Prinzessin Kira von Preußen Stiftung

The Prinzessin Kira von Preußen Stiftung is a German charitable foundation (Stiftung) established in June 1952 by Kira Prinzessin von Preußen and her husband Dr. Louis Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen. Its founding purpose was to give socially disadvantaged children and young people free holiday stays on Burg Hohenzollern, the ancestral seat of the Prussian royal house and the Princes of Hohenzollern. The foundation was approved by a resolution of the Hanseatic City of Bremen on 16 June 1952 and is recognised by the tax office as charitable and tax-privileged. The foundation's origins lie in the aftermath of the Second World War. Kira and Louis Ferdinand wanted to help children and young people who were suffering particularly from the dramatic post-war situation. They had part of the castle furnished with suitable rooms for boys and girls. In the summer of 1954 the first twenty young guests travelled via the Berlin airlift from the destroyed city to holiday stays at Burg Hohenzollern. Since then, more than 16,000 children and young people have enjoyed a free holiday stay on the castle (as of December 2025). After Kira's death, her husband continued to lead the foundation. Following his death in 1994, his grandson and current head of the House of Hohenzollern, Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preußen, took over the chairmanship. After his marriage he handed the chairmanship to his wife, Sophie Prinzessin von Preußen, in 2012. Sophie, who has many years of professional experience in the foundation sector, is a mother of four and is passionately dedicated to developing the foundation so that even more children and young people can benefit. Until German reunification, only children from the formerly war-destroyed Berlin were able to stay at the castle. After reunification the circle of guests was expanded. Today, alongside groups from the Kinderschutzbund, SOS Children's Villages and various social institutions from all over Germany, young people from New York City who lost family members in the 11 September attacks are also invited. Since 2006, meetings of Palestinian, Israeli and German young people have taken place at the castle as part of a special project seeking to contribute to better understanding and peaceful coexistence. The foundation is financed largely through annual benefit concerts in the Grafensaal of Burg Hohenzollern, a tradition since 1995, as well as through donations and online donation platforms such as betterplace.org. In the early years, Prince Louis Ferdinand donated all income from his book Im Strom der Geschichte to the foundation. The foundation's board (as of the 2023 statutes) consists of Sophie Prinzessin von Preußen (chairwoman), Johann G. Lehmann, Hubertus von Kessel, Hans Carsten Dreßler and Erik Reger. Further members are elected by the board. The foundation's work on the castle is supported by the current castle lords, Fürst Karl von Hohenzollern and Prinz Georg Friedrich von Preußen.

The Prinzessin Kira von Preußen Stiftung was founded in June 1952 by Kira Prinzessin von Preußen and her husband Dr. Louis Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen as a youth recreation organisation on Burg Hohenzollern, the family's ancestral seat. The foundation was approved by a resolution of the Hanseatic City of Bremen on 16 June 1952 and has been recognised by the tax office as charitable and tax-privileged ever since. The founding context was the dramatic post-war situation in Germany. Kira and Louis Ferdinand wanted to do something good for children and young people who were suffering particularly from the aftermath of the war. They had part of the castle furnished with appealing rooms for boys and girls. In the summer of 1954, the first twenty young guests travelled via the Berlin airlift from the destroyed city to holiday stays at Burg Hohenzollern. This marked the beginning of a tradition that continues to this day. Kira Prinzessin von Preußen was born in Paris in 1909 as Grand Duchess of Russia, a granddaughter of Tsar Alexander II. Her father, Kyrill Wladimirowitsch Romanow, was declared head of the House of Romanow after the murder of the Russian imperial family. Her parents fled Russia for Finland after the October Revolution of 1917. At the age of 16, Grand Duchess Kira met her future husband, Louis Ferdinand, in 1925 at Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam. They married in 1938. After the marriage, the family moved to Gut Cadinen near Elbing in East Prussia in 1940. At the end of the war they fled from the Red Army via Potsdam to Bad Kissingen. From 1947 the couple lived with their children in Bremen, and from the early 1960s they had a second residence in Berlin. Louis Ferdinand became head of the House of Hohenzollern in 1951 as successor to the last German crown prince. After Kira's death, the foundation remained active under her husband Louis Ferdinand. In the early years, Prince Louis Ferdinand donated all income from his book Im Strom der Geschichte to the foundation. After his death in 1994, his grandson and current head of the house, Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preußen, took over the chairmanship of the foundation. After his marriage, he handed over the chairmanship to his wife, Sophie Prinzessin von Preußen, in 2012. Sophie, who has many years of professional experience in the foundation sector, is a mother of four and is passionately dedicated to developing the foundation so that even more children and young people can benefit. Until German reunification, only children from the formerly war-destroyed Berlin were able to stay at the castle. After reunification, the circle of foundation guests was expanded. Today, alongside groups from the Kinderschutzbund, SOS Children's Villages and various social institutions from all over Germany, young people from New York City who lost family members in the 11 September attacks are also invited. Since 2006, meetings of Palestinian, Israeli and German young people have taken place at the castle as part of a special project seeking to contribute to better understanding and peaceful coexistence. To enable the children's holiday stays at the castle, the then castle lords, Prince Louis Ferdinand von Preußen and Fürst Friedrich Wilhelm von Hohenzollern, made a floor of the castle available. Since the death of Prince Louis Ferdinand von Preußen, the foundation's work on the castle has been continued with the support of the current castle lords, Fürst Karl von Hohenzollern and Prinz Georg Friedrich von Preußen. In total, more than 16,000 children and young people have been able to enjoy a free holiday stay on Burg Hohenzollern (as of December 2025). The foundation is financed largely through annual benefit concerts in the Grafensaal of Burg Hohenzollern, a tradition since 1995, as well as through donations and online donation platforms such as betterplace.org. The foundation's board (as of the 2023 statutes) consists of Sophie Prinzessin von Preußen (chairwoman), Johann G. Lehmann, Hubertus von Kessel, Hans Carsten Dreßler and Erik Reger. Further members are elected by the board.

• Kira Prinzessin von Preußen and her husband Dr. Louis Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen found the foundation.

• The foundation is approved by a resolution of the Hanseatic City of Bremen.

• The first 20 young guests travel via the Berlin airlift from Berlin to holiday stays at Burg Hohenzollern.

• After the death of Louis Ferdinand, his grandson Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preußen takes over the chairmanship.

• The foundation begins to receive a large part of its donations through annual benefit concerts in the Grafensaal of Burg Hohenzollern.

• Meetings of Palestinian, Israeli and German young people begin at the castle as part of a special project.

• Georg Friedrich Prinz von Preußen hands over the chairmanship to his wife, Sophie Prinzessin von Preußen.

• More than 16,000 children and young people have enjoyed a free holiday stay on Burg Hohenzollern.

A tradition-rich charitable foundation that provides free recreational stays for socially disadvantaged children and young people on Burg Hohenzollern.

1. 1HERZLICH WILLKOMMEN — Prinzessin Kira von Preußen Stiftungkira-stiftung.de
2. 2GESCHICHTE — Prinzessin Kira von Preußen Stiftungkira-stiftung.de
3. 3Prinzessin Kira von Preußen Stiftungwikidata.org
4. 4Prinzessin Kira von Preußen Stiftungde.wikipedia.org