Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, was a member of the House of Orange-Nassau and by marriage Princess of Prussia.
She was a woman who thought and lived very unconventionally for her time. Because she left her unfaithful husband Prince Albert of Prussia and had an illegitimate son with her partner Johannes van Rossum, she was banished from the Kingdom of Prussia. An avid art collector and patron, she made her new residence, Schloss Reinhartshausen in Erbach, a cultural attraction on the Rhine. Through her remarkable social commitment to the needy, especially in the Rheingau and Silesia, she gained great sympathy among the population. The Johanneskirche in Erbach, which was founded by the deeply religious Marianne after the tragic death of her 12-year-old illegitimate son, is closely linked to her fate. This church is an exceptional cultural monument and was the first Protestant church in the Rheingau.