a class position in the Ministry of the Imperial Household. From 1892 he was a registrar, and from 1893 he was an assistant clerk in the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty. In 1895, he took the position of accountant and then clerk of the office of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, while simultaneously acting as treasurer of the Committee for the Trusteeship of Houses of Diligence, chaired by the Empress.
In 1900-1912 he was the manager of the Imperial factories in St. Petersburg. He collected Dutch paintings, and since 1907 was an honorary member of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. In 1907, the Imperial Porcelain Factory, which he managed, began producing the famous series of figurines “Nations of Russia”.
In 1912, he was elected to the State Duma from the Livonia province by the congress of landowners. He joined the Octobrist faction, but after its split he remained non-partisan. He was a fellow chairman of the financial commission, chairman of the library commission, and also a member of the commissions: religious and in the direction of legislative proposals.
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Notes
Sources
- List of civil ranks fourth grade. Corrected on March 1, 1916. - Pg., 1916. - SS. 1259-1260.
- 4th convocation State Duma: Artistic phototype. album with portraits and biographies. - St. Petersburg: published by N. N. Olshansky, 1913.
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An excerpt characterizing Wolf, Nikolai Borisovich
Morone!!! Surely! That's why this man seemed familiar to me! I saw him only once at the Pope's personal reception. But the cardinal delighted me then with his truly natural greatness and the freedom of his sharp mind. And I remember that Caraffa then seemed very benevolent towards him and pleased with him. How did the cardinal manage to do so much wrong now that the vindictive Pope dared to put him in this terrible stone bag?..- Well, my friend, do you want to admit your mistake and return back to the Emperor to correct it, or will you rot here until you wait for my death... which, as I know, will not happen very soon... .
I froze... What did that mean?! What changed?! Caraffa was going to live long??? And he stated this very confidently! What could have happened to him during his absence?..
– Don’t try, Karaffa... This is no longer interesting. You have no right to torture me and keep me in this basement. And you know this very well,” Morone answered very calmly.
He still had that unfailing dignity that had once so sincerely delighted me. And then our first and only meeting came back very vividly to my memory...
This happened late in the evening at one of Caraffa’s strange “night” receptions. There were almost no people left waiting, when suddenly, a servant as thin as a pole announced that His Eminence Cardinal Morone had come to the reception, who, moreover, was “in a hurry.” Caraffa was clearly delighted. Meanwhile, a man was entering the hall with a majestic step... If anyone deserved the title of the highest hierarch of the church, it was him! Tall, slender and fit, magnificent in his bright moire robe, he walked with a light, springy gait along the richest carpets, as if on autumn leaves, proudly carrying his beautiful head, as if the world belonged only to him. Thoroughbred from the roots of his hair to the very tips of his aristocratic fingers, he aroused involuntary respect for himself, even without knowing him yet.
– Are you ready, Morone? – Caraffa exclaimed cheerfully. – I hope that you will please Us with your efforts! Well, Lucky road to you, cardinal, greet the Emperor from Us! – and stood up, clearly planning to leave.
I couldn’t stand Caraffa’s manner of talking about himself as “we,” but this was the privilege of Popes and kings, and, naturally, no one ever tried to challenge it. I was very upset by such an exaggerated emphasis on one’s importance and exclusivity. But those who had such a privilege were, of course, completely satisfied, without causing any negative feelings. Not paying attention to Caraffa’s words, the cardinal easily knelt, kissing the “ring of sinners,” and, already rising, looked very intently at me with his bright cornflower blue eyes. They reflected unexpected delight and obvious attention... which Karaffa, naturally, did not like at all.
“You came here to see me, not to break hearts.” beautiful ladies! – Dad croaked displeased. – Bon Voyage, Morone!
“I must talk to you before I begin to act, Your Holiness,” Morone said with all possible courtesy, without being embarrassed at all. “A mistake on my part could cost us a lot.” Therefore, I ask you to give me a little of your precious time before I leave you.
I was surprised by the shade of prickly irony that sounded in the words “your precious time”... It was almost elusive, but still – it was clearly there! And I immediately decided to take a closer look at the unusual cardinal, marveling at his courage. After all, usually not a single person dared to joke, much less ironize, with Karaffa. What in in this case showed that Morone was not at all afraid of him... But what was the reason for this confident behavior– I immediately decided to find out, since I had not missed the slightest opportunity to find out someone who could someday provide me with at least some help in destroying “Holiness”... But in this case, unfortunately, I did not lucky... Taking the cardinal by the arm and ordering me to wait in the hall, Caraffa took Morone to his chambers, without even allowing me to say goodbye to him. And for some reason I was left with a feeling of strange regret, as if I had missed some important, even if very small, chance to receive someone else’s support...
Usually the Pope did not allow me to be in his waiting room when there were people there. But sometimes, for one reason or another, he suddenly “commanded” to follow him, and refuse him this, bringing upon himself more big trouble, it was simply unreasonable on my part, and there was no serious reason for it. That’s why I always went, knowing that, as usual, Dad would watch with some incomprehensible interest my reaction to certain invitees. I was completely indifferent to why he needed such “entertainment.” But such “meetings” allowed me to unwind a little, and for this alone it was worth not objecting to his strange invitations.
Having never met again with Cardinal Morone, who interested me, I very soon forgot about him. And now he was sitting on the floor right in front of me, all bloody, but still just as proud, and again made me admire his ability to maintain his dignity, remaining himself in any, even the most unpleasant life circumstances.
“You’re right, Morone, I don’t have a serious reason to torment you...” and then smiled. – But do We really need him?.. And besides, not all torment leaves visible traces, does it?
