42: Car racing, a fascination for Princess Marianne and her family

“As we already have dedicated a room on the lower ground to children, this room will hopefully make men feel particularly welcome. But not only men“, Prince Alexander is convinced; “all guests who are keen on sports should have fun here. 

My mother’s photographs again take centre stage, and you will immediately realise just how much of a sports enthusiast she was. 

While seated on the grandstand, enjoy films about car racing or my mother’s life.”

The focus of her interest was, and still is today, automotive racing. Together with her husband, she never missed a race at the nearby Nürburgring, which was a very popular attraction after the war. The grandstands were overcrowded with racing aficionados. Everyone got a kick out of the deafening noise as well as the smell of ether that was released from the huge exhaust pipes and quickly filled the air. After the war, the new heroes were the daring and brave racecar drivers. 

“Udi” and “Manni” were always in the thick of it. They personally knew all the “gentlemen drivers”, who dominated the sport at that time and so they were allowed to stand at the pits during the races, providing co-pilots waiting for their turn with refreshments and keeping them company. In the evenings after the races, they often celebrated together at their home in Sayn.