Even until her later years, Duchess Victoria Luise’s (1892-1980) life was steeped in her love of nature and hiking. After the abdication of Duke Ernst August (1887–1953) in 1918, the ducal family left Brunswick Palace and moved to Gmunden on Lake Traunsee. In her memoirs, Victoria Luise recounts the happy times her family spent there. When she moved back north to Blankenburg in 1926, she explored the Harz Mountains with the help of a hiking guidebook. Photos, hiking books, backpacks, and drinking cups bear witness to her love of nature.

Victoria Luise returned to Austria every year and, accompanied by mountain rescuers from Gmunden, climbed the peaks of the Salzkammergut, such as the Dachstein, the Großer Priel, and the Traunstein. At the age of 72, she earned the Gmunden hiking badge. Back in Braunschweig, Victoria Luise was also active in sports, enjoying dancing, swimming, and running.