Heinrich Count of Brühl

A leading German statesman of the eighteenth century and rival to the Prussian King Frederick II

* 13.08.1700 Gangloffsömmern (Thuringia)
† 28.10.1763 Dresden

Brühl entered the service of Augustus the Strong, the Elector of Saxony, as a silver page in 1720. He rapidly rose through the ranks and was accorded the title of prime minister in 1746. Through the successor to Augustus the Strong, Elector Frederick Augustus II, Brühl also gained great personal influence.

Heinrich Count of Brühl above all became known as a patron of the arts and culture. His significant cultural achievements include the expansion and further development of the Dresden art collections and the Meissen porcelain manufacture under his leadership. He aso commissioned various construction projects privately, especially in Dresden such as the Brühlsche Terrasse architectural ensemble. However, he was already accused of favouritism and mismanagement by his contemporaries.

Brühl remained in exile with the court in Warsaw during the Prussian occupation. Upon his return to Dresden and the death of his patron Frederick Augustus II, Brühl forestalled his removal from power by resigning from his offices. He died just a few weeks later. Brühl was a controversial figure even during his lifetime, not least because of Prussian propaganda.
During the occupation and plundering of Saxony, Frederick the Great also took personal revenge on Brühl from 1756 by having many of his castles destroyed, including his favourite residence in Pförten (Polish: Brody) in 1758. Brühl had acquired and expanded the castle and associated demesne in 1740. It served as a stop on the king/elector's journeys between Dresden and Warsaw.

Brühl additionally acquired the neighbouring town and demesne of Forst in addition to Pförten in 1744/46, thus once again reunifying one of the largest noble demesne complexes in Lower Lusatia after eight decades. This demesne, which was the largest estate among Brühl's numerous acquisitions, led to a close historical connection to the town of Forst. On the initiative and under the direction of Brühl's private secretary Carl Heinrich von Heinecken, a textile manufacturing industry was established both here and in Pförten, which is considered the nucleus of Forst's cloth industry that later became important throughout Germany. Under Brühl, Forst and the smaller demesne of Pförten gained an urban architectural character in the Saxon rococo style, which has in part survived to this day (Forst town church, for example).

The majorate estate of Forst-Pförten established in Brühl's will meant that his descendants continued to live in Pförten up until 1945. Brühl's body was transported to Forst from Dresden after his death and buried in Forst town church in early November 1763.

Brühl's confidant Heineken (1707–1791) also had a decisive influence on the Altdöbern estate, which came into his possession in 1746/51 thanks to Brühl and served as his residence until his death in 1763. Heineken had the castle, park, estate farm and village of Altdöbern itself extensively redesigned and expanded.

Author: Dr. Jan Klußmann
English translation: Denise Dewey-Muno
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