Ludwigsburg Palace is one of
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
's largest
baroqueBaroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in...
palaces and features an enormous baroque garden. It is located in the city of
LudwigsburgLudwigsburg is a city in Germany, about north of Stuttgart's city center, near the river Neckar. It is the capital of the Ludwigsburg District , and belongs to the Stuttgart Region in the Administrative region of Stuttgart.- History :The middle of Neckarland, in which Ludwigsburg lies, was...
( north of
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
's city centre). The Palace was at times one of the most magnificent courts in Europe (according to
CasanovaGiacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt was a Venetian adventurer and author. His main book Histoire de ma vie , part autobiography and part memoir, is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century.He was so famous as a...
).
The foundation stone was laid on May 17, 1704 under Duke Eberhard Ludwig of
WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
(reigning monarch from 1693 to 1733).
Ludwigsburg Palace is one of
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
's largest
baroqueBaroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in...
palaces and features an enormous baroque garden. It is located in the city of
LudwigsburgLudwigsburg is a city in Germany, about north of Stuttgart's city center, near the river Neckar. It is the capital of the Ludwigsburg District , and belongs to the Stuttgart Region in the Administrative region of Stuttgart.- History :The middle of Neckarland, in which Ludwigsburg lies, was...
( north of
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
's city centre). The Palace was at times one of the most magnificent courts in Europe (according to
CasanovaGiacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt was a Venetian adventurer and author. His main book Histoire de ma vie , part autobiography and part memoir, is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century.He was so famous as a...
).
History
The foundation stone was laid on May 17, 1704 under Duke Eberhard Ludwig of
WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
(reigning monarch from 1693 to 1733). One year later the site was named "Ludwigsburg" (in English: Ludwig's castle). Begun as a hunting lodge, the project became much more complex and gained momentum over the years.
On August 17, 1709, the duke established the city of Ludwigsburg directly next to his palace. In 1718, Ludwigsburg temporarily became capital and sole residence of the dukes of
WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
. Later on, under the successors of Eberhard Ludwig, the residence was transferred back to nearby
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
.
In 1733, when the construction phase had been completed, the baroque style was absolutely prevailing in Germany. Eventually, successors of Eberhard Ludwig modified the original design of the palace. Especially, Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg (1728 - 1793) and King
Friedrich of WürttembergFrederick I was the first King of Württemberg. He was known for his size, 2.11 m and about 200 kg , which put him in contrast to Napoleon who recognized him as King of Württemberg.-Biography:Born in Treptow, Frederick was the eldest son of Duke Friedrich Eugen of Württemberg and Sophia...
(1754 - 1816) have to be mentioned.
Today, three different styles are dominant:
- Baroque
Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical, theatrical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state. New architectural concerns for color, light and...
(e.g. Old Main Building, Rest Room of New Main Building, Building of the Giants, Games & Hunting Pavilions, Court Chapel)
- Rococo
Rococo is a style of 18th century French art and interior design. Rococo rooms were designed as total works of art with elegant and ornate furniture, small sculptures, ornamental mirrors, and tapestry complementing architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings...
(e.g. Order Chapel, Duke's Private Suite, New Main Building) - modifications by Duke Carl Eugen
- Empire (e.g. Marble Hall, King's Audience Chamber, Queen's Bed Room, King's Library) - modifications by King Friedrich
The main architects involved in the construction and refurbishment of the site were Johann Friedrich Nette (from 1704 to 1714), Donato Giuseppe Frisoni (from 1714 to 1733),
Philippe de La Guêpière Philippe de La Guêpière, was a French architect whose main commissions were from Karl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg.-Early life :...
(1757 / 58), who built the Palace Theatre and refurbished the
corps de logisCorps de logis is the architectural term which refers to the principal block of a large, usually classical, mansion or palace. It contains the principal rooms, state apartments and an entry. The grandest and finest rooms are often on the first floor above the ground level: this floor is the piano...
in
rococoRococo is a style of 18th century French art and interior design. Rococo rooms were designed as total works of art with elegant and ornate furniture, small sculptures, ornamental mirrors, and tapestry complementing architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings...
style, and Friedrich Thouret.
Under King Wilhelm I of Württemberg, the palace and especially the gardens decayed gradually because the monarch, in contrast to his predecessors, showed no interest in Ludwigsburg. He favoured his own palace projects "Wilhelma" (
MoorishMoorish architecture is a term used to describe the articulated Islamic architecture which developed in North Africa and south-western Europe, especially the Iberian Peninsula, where Islamic civilisation came into contact with Berber, Greco-Roman, Visigothic and other traditions...
) and "
RosensteinCastle Rosenstein in the Bad Cannstatt district of Stuttgart, Germany was built between 1822 and 1830 by the court builder Giovanni Salucci in the classical style for the King Wilhelm I....
" (
classicalClassical architecture is the architecture of classical antiquity; chiefly the impressive public buildings, which have survived to be studied in the modern age...
) in
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
.
Ludwigsburg Palace was not destroyed during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, so a renaissance of the complex could start in the mid 20th century. The continuous garden show "Flourishing Baroque", that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, opened in 1953. Nowadays, the palace and its surrounding gardens are presented to the public in a state very similar to their appearance around 1800.
The palace theatre (Europe's oldest preserved) and its stage machinery from 1758 are still operational.
Additionally, Ludwigsburg Palace nowadays contains three museums:
- Baroque Gallery (Old Main Building) - a branch of Stuttgart State Gallery - presents the State Gallery's collection of Baroque paintings
- Porcelain Museum (New Main Building) - a branch of Württemberg State Museum Stuttgart
- Baroque Fashion Museum - a branch of Württemberg State Museum Stuttgart - presents clothes from 1750 to 1820
Two smaller palaces complete the royal compound in Ludwigsburg: "Favorite" (built from 1713 to 1728) and "
MonreposMonrepos was also a grand and famous park in the Finnish city of Viipuri, now Vyborg, Russia.Monrepos is a lakeside palace in Ludwigsburg, Germany...
" (built from 1764 to 1768).
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