Today the Schulenburg family looks back on a history of almost 800 years with 24 traceable generations. Throughout history, the family has produced and nurtured remarkable individuals - male and female - including generals, bishops, art collectors, patrons, activists, members of the resistance against the Nazis, politicians, artists, writers and intellectuals as well as individuals from the wrong side of the tracks such as brigands and other assorted reprobates. This short book relates the brilliant successes and arduous difficulties of a distinguished family through many tumultuous centuries. The eras covered include the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, the Napoleonic wars, the Industrial Revolution and finally the 20th century. Independent of political, social and intellectual trends, the family always attempted to preserve its strong sense of identity, community and trust in its own family roots.