Amalie Krudener Famous beauty of high society of the 19th century Date of Birth: 16.06.1808 Country: Germany

1. Amalia Kridener: The Belle of the 19th Century
2. Early Life and Family
3. Marriage to Baron A. S. Kridener
4. Second Marriage and Philanthropic Work
5. Later Life and Legacy

Amalia Kridener: The Belle of the 19th Century

Amalia Kridener, known as the belle of the 19th century, was a renowned beauty who captured the hearts of many, including the poet Fyodor Tyutchev, who dedicated poems to her. She was also known for her philanthropic efforts during the Crimean War, where she opened a children's shelter in Simferopol.

Early Life and Family

Amalia's mother, Theresa, was the wife of Prince Karl Alexander Turn and Taxis (1770-1827) and the sister-in-law of Princess Louise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie (1776-1810), the wife of King Frederick William III of Prussia and the mother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia. It was rumored that Amalia was not Theresa's niece, but rather the result of her relationship with King Wilhelm. However, Count Lerchenfeld recognized Amalia as his daughter and raised her alongside his legitimate son Gustav with his wife Bella Lerchenfeld.

Marriage to Baron A. S. Kridener

At the age of fifteen, Amalia was married off to Baron A. S. Kridener, a Baltic baron who was described as "old and unpleasant." He served as the acting envoy of the Russian Embassy in Munich and held various diplomatic positions. Despite the circumstances of their marriage, Amalia possessed a rare and unique beauty that captivated the likes of Heinrich Heine, who referred to her as the "Divine Amalia" and the "sister" of the Medici Venus. She also garnered admiration from poets such as Tyutchev, Pushkin, Vyazemsky, Turgenev, and even Tsar Nicholas I. King Ludwig I of Bavaria commissioned a portrait of her for his Gallery of Beauties in the Nymphenburg Palace.

Second Marriage and Philanthropic Work

After her first husband's death, Amalia remarried to Nicholas Vladimirovich Adlerberg, the son of a Russian court minister. During the Crimean War, Count Adlerberg was appointed as the military governor of Taurida. Moved by the plight of orphaned children brought from the besieged city of Sevastopol to Simferopol, Countess Adlerberg disregarded bureaucratic formalities and opened a shelter for fourteen orphaned children on December 31, 1854, using her own funds. The shelter was housed in a two-story building on the corner of Pushkinskaya and Gogolevskaya streets, which later became the Crimean Regional Museum in 1921 and its branch, the Crimean Ethnographic Museum, in 1993.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1856, Count Adlerberg was appointed as the Governor-General of Finland. After the death of Alexander II, the Adlerbergs relocated to Munich. They were laid to rest in Rottach-Egern at the St. Lawrence Church cemetery. Amalia Kridener's exceptional beauty and her contributions to charitable causes during the war left an enduring mark on the history of the 19th century.