Kulturhistorischen Museum Stralsund, Stralsund Museum, Dorina Kasten, Curator of Fine Arts, dkasten@stralsund.de
CH-769
Bilthoven, 22 oktober 2022
Dear Madam/Sir,
Excuse me for writing in English. You may respond in German.
My name is Hugo von Meijenfeldt. I live in Bilthoven, Netherlands. On 1 May 1793 my great-great-grandfather Johan August von Meijenfeldt arrived from your harbour in the Admiralty of Amsterdam. He was a natural son of the Swedish count Johan August von Meijerfeldt jr (1725-1800) and therefore a grandson of count Johan August von Meijerfeldt sr (1664-1749), governor general in Swedish Pomerania, living in the Meyerfeldtsches Palais in de Badenstraβe.
I know the material the Stadtarchiv has on the Meyerfeldt family, but do you perhaps also have material? The only piece I know is the coat of arms in the Katharinenkloster (see annex). Could you provide me with a higher resolution picture with true colours? I am willing to pay expenses involved.
Thank you in advance for any trouble taken.
Kind regards,
Hugo von Meijenfeldt
Stralsund, 20 oktober 2022
Dear Mr von Meijenfeldt,
thank you for your request. It is interesting that you are a descendent of Johann August von Meijerfeldt, Generalgouverneur of Swedish-Pommerania. But your name is spelt Meijenfeldt.
Unfortunately, there is only one object in the STRALSUND MUSEUM that concerns Meijerfeldt: a painting of his palace. If you are interested in getting a picture of this, let me know.
Viele Grüße
Dorina Kasten
Bilthoven, 27 oktober 2022
Dear Mrs. Dorina Kasten,
Thank you very much for your quick and informative response.
You are right that the spelling of my family name differs. Before the introduction of the Napoleontic rule to register your family name around 1810 this happened often. The Swedish count was sometimes spelled “von Meienfeld” (K. Winckelsesser, “Pommersches Geschlechterbuch”, deel 7, “Deutsches Geschlechterbuch”, deel 145, Limburg a/d Lahn 1967, pag. 330), and my great-great-grandfather was in his first years in Amsterdam spelled “Meijerfeldt”. There is more evidence that I am a ‘natural’ descendant. Nevertheless I can and will not have a claim on any title, castle or fortune.
It is a pity that the coat-of-arms in the annex of my previous e-mail is not in your collection anymore. The extra information I have is that it was made in the year 1726, that it comes from the Meijerfeldtsches Palais and that it belonged to collection gouvernor-general Axel von Löwen donated.
I am indeed interested in a picture of the painting of the palace.
Best regards,
Hugo von Meijenfeldt
Stralsund, 27 oktober 2022
Dear Mr von Meijenfeldt,
for what reason do you need the pic? In case of publication we have to effect an agreement.
Viele Grüße
Dorina Kasten
Bilthoven, 27 oktober 2022
Dear Dorina,
On my private website – approachable for the public, but not commercial – I devoted a page to two relevant buildings in Stralsund. The Kopferstich of the Meyerfeldtsches Palais is of poor quality. I would like to replace that picture, unless you say painting is exactly the same.
Thanks, Hugo
Stralsund, 28 oktober 2022
Dear Hugo,
see the pic stated below.
It is a colored drawing of a painter named Mähl. I think he was an architect, not an artist.
Viele Grüße
Dorina Kasten
Bilthoven, 28 oktober 2022
Lieber Dorina,
Thank you very much for the beautiful picture. Indeed, it is more a technical drawing than an artists painting. Nevertheless, the architect is someone else: Cornelius Loos, of Dutch origin!
I will mention that the painting is in the collection of the Stralsund Museum.
Next time I’m in your I will visit your museum.
Viele Grüße,
Hugo