The von Arnim Foundation
Von Arnimsche Stiftung
The von Arnim family has a long tradition to provide assistance to family members in need of support. Three main periods can be distinguished:
- Mutual support to maintain landownership
- Mutual support through financial contributions
- Financial support going beyond family members.
The first period (1441- 1823) has already been touched upon under the previous chapter (Family history) and which was in response to the then prevailing feudal system.
- The second period (1823 – 1981) can be defined as the support through financial means, when the then province governor and owner of Gerswalde Carl Ludolph Bernhard von Arnim with his sister Charlotte Sophie Beate, widow von Versen, jointly created the “von Arnim-Gerswaldische Familienstiftung”. The beneficiaries were restricted to descendants of his branch.
- Similarly a few years later the royal captain and owner of Sperrenwalde together with his wife Johanna Sophia Dorothea, born Georges founded the “von Arnim-Sperrenwaldische Familienstiftung”. In the absence of descendants of this couple, the beneficiaries were the same as in the previous “Stiftung”. Actually, Johanna had also been married to Carl Ludolph Bernhard after his widowhood from Charlotte. The tombs of both founders can still be seen in the shadow of the ruins of the church of Gross-Sperrenwalde.
- In the late fifties of the 19th century the aforementioned Adolf-Heinrich Graf von Arnim, then Prime minister of Prussia and owner of the county of Boitzenburg constituted a “Stiftung des Hauses Boitzenburg” with a different set of beneficiaries.
- The Saxonian branches of Planitz and Kriebstein had created on the 14th of January 1888 in Dresden a further “von Arnimsche Familienstiftung”. The founders were the descendants of the royal Polonian chamberlain Johann Georg von Arnim. The constituting fortune was mainly contributed by Friedrich Henning von Arnim of the Planitz branch and stemmed from coal mining.
The third period started with the joining of forces of the 4 existing foundations which all had suffered greatly through war and inflation. But reason prevailed and put together and opening up to other than family members allowed us to obtain the status of a foundation of public benefit. A careful monitoring of the beneficiaries is necessary to make sure, that we keep our status of tax exemption. The new foundation held again the name of „von Arnimsche Stiftung“.
This happened through decision of the family assembly of 1. August 1981. Its legal residence was set in Bonn and therefore the formal authorization was given by the Minister of Interior of the Land Nordrhein-Westfalen. According to its rules it provides limited financial support both to family members and to non family members. This latter obligation is being fulfilled through the support of a humanitarian organization, acting in the area of former residence where the majority of the Arnim family lived prior to 1945(Uckermark).This is at the same time a highly appreciated contribution to the social infrastructure in one of the poorest provinces of Germany. Our compliance with the tax rules is being regularly checked by the tax office “Finanzamt für Körperschaften” in Berlin.