The heirs of the former Prussian monarchy are locked in a battle with the German state over the ownership of thousands of artworks and historical artifacts.

The Culture Ministry confirmed Friday that the Hohenzollern family has been negotiating with the federal government and the eastern states of Berlin and Brandenburg "for several years" — and apparently in secret.

According to Der Spiegel news magazine, the aristocrats are seeking to reclaim tens of thousands of valuable paintings, sculptures, coins, books and furniture, as well as the right to live at one of several grand estates.

But an agreement may be a long way off. Monika Grütters, the government's commissioner for culture, said, "the positions of the negotiating parties are still very far apart."

Read more: A storybook fortress: Hohenzollern Castle

Georg Friedrich lost a court bid last month to reclaim Rheinfels Castle

Complicated history

The restitution campaign is being led by Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, the head of the Hohenzollern House and great-great-grandchild of Wilhelm II, the last emperor and king of Prussia.

Authorities seized the family's property in November 1918, shortly before the end of World War I, when Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated and went into exile.

Although they weren't initially compensated, the royals later struck an agreement with the state on the confiscated assets in 1926. But that situation changed under the Soviet occupation of Germany at the end of World War II and the communist regime that subsequently governed East Germany.

Read more: A practical princess in a modern world

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Sanssouci Palace Small but fine: Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam was only Frederick the Great's summer residence, but today it is the world star among the palaces of the Prussian royal family. Sanssouci Palace — translated "without a care" — enchants hundreds of thousands of tourists every year with its picturesque location and architectural sophistication.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg The New Palace This gigantic palace is only a few minutes walk from Sanssouci Palace. Despite its size, it is by far not as well known as the pleasure palace, even if the splendor of the interiors astonishes every visitor. The large complex with its festival halls, galleries and princely apartments once served to represent Prussia.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Charlottenhof Palace The Crown Prince and later King Frederick William IV was given the Baroque country manor by his father as a Christmas present in 1825. He had it redesigned by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel and the garden designer Peter Joseph Lenne into a neo-classical palace. Like the other two palaces, Charlottenhof is located in Sanssouci Park.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Babelsberg Palace Looking at Babelsberg Palace on the banks of the Havel, one feels transported to England. The castle was built in English neo-Gothic style and served as a summer residence for the royal and later imperial couple William I and Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In the 1860s and 1880s, Babelsberg became one of the most important places of social and political life in Prussia.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Marble Palace On the outskirts of Potsdam, you will find the New Garden, an English-style landscape park offering great views of the Havel lakes. The Marble Palace or Marmorpalais, a summer residence of King Frederick William II, is located in this romantic landscape. The building, clad in Silesian marble, is the only early classicist royal palace of the Hohenzollern family.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Cecilienhof Palace Cecilienhof Castle in the style of an English country house, also located in the New Garden, is the last erected by the Hohenzollerns. After the Second World War, from July 17 to August 2, 1945, history was written here, because the victorious allied powers met in Cecilienhof. The Potsdam Conference is regarded as a symbol for the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Caputh Palace Caputh Castle looks back on 350 years of history. The little pleasure palace from the era of Frederick William the Great Elector of Brandenburg is an art historical jewel that testifies to the splendor of princely living around 1700. Where once great feasts were celebrated, a vocational school was built in the middle of the 20th century after the building was sold. Caputh Castle is now a museum.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Königs Wusterhausen Palace Frederick William I, known as the "Soldier King" and father of Frederick the Great, loved Wusterhausen, southeast of Berlin. He prepared himself for his reign and later spent happy days with his family in autumn here. It was from here that he performed his sovereign duties and indulged his great passion for hunting.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Paretz Palace Far removed from the courtly etiquette and pomp of Berlin, the Prussian capital, Queen Luise spent the summer months every year with her husband Frederick William III and their children in the secluded Havel landscape in Paretz. Here, 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Potsdam, they not only enjoyed family life but also demonstrated a modern form of rural life.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Oranienburg Palace Around 1700, Oranienburg Palace was regarded as the most beautiful of the Prussian residences. Its history began as the country estate of the Princess of Oranien-Nassau, who gave the place its name "Oranienburg." Over the centuries the castle has been used and extended in a variety of ways. Today you can admire magnificent works of art such as royal silver or ivory furniture in the palace museum.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Rheinsberg Palace Frederick the Great spent his happiest days as Crown Prince in Rheinsberg Palace on Grienerick Lake. He liked music, the arts and created a court of muses in Rheinsberg, which his brother Prince Heinrich continued. Theodor Fontane was also inspired by a muse here, and in his travelogue, "Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg" (Rambles in Brandenburg), he set the castle a literary monument.

Prussia's glamour and glory — the most beautiful palaces in Brandenburg Evidence of a bygone era Prussia existed from 1701 to 1918. A lost empire, which above all stood for obedience, fulfillment of duty and militarism, but also for tolerance and religious freedom. Spiked helmets and uniforms shape our image of that time. However, it is above all the palaces of the Hohenzollern family that are still magnificent testimonies to the Kingdom of Prussia to this day. Author: Elisabeth Yorck von Wartenburg



Works of 'considerable value'

The Culture Ministry said the latest negotiations center on "legal ambiguities in the (1926) agreement," as well as "legal positions that have changed as a result of the subsequent historical events, in particular, the measures of the Soviet occupying power and the government of the German Democratic Republic."

The ministry added that many of the artifacts in question hold "considerable value and historical meaning," and are today part of collections at the Prussian Foundation of Castles and Gardens in Berlin-Brandenburg, the Prussian Cultural Foundation and the German Historical Museum.

The Tagesspiegel daily reported that the family was also seeking the permanent right to reside either at the Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, where Allied powers met after World War II to decide Germany's fate or at two other manor houses. But according to the newspaper, the government has knocked back the request.

Last month, a court in the western city of Koblenz rejected a bid by Prince Georg Friedrich to reclaim the Rheinfels Castle on the banks of the Rhine.

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nm/sms (AFP, dpa)

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