UnderOath - Writing On The Walls

The chivalrously loyal Stefan von Braining briefly outlived his friend. He had been feeling ill for a long time, but continued to selflessly perform the duties of the guardian of Karl and the executor of Beethoven. He died on June 4, 1827, and his orphaned family had to urgently leave the office apartment in the Red House, located next to the House of the Black Spaniard. Therefore, many of Beethoven's letters and notes addressed to Braining and his son Gerhard were lost. Gerhard von Braining became a famous doctor and lived a long prosperous life (1813–1892). In 1874, he published a memorial book, In the House of the Black Spaniard, based not only on the recollections of his childhood friendship with Beethoven, but also on family stories and documents from the archives of the Braining and Wegler. The Wegler collection is still kept in Koblenz.