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Kaiser Wilhelm II was the last emperor of Germany. He was also only the third of that rare species, as the German empire had not been established until 1871. He was crowned emperor in 1888 and used his power to try and make Germany as great and important as Great-Britain (Wilhelm was the grandson of Queen Victoria and looked up towards the British Empire enormously). Because of his militaristic style of government, after WWI, the defeated Germans blamed Wilhelm for the war. He was forced to abdicate and asked for asylum in The Netherlands. This country had been neutral during WWI and queen Wilhelmina was a distant relative of Wilhelm.
Wilhelm was granted asylum and in 1920 was able to buy the small manor house Huis Doorn in the middle of The Netherlands. He was allowed access to his possessions in Germany and decorated Huis Doorn with 59 train-wagons full of furniture and art objects from his palaces in Berlin and Potsdam. This was a great deal too much for Huis Doorn and most of the things were put into storage.
Wilhelm lived in Doorn first with his wife Empress Augusta-Victoria and after her death in 1921 with his second wife princess Hermine and her children from her first marriage. Wilhelm was only allowed to go 15 km beyond the boundaries of his estate. If he wanted to go further away, he had to ask permission from the Dutch government. The reason for this was that, as a political refugee, the government had in fact promised to protect him. Wilhelm hardly ever went from the terrain of Huis Doorn, where he spent the largest part of his time with chopping wood and writing his memoirs.
Wilhelm died in 1941, at which time The Netherlands was occupied by Hitler's Germany. He was buried in a small mausoleum in the garden of Huis Doorn. He did not want to be buried in German soil until the monarchy was re-established. His wish was also that no swastika's were shown at his funeral (he was opposed to the Nazi rule of Germany), but as the occupying German forces controlled his funeral, it still became a show of Nazi pride.
After WWII, the Dutch government confiscated Huis Doorn (as they did with all the properties of Germans) and the house has been a museum ever since. In June every year, a small but devoted band of German monarchists comes to pay their respect and lay wreaths at the mausoleum of Wilhelm.
If you want to see how the house looks, I went there last week and you can check my post at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
all_castles here
Wilhelm was granted asylum and in 1920 was able to buy the small manor house Huis Doorn in the middle of The Netherlands. He was allowed access to his possessions in Germany and decorated Huis Doorn with 59 train-wagons full of furniture and art objects from his palaces in Berlin and Potsdam. This was a great deal too much for Huis Doorn and most of the things were put into storage.
Wilhelm lived in Doorn first with his wife Empress Augusta-Victoria and after her death in 1921 with his second wife princess Hermine and her children from her first marriage. Wilhelm was only allowed to go 15 km beyond the boundaries of his estate. If he wanted to go further away, he had to ask permission from the Dutch government. The reason for this was that, as a political refugee, the government had in fact promised to protect him. Wilhelm hardly ever went from the terrain of Huis Doorn, where he spent the largest part of his time with chopping wood and writing his memoirs.
Wilhelm died in 1941, at which time The Netherlands was occupied by Hitler's Germany. He was buried in a small mausoleum in the garden of Huis Doorn. He did not want to be buried in German soil until the monarchy was re-established. His wish was also that no swastika's were shown at his funeral (he was opposed to the Nazi rule of Germany), but as the occupying German forces controlled his funeral, it still became a show of Nazi pride.
After WWII, the Dutch government confiscated Huis Doorn (as they did with all the properties of Germans) and the house has been a museum ever since. In June every year, a small but devoted band of German monarchists comes to pay their respect and lay wreaths at the mausoleum of Wilhelm.
If you want to see how the house looks, I went there last week and you can check my post at
all_castles here 
