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Hundreds jump at chance to live in a castle for next to nothing

It’s not every day the opportunity comes up to live in a castle for minimal rent, so when the commune of Meggen advertised for someone to take care of the majestic Meggenhorn castle on the banks of Lake Lucerne, the response was overwhelming.

Published: 20 April 2018 11:18 CEST

Hundreds jump at chance to live in a castle for next to nothing

Photo: Dennis Jarvis, Wikimedia Commons

By the closing date, 160 applications for the job of castle keeper had been received, exceeding all expectations, 20 Minuten reported.

The successful candidate will be expected to keep an eye on the castle night and day, but in return they will get to live in a three-room apartment for a low rent.

“We are really amazed to have received so many applications,” the paper quoted commune secretary Daniel Ottiger as saying.

One likely factor was that jobs like this don’t come up very often, Ottiger speculated. But the castle’s amazing location was also a huge draw.

“It’s an absolute dream job, not least because of the view from the apartment,” said the current manager who is retiring after 25 years in the position.

There is plenty for the manager to do: just closing the castle’s 60 shutters, for instance, takes half an hour.

Then there is the reservations calendar to manage as the castle is a popular venue for weddings and events.

The commune is currently wading through the applications, and is expected to decide on who gets the dream job at the end of May.

How a German castle has sparked civil war in Monaco's royal family

Marienburg Castle in Lower Saxony pictured during the recent snow. Photo: DPA

Ernst August, 66, gave his son the fairytale-like Marienburg castle and several other properties between 2004 and 2007, but now wants them back citing “gross ingratitude”, the district court of Hanover said in a statement on Tuesday.

It is the latest public spat to hit the aristocratic family, whosepatriarch has over the years been nicknamed “the party prince” and even “the brawling prince” over his jetset lifestyle and drunken escapades.

According to the court statement, Ernst August filed a lawsuit at the end of last year seeking to revoke the gifts of Marienburg Castle, the Calenburg manor house and a royal property in Herrenhausen.

He accuses his son, Ernst August junior, of acting against his wishes and going behind his back by offering Marienburg Castle to the state of Lower Saxony as public property – partly because of the huge costs of maintaining the mid-19th century Gothic-style building.

READ ALSO: Just one sixth of Germans want own monarchy back

The plaintiff, who lives in Austria, also accuses his son of improperly appropriating artworks and antiques owned by the family.

Ernst August senior estimates the total value of the disputed properties and items at some five million euros, the court said.

Ernst August junior, 37, told German news agency DPA that the case had no merit, saying all the arguments raised “have already been invalidated out-of-court in the past”.

He said the deal struck to transfer ownership of Marienburg Castle to the regional authorities of Lower Saxony was “legally secure”.

“There's nothing that stands in the way of the long-term preservation of Marienburg as a central cultural monument of Lower Saxony, open to all,” he said.

The court has not yet set a date for a hearing.

Ernst August senior has been feuding for years with his son over the family's royal properties.

So severe was the spat that he declined his official consent to his son's 2017 marriage to Russian-born fashion designer Ekaterina Malysheva and stayed away from the wedding.

Princess Caroline, who has been separated from her husband since 2009, did attend the nuptials.

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