Augusta Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel


Augusta Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a daughter of the Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and his wife Juliane of Holstein-Norburg.

Life

Auguste Dorothea married on 7 August 1684 in Wolfenbüttel to Count Anton Günther II of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. He was elevated to Imperial Prince in 1697. The couple resided in Arnstadt; the marriage remained childless.
Auguste Dorothea survived her husband by 35 years. She spent her long widowhood at Augustenburg Castle in Arnstadt, building her famous dolls collection Mon Plaisir. These dolls were never intended as toys; they represent society in the style of a baroque Cabinet of curiosities. Augustenburg castle no longer exists; her doll collection has been moved to the New Palace in Arnstadt.