Prussians Mark 300th Anniversary of Friedrich the Great’s Birth
These past two weeks, the Prince and Princess of Prussia have attended events to mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of King Friedrich II, on January 24th, 1712.
The first of these events was an official dinner on Monday January 16th, hosted by the President of Germany, Christian Wulff, at Bellevue Palace in Berlin. Prince Georg Friedrich and Princess Sophie posed for photos with the President and his wife, First Lady Bettina Wulff, in the main hall prior to the reception. Princess Sophie wore a blush pink cap-sleeved cocktail dress with ruched and pleated detailing around the neckline and bodice, paired with grey court shoes.
On January 24th, Prince Georg Friedrich attended several events held to mark the anniversary. First, a wreath-laying ceremony took place at the tomb of King Friedrich at Sanssouci Palace, where he was laid to rest in August 1991 on the 205th anniversary of his death following the German Reunification. The Prince was joined by the Premier of the state of Brandenburg, Matthias Platzeck, and the Mayor of Potsdam, the Hon. Jann Jakobs, for the ceremony, in which he placed a cross of white carnations bearing a black and white ribbon emblazoned with the Prussian crown and ‘GF’ on the grave of his ancestor. Premier Platzeck laid a wreath emblazoned with the red Brandenburg eagle.
The ceremony was followed by reception and then a concert held at the Concert House on Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, attended by Prince Georg Friedrich, President Wulff and the Mayor of Berlin, the Hon. Klaus Wowereit. The three men each gave speeches discussing the significance of the impact of King Friedrich II (also known as ‘Friedrich the Great’ and ‘Old Fritz’) in German history.
Friedrich the Great was born on January 24th, 1712 as the eldest son of King Friedrich Wilhelm I in Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. He succeeded to the Prussian throne in 1740, and became ‘King of Prussia’ in February 1772 after taking control of the entire historical Prussian state. He died on August 17th, 1786.
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Filed under GermanyTagged Anniversary, Birth, Friedrich II of Prussia, Georg Friedrich Prince of Prussia, President Wulff of Germany, Princess Sophie of Prussia, Prussia.
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