The Duke and Duchess of Marlborough welcomed the mayor of Blindheim, the Bavarian principality which was the site of his ancestor's greatest military victory, to Blenheim Palace.

The mayor was among a group of 35 people from Blindheim and Höchstädt, which visited the Oxfordshire UNESCO World Heritage Site over the platinum jubilee weekend to mark the 300th anniversary of John Churchill, the First Duke of Marlborough's death.

Blenheim Palace was gifted to the Duke by Queen Anne on behalf of a grateful nation and named after the site of his most famous victory over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession. 

At the time the victory was hailed as the greatest British military success since Agincourt.

Both the mayor of Blindheim, Jürgen Frank and the mayor of Höchstädt, Gerrith Maneth, attended the event and the party also included Johann Mengele and his wife Annemarie, whose collection of artefacts from the battlefield are permanently displayed at the Palace.               

The group was hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their children Lord Caspar Spencer-Churchill and Lady Araminta Spencer-Churchill as well as Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill and Lady Rosemary Muir and was joined by other members of the family, local councillors, and the Blenheim team.

As part of the visit the 12th Duke and the two mayors signed a joint declaration to commemorate the historic bonds between the two sites.

The joint declaration concludes: 'When Queen Anne rewarded Marlborough with the Royal Manor of Woodstock estate, the house he built there, the most magnificent example of Baroque architecture on English soil, was named Blenheim Palace and became, not the least because of its future connection with Sir Winston Churchill, a part of the British national mythology and a World Heritage Site.

'Thus out of triumph and disaster, destruction and death more than 300 years ago arose a unique connection and an enduring relationship between the two communities in Bavaria and Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Let us preserve and transmit to coming generations this spirit of commemoration, peace, and mutual friendship.'

As part of the visit guests were also entertained by the Oxford Male Welsh Voice Choir and Andrew Patterson playing the Willis Organ in the Long Library as well as traditional German dancers in historical Bavarian costume.

Issued on behalf of Blenheim Palace. For more information please contact Samantha Vaughan on 07469 129743 or SVaughan@blenheimpalace.com .

About Blenheim Palace

Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, Blenheim Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Set in over 2,000 acres of 'Capability' Brown landscaped parkland and designed by Vanbrugh in the Baroque style, it houses one of the most important and extensive collections in Europe, which includes portraits, furniture, sculpture and tapestries.