2: Timeline

Here you will encounter our 1000-year-old family history. Our story begins with the first known ancestor in male line, Count Stephan of Sponheim. It explains which members of the princely family made their mark on history until today.

Among our more famous ancestors are Heinrich the Great of Sayn, Chamberlain Ludwig the Elder with his 23 children and Field Marshal Peter. But you will also encounter important princesses, such as the immensely wealthy Stephanie, the beautiful Leonilla and the much-celebrated Marianne.

A family portrait from summer 2019 awaits you towards the end of this passageway, taken in November 2023 at Prince Alexander’s 80th birthday. There you find Prince Alexander and Princess Gabriela surrounded by six of their seven children, their spouses and twelve grandchildren.

At such family celebrations, everyone misses Princess Filippa, who passed away much too early in an accident in 2001. A foundation was set up to commemorate her.