One of the largest Baroque palaces in Germany
Ludwigsburg Residential Palace
New central building at Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Four stylistic eras under one roofThe new central building

The magnificent marble hall and the royal apartments make the expansive new central building a far more representative structure than the old central building. For two hundred years, it was inhabited by members of the ducal family, who redecorated its interiors again and again.

King Friedrich I's staircase in the new central building at Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

The royal staircase on the king's side.

New rooms for Duke Eberhard Ludwig

After the duke proclaimed Ludwigsburg his official residence, the existing three wings around the palace courtyard were expanded by a larger fourth wing. Eberhard Ludwig had the royal apartments for him and his family arranged on the second floor. However, at the time of his death in 1733, these rooms had not yet been completed. The two staircases leading to the royal rooms are especially magnificent. They played an important role in the courtly reception ceremonials.

Duke Carl Eugen's second antechamber at Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Wall paneling in the Rococo style in the second antechamber.

Duke Carl Eugen's apartment

Duke Carl Eugen selected several of the rooms on the third floor of the new central building for his apartment. Between 1757 and 1759, French architect Philippe de la Guêpière designed the interior in the playful Rococo style. Stuccoists Giovanni Pietro Brilli and Ludovico Bossi, along with numerous sculptors, created the masterful stucco and the gilded carvings on the wall paneling.

Antechamber to King Friedrich I's apartment at Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

King Friedrich I's antechamber

King Friedrich I's apartment

The first king of Württemberg, King Friedrich I, unified all the rooms west of the marble hall as his new royal apartment and had them decorated in the elegant Classical style between 1802 and 1811. The status-conscious ruler inhabited twelve rooms, far more than any of his predecessors. Starting with his antechamber, which adjoined the marble hall, the official rooms are situated on the south side, facing the garden. His private rooms face the courtyard.

Visitors in the marble hall at Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

A truly beautiful marble hall.

Antechamber to Queen Charlotte Mathilde's apartment at Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Bright, clean and severe: updated in the Classic style.

Queen Charlotte Mathilde's apartment

Queen Charlotte Mathilde, King Friedrich I's wife, moved into the apartment on the east side of the new central building. With the exception of three rooms, this area initially retained its Baroque decor and was not updated until 1816–1824. The queen also lived in the palace as a widow, until her death in 1828. She was the last monarch to reside at Ludwigsburg. Her apartment has since been preserved in a nearly unchanged condition.

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