Is This Really How It Happened?
Louis de Pigage did exist. He was brother to Nicolas de Pigage, the architect behind Benrath Palace, and he also administered the estate. Madame de Brizy was our own invention.
Johann Heinrich Merck, too, was a real person. He visited Benrath Palace in 1778 and wrote about his stay in the account of his journey. He was acquainted with Duchess Anna Amalia of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, and he was close friends with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
The topics discussed by Madame de Brizy and Louis de Pigage – for instance, the Electoral Couple’s unhappy marriage – are based on historical facts. If you want to find out more about the Electoral Couple’s lives and the inhabitants of the palace, we advise you to consult our books (for instance “Frauengeschichten”, which can be purchased at the museum shop).