Thuringia is unknown Germany to most English-speaking tourists. With its scenic landscape of pine-covered hills and picture-postcard villages, Thuringia is a setting for fairy tales. When Germany was a monarchy before World War I, Thuringia was home to eight royal duchies and principalities, each with their own royal family. The competitive urge of the sovereigns of these small courts to display their rank and splendour has left a glorious legacy of dazzling castles and palaces. The Thuringian dukes and princes built more castles and palaces located closely together than anywhere else in Germany.Schloss is the German word for castle or palace. This book visits twenty-five castles and palaces in Thuringia and tells colourful stories of the historical royal families connected with them. The royal stories in this book include the duke who bickered with his brothers for forty years over family rules on inheritance; a spinster princess unexpectedly elevated to become queen of Great Britain; and a duke who found fame as a theatre director, scandalizing royal circles by marrying an actress.Schloss in Thuringia is the author’s sixth book on The Fascinating Royal History of German Castles. It begins in what was the duchy of Saxe-Altenburg in the east of Thuringia, at an enchanting schloss named for the happy homecoming of a duke imprisoned for championing Martin Luther and the Reformation. It ends in the breath-taking scenery of the Thuringian Forest with the principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the schloss home of the last princess of the German monarchy before she was evicted by Hitler.With 100 illustrations and 22 family trees, it should appeal to anyone who likes history, sightseeing, or is interested in people’s personal stories. The author’s five other books, called Schloss, Schloss II, Schloss III, Schloss in Bavaria, and Schloss in Baden-Württemberg are also available on Hoogstraten.nl Paperback edition, size 14x21.59cm, 283 pages, in English, illustrated.