Ewald Marggraff
Encyclopedia
Mr.
Willem Frederik Ewald Marggraff (9 June 1923, Vught – 7 December 2003, Vught) was a controversial wealthy son of a famous family of Dutch nobility.
Ewald Marggraff was the son of Mr. Dr. Lodewijk Marggraff and Catharina Schran. He studied law in Utrecht
and international private law in Paris
.
On 7 December 2003 his house Zionsburg was destroyed by fire, while Marggraff was in the house. He was buried in the gardens of Zionsburg. In March 2006, the investigation of the accident and Marggraff's death was reopened, as there are reasons to believe the fire was not an accident, but arson
.
With more than 500 estates (on a surface area of about 7 km² in total) Marggraff was probably one of the richest men of Noord-Brabant, one of the Dutch provinces. His fortune was estimated in 1998 at 18 million euros (excluding his fortune outside the Netherlands). Marggraff's land is now owned by the Marggraff Stichting (a non-profit organization) and is open for the public (except for Zionsburg).
In November 2007, both Marggraff and Zionsburg became the main subjects of a non-fiction book, The Secret of Zionsburg (Het geheim van Zionsburg). In it the authors, Joris van Os and Jurriaan Maessen, speculate liberally on the backgrounds of the estate and its potential role in Dutch history. One of the more notable connections offered in the book is the one between Zionsburg and medieval Grail lore. The presence of Teutonic Knights
on the estate leads the authors to the hypothesis of Zionsburg being a potential resting place for a Crusader
treasure, possibly the Holy Grail
.
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
Willem Frederik Ewald Marggraff (9 June 1923, Vught – 7 December 2003, Vught) was a controversial wealthy son of a famous family of Dutch nobility.
Ewald Marggraff was the son of Mr. Dr. Lodewijk Marggraff and Catharina Schran. He studied law in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
and international private law in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
On 7 December 2003 his house Zionsburg was destroyed by fire, while Marggraff was in the house. He was buried in the gardens of Zionsburg. In March 2006, the investigation of the accident and Marggraff's death was reopened, as there are reasons to believe the fire was not an accident, but arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
.
With more than 500 estates (on a surface area of about 7 km² in total) Marggraff was probably one of the richest men of Noord-Brabant, one of the Dutch provinces. His fortune was estimated in 1998 at 18 million euros (excluding his fortune outside the Netherlands). Marggraff's land is now owned by the Marggraff Stichting (a non-profit organization) and is open for the public (except for Zionsburg).
In November 2007, both Marggraff and Zionsburg became the main subjects of a non-fiction book, The Secret of Zionsburg (Het geheim van Zionsburg). In it the authors, Joris van Os and Jurriaan Maessen, speculate liberally on the backgrounds of the estate and its potential role in Dutch history. One of the more notable connections offered in the book is the one between Zionsburg and medieval Grail lore. The presence of Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
on the estate leads the authors to the hypothesis of Zionsburg being a potential resting place for a Crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
treasure, possibly the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
.