One of the largest Baroque palaces in Germany
Ludwigsburg Residential Palace
Old central building and kitchen building at Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Cooking, roasting, bakingThe kitchens

At Ludwigsburg Residential Palace there were specific rooms for cooking, roasting and baking for the royal table. The kitchen building and adjoining building are no longer in their original state and are now used for other purposes.

Kitchen building at Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

The kitchens were located in the west part of the palace.

Safety and comfort

Several outbuildings are located west of the residential palace's central building. Their distance from the palace prevented smoke or food smells from bothering the nobility. They also served to keep the delivery of goods and the kitchen servants' activities hidden from view. Most importantly, positioning the open hearths in outbuildings reduced the risk of a palace fire. The court confectionery was therefore located on the ground floor of the Festin building, which was only linked to the palace by a single gallery.

Kitchen building at Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

This is where meals for the court were prepared.

The former kitchen building

Cooking took place in the two-story kitchen building. An arched arcade entrance led to the central room, which stretched all the way to the attic. Meals for the palace residents were once cooked here on seven hearths. The adjoining rooms housed a small baking room with ovens and a butcher room. Ingredients were stored in several storerooms; apples, for example, were stored in the cellar vault. The kitchen servants' living quarters were located on the second floor and in the attic.

Court fish farming

The three water basins in the fish house were used for edible fish. Their proximity to the kitchen guaranteed that fish was freshly caught before it was prepared. The creatures destined for the royal table were bred in the water basins and ponds of the expansive palace park. An 1816 invoice indicates that 31 different kinds of fish were served at the royal tables, including cod, kippers, anchovies, eel and tuna. Other aquatic animals, such as crabs and oysters, were considered delicacies.

Costumed person in front of Ludwigsburg Favorite Palace

Not just a diversion: Hunts contributed to the food supply.

Supplying the court with meat

The eggs used daily by the court kitchen came from the chicken coop. A simple structure with a hip roof is situated symmetrically to the fish house. The court largely supplied its own poultry, meat and game. King Friedrich has a keen passion for hunting. In April of 1816, for example, kitchen management had more than 2,770 cuts of venison, 302 cuts of boar, and five rabbits at their disposal.

Visitors can gain insight into kitchen management at the Württemberg court: the special "From cellar to plate" tour includes tastings.

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