Tuesday, January 22, 2013

† Count Albert of Rechberg

Only a few weeks ago at the End of November he celebrated his 100th birthday, and now last Thursday (17.01.2013) Count Albert of Rechberg has passed away. The Head of the House of Rechberg lived out of the spotlight in his hometown Donzdorf. According to Martin Stölze, the Mayor of Donzodrf "He weas a man who lived very reserved and was very low key about his person". Stölzle also metions the passsage of time through which the Count from an ancient nioble Family has lived "He was born as a Count during the Monarchy and later found his palce in live in a secular society, which i always found quiet remarkable. When one spoke with him it was always clear he went through all the social changes during the last Century".
Count Albert sold in 1987 the Castle in Donzdorf to the city Donzdorf where it now serves as Townhall. Already during the 1970's the Family has sold the Castles and ruins Scharfenschloss  Weißenstein, Ramsberg und Rechberg to private persons. In 1986 he gave overt the adiminstration of the family posession to his son Bernhard who succeeds him as head of the Countly Family.
Despite all seclusuion he was also engaged in his hometown, so Albert Count of Rechberg was an honorary member of the Shooting Society Donzdorf whose club flag adorns the coat of arms of the von Rechenberg and Roth lions.
The history of the family from Donzdorf can be traced back to the year 1179, then I. Ulrich von Rechenberg was as Marshal of the Duchy of Swabia in the service of Emperor Friedrich I. Barbarossa. Since 1607 the family belong to the German nobility. In that  year, the family was raised by Emperor Rudolf II.  into the rank of Counts.