Hardenberg
Aristocrat – Statesman – Reformer
Neuhardenberg was named after Karl August von Hardenberg. In recognition of the services he rendered to the state, King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia ennobled him and gifted him the estate and village of Quilitz, which were subsequently renamed to Neu-Hardenberg. This marked the end of the long, not always straightforward career of this aristocrat, diplomat, reformer and statesman, who had held various senior positions in the state of Prussia. The highly decorated and ultimately ennobled statesman had already no longer been in the public eye for quite some time when he died in Genoa during a tour of Italy 200 years ago, on 26 November 1822.
The Stiftung Schloss Neuhardenberg foundation is dedicating an extensive exhibition to the man the castle was named after by way of an introduction to the clever, far-sighted and tireless reformer. It also addresses the highs and lows in the life of a fascinating figure, and thereby shines a light on Hardenberg as someone who lived at a time that was defined by epochal changes. Some of its major turning points were down to him. Structured by portraits painted at various stages of Hardenberg‘s life, the exhibition shows stations of a life that was shaped both by class-consciousness as well as public-spiritedness with the aid of numerous original works of art and documents from museums, archives and private collections. His legacy continues to have an impact to this day.
