It is hard to imagine a more evocative place to plan a coup than the Waidmannsheil hunting lodge. Built in the 19th century in the neo-Gothic style, complete with battlements and turrets, the lodge is perched on a rocky outcrop outside the small spa town of Bad Lobenstein, in the central German state of Thuringia. It would make a movie-location scout salivate. The 71-year-old owner of the lodge, with his flamboyantly long gray hair, eccentric pursuits, and penchant for tweed and putsches, would similarly excite a casting director.
Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, the owner of the lodge, was arrested last week along with 24 other members of an alleged plot to overthrow the German state. When images of the aristocratic Reuss—who is said to have been the mastermind of the coup attempt—emerged on social media, the fact that he looked like a provincial English antiques dealer led many to suppose that talk of a putsch was overblown and that the arrests were an over-reaction by the security forces.
