Over 300 years of family history in Branitz

The roots of the Pückler family go back to the 13th century. An ancestor known as Pincerna (Latin for cupbearer) is mentioned in a chronicle of Breslau (Wroclaw). From Silesia, where the ancestor Nicolaus I. Pöckeler acquired the barony of Groditz in 1488, the path of the then ennobled family branches led to Franconia and Lusatia in the 17th century.

In 1696, Count August Sylvius of Pückler (1657-1748) acquired the Branitz, Kiekebusch and Haasow properties. With an interruption between 1784 to 1845, Branitz Palace was the ancestral home of the noble Pückler family, who had a major influence on politics, society and agriculture in Prussia, especially in the 19th century. As a result of the land reform after the Second World War, the family in East Germany was expropriated and expelled without compensation.

Hermann Count of Pückler (1939-2017), who had grown up in Branitz, returned to Brandenburg in 1991. He became involved in the formation of the new federal state and bought back parts of the former land. The movable property, e.g. the Palace inventory and collections, was restituted to the entitled heirs of the family under the Compensation Act. It is currently administered by the community of heirs (joint family ownership) and made available to the foundation as a loan to do research and make it publicly available.

Elke Countess of Pückler is a member of the foundation board and is committed to Cottbus. Maximilian Count von Pückler-Märker, son and successor of Hermann Count of Pückler, lives in Bavaria and in Branitz.

The Pückler family awards the Pückler Prize, which was first granted in 2010. It honours personalities who have rendered outstanding services to maintain the Pückler heritage.
The prize winners include Prof. Dr. Detlef Karg (retired Brandenburg State Conservator) in 2010 and Prof. Dr. Hartmut Dorgerloh (until 31 May 2018 General Director of the SPSG) together with Prof. Dr. Michael Rohde (Garden Director of the SPSG) in 2019.