With the abolition of its privileges in 1919, the nobility lost the remnants of influence that had remained in Germany after a long and gradual economic decline. Nevertheless, the high aristocracy still stands in the spotlight today and reliably fills the pages of gossip magazines. Instead of merely attributing a certain entertainment value to the European nobility, there is much to suggest that it should be viewed as a kind of genetic world heritage: precious and endangered. For over a millennium, the aristocratic way of life and courtly etiquette have shaped Western social manners and left their marks up to the present day. In his essay, Jens Jessen dedicates himself to the beautiful and astonishing remnants of a pre-modernity that are suitable for holding a mirror up to our bourgeois society. In this mirror, we see.