Countess Sonja Bernadotte af Wisborg died today in a clinic in Freiburg after a long and difficult battle with breast cancer.. She was 64-years-old.
The former Sonja Haunz was born May 7, 1944 at Litzelstetten near Konstanz, Germany. Sonja first visited Mainau in 1961. her father became the head of the Verwaltung for the schloss and island.
The Schloss was the home of Count Lennart Bernadotte af Wisborg (ne Prince Lennart of Sweden), and his wife, Karin, who he had married in 1932, Lennart had inherited Mainau from his grandmother, Queen Victoria of Sweden, who was born a Princess of Baden.
In 1969, when Sonja was 25, she became Count Lennart's personal assistant. They fell in love, and after Lennart's divorce became final, they were married at Mainau on April 29, 1972.
It was due to Sonja's love for Mainau that the schloss and the gardens became major tourist attractions. It was her creativity that gave the schlosss different settings for different events, whether formal parties or governmental meeting.
Count Lennart, who was 35 years older than Sonja, died in December 2004. Sonja is survived by five children: Countess Bettina, Count Bjorn, Countess Catherine, Count Christian and Countess Diana, and three grandchildren.
Countess Bettina has run Mainau for several years now.
http://www.mainau.de/htdocs/de/start.htm
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