The Duke of Brunswick, Charles Federick August William, was a distinguished linguist, horsemen and musician was born 1804. He dethroned and chased out in 1830 and thus, took refuge in Paris, but spent his last three years back in Geneva. Mr. Charles Frederick August William was an eccentric and a paranoiac.

His death in 18 August 1873 provided a tidy sum for the city Geneva. But in his will, Geneva, as his residuary legatee must provide his final resting place that is in “an eminent and worthy location, executed according to the established concept by the finest artists of the time, without consideration of cost”.

He also stipulated that his mausoleum must be the exact replica of the Scaliger family tomb in Verona, Itay (circa 14th century).