Evening star., 1923-08-17
BY THE MARaUIsE DE FONTENoy

III THE MAha lSk DE FUN IENe A'
Oels, where the ex-Crown Princess
| Of Germany is now living with her
children since she moved from the
so-called marble palace at Potsdam.
| in order TO hold herself aloof from
any maneuvers OF the ultra-mon-
| archist hotheads against the Ger
man republic, belongs to her hus-
| band. now interneI by the Dutch
government on the Island of "fcr-
ingen on the Zuyder Zee. The castle
of Oels forms part OF tho former
sovereign state Of Oels, which, COM
prising estates fifteen in number. as
we'll as the ancient town of Oels.
and covering an area of some 10000
acres, constitutes the entailed private
property of the former crown prince.
the River Oder in the province of
Silesia. not far distant from Breslau,
and. at any rate until the overthrow
| Of the German nnonarchies In Novem-
her, 1918, enjoyed a certain amount
OF autonomy and all sorts of privi-
leges and prerogatives. In ancient
times 1t belonged to the sovereign
Dukes Of Silesia of the Munsterberg
dynasty. When their line became
| extinct, Oels passed into the pos
session of the sovereign Dukes OF
| brunswick. In 1924. by virtue of a
then reigning Diamond Duke"
Charles of Brunswick transferred
Oels to his younger brother and
eventual successor, William. as ms
personal property. When Duke VIII
iiam of Brunswick passed away in
/ of Sybillenort. and the elder line OF
the Duke of the House OF Brunswick
became extinct. he bequeathed. by
his will, Sybillenort and the estate
to his kinsman, King Albert OF Sax
ony. and the castle Of Oels and the
town of Oels and the entire princi-
pality of Gels TO the former crown
Prince of Germany, who was not only
his kinsman. but also his godson, and
for whom he had conceived good deal
Of affection.
After his marriage and until the
great war. the ex-crown prince
and his half-Russian consort, who
had been brought up entirely in
France by her mother. the late
Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia
and of Mecklenburg- -Schwerin, 30
familiar a figure to transatlantic
visitors and residents Of the French
Riviera, made a point of spending a
few weeks each year at Oels. where
their stay was invariably made the
occasion of great rejoicing, of lawn
festivities and OF the distribution OF
largesses. Naturally, the population
learned to look upon the ex-crown
prince and the crown princess as
their benefactors and to treat them
, as IL they. rather than the ex- kaiser
and the late kaiserin, were their real
soyereigns. There was, and probably
still is, excellent shooting on the
estate.
from the early part Of the eighteenth
century. though portions of 1t are
more than 800 years old, Is thorough-
| ly up-to-d date in all modem comforts
and luxuries. occupies an eminence
which commands a view OF the wind
ing River Oder for miles and miles
in both directions and Is crowded
from cellar to garret with art treas
ures amassed by its former occu-
pants. the sovereign Dukes Of Silesia
Of the Munsterberg dynasty and then
by the Duke Of Brunswick. Strange
to relate, OelS has never been plum
dered, having enjoyed a well-nigh
unique immunity in this respect
X X X
The Berlin government, which has
always manifested a sincere regard
and profound respect for the ex-
crown princess. viewed with particu-
lar satisfaction the transfer Of her
abode to Oels from Potsdam. where
she was exposed all the time to pres
, sure by her husbands brothers and
| by monarchical conspirators to lend
lcountenance to their plottings agains st
the republic. Whatever sentiments
or hopes she may have with regard
to the future. she realizes that the
time is not ripe yet for any mon
archical restoration and that some
years will have to elapse before the
shortcomings Of the ex-kaiser and of
| his sons are relegated to sufficient OBJ
livion to render possible the restora-
| tion Of the dynasty of the Hohenzol-
lerns in the person of her eldest. now
boy. a wholesome lad.
who, fortunately, takes after his
] emothey rather than after hja worth.