The island of Mainau is run by a private limited company, Mainau GmbH. The island and all properties were incorporated into this in 1974, by Count Lennart Bernadotte and his wife Countess Sonja Bernadotte. Mainau GmbH employs 150 people all year round, and 300 people in the flower season from March to October. Park and garden all open all year round. The departments of the GmbH are the profit centre “park, garden and forest”, “gastronomy” and “souvenir” and the corresponding internal service providers. As a private company without public subsidies, Mainau GmbH (annual turnover approx. €27 million) works in accordance with market-oriented aspects. The sole shareholder of Mainau GmbH is the Lennart-Bernadotte-Stiftung (Lennart Bernadotte Foundation), a charitable, legally responsible foundation in civil law.
Countess Bettina Bernadotte
Countess Bettina Bernadotte (born in 1974) is the oldest of the five children of Sonja and Lennart Bernadotte. Today, she controls the destiny of the tourism company, as the Managing Director of Mainau GmbH, together with her brother Björn. Since January 2007, Bettina Bernadotte has been the Managing Director. She is also President of the board of trustees for the conferences of Nobel prize winners in Lindau, member of the board of directors of the Deutsche Gartenbau-Gesellschaft (German horticultural society), member of the board of trustees of the child welfare organisation Plan International, and a member of the administrative board of the University of Hohenheim, patroness of Europa Miniköche (EU Mini-Chefs) and Managing Director of Minigärtner gGmbH (Mini-Gardeners).
Count Björn Bernadotte
The eldest son of Sonja and Lennart Bernadotte, born in 1975, has been the Managing Director of Mainau GmbH since 2011. Before that, he completed a degree in social education in Rorschach (Switzerland), alongside a commercial education. He not only uses the knowledge that he gained from this in his work as Managing Director at Mainau GmbH. He also uses it in the course of his work for the charitable Lennart Bernadotte Foundation. Count Björn Bernadotte lives in the Baroque castle on the Flower Island of Mainau.
© 2023 | Mainau GmbH - All rights reserved | Imprint | Privacy Policy